Reading Prong

Reading Prong

The Reading Prong is a physiographic subprovince of the New England Uplands section of the New England province of the Appalachian Highlands. The prong consists of mountains comprised of crystalline metamorphic rock.

Location

The Reading Prong stretches from near Reading, Pennsylvania, through northern New Jersey and southern New York, reaching its northern terminus in Connecticut. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=iuBAAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA631&lpg=PA631&dq=%22Reading+Prong%22+%22New+Jersey%22&source=web&ots=A4YvELTSpM&sig=bhT1XNJ6xEapThnjGUypVmQXLIU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA630,M1 Forest Physiography] ] In Pennsylvania, the Reading Prong is simply referred to as such, while in New Jersey and New York, the mountains of the subprovince are referred to as the New York-New Jersey Highlands. Near the Hudson Valley, the term Hudson Highlands is often used. The portion of the prong that enters Connecticut is known as the Housatonic Highlands.

Relation to other divisions of the New England Uplands

In addition to the Redding Prong, there are two additional subsections of the New England Uplands. A prong of the same rock belt extends from the Hudson Highlands south to New York City along the Hudson River. This region is often referred to as the Manhattan Prong. The Staten Island Sepentinite is also a southward extension of the New England Uplands. [ [http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web_link/text/geolsect.htm Geomorphic Provinces and Sections of the New York Bight Watershed] ]

Geology

The Reading Prong is part of the Precambrian basement which is discontinuously exposed in the north-central Appalachians. The rocks that make up the prong consist of diverse gneisses. [ [http://petrology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/325 Metamorphic History of the Northeastern Reading Prong] ] The New England Province and the Blue Ridge province share many geological similarities, and some experts consider the Reading Prong merely a continuation of the Blue Ridge Mountains which reach their northern terminus at South Mountain near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. In the gap between the Blue Ridge and the Reading Province, the two mountainous regions descend into the Appalachian piedmont. Together, the Blue Ridge province and the New England province are often referred to as the Crystalline Appalachians. Rocks of the Reading Prong are characterized by elevated concentrations of Uranium. Decay of this Uranium produces gaseous Radon, a potentially hazardous source of indoor contamination in structures constructed on the prong. [ [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:gA1Ik_bPTQ0J:njedl.rutgers.edu/njdlib/downloadStat.cfm%3Frecord_id%3D417%26docType%3Dpdf+%22Housatonic+Highlands%22+%22Reading+Prong%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us&client=firefox-a Critical Geologic Features-Allamuchy Township] ]

Mountains of the Reading Prong

Housatonic Highlands (north to south)

East Hudson Highlands (north to south)

*Sour Mountain
*Beacon Mountain
*Scofield Ridge
*North Sugarloaf
*Breakneck Ridge
*Bull Hill aka Mt. Taurus
*South Redoubt and North Redoubt
*Sugarloaf Hill
*White Rock
*Canada Hill
*Anthony's Nose

West Hudson Higlands (north to south)

*Storm King Mountain
*Crow's Nest
*Popolopen Torne
*Bear Mountain
*West Mountain
*Bald Mountain
*Dunderberg Mountain

New Jersey Highlands (north to south)

*Pochuck Mountain
*Wawayanda Mountain
*Hamburg Mountain

Reading Prong of Pennsylvania (north to south)

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Reading (Pennsylvania) — Reading Downtown Reading Lage in Pennsylvania …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Reading, Pennsylvania — Infobox Settlement official name = Reading, Pennsylvania nickname = motto = image size = image caption = View, looking west, from Pagoda atop Mt. Penn image image seal size = 70 pix mapsize = map caption = Berks County’s location in Pennsylvania… …   Wikipedia

  • Pochuck Mountain — White Birch Road within the Scenic Lakes community leading down one of the southwestern peaks of Pochuck Mountain. Elevation …   Wikipedia

  • South Mountain (eastern Pennsylvania) — South Mountain is colloquial name applied to features in the mountain range extending south and south west from the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. At times, it also been known as Durham Hills, Reading Hills, and the Lehigh Mountains. It is …   Wikipedia

  • Great Appalachian Valley — The Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough mdash; a chain of valley lowlands mdash; and the central feature of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Wawayanda Mountain — Infobox Mountain Name = Wawayanda Mountain Photo = Wawayanda Mountain.jpg Caption = Wawayanda Mountain from the Vernon Valley Elevation = 1470 ft Location = New Jersey, USA Range = Appalachian Mountains Prominence = Coordinates =… …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania — /pen seuhl vayn yeuh, vay nee euh/, n. a state in the E United States. 11,886,728; 45,333 sq. mi. (117,410 sq. km). Cap.: Harrisburg. Abbr.: PA (for use with zip code), Pa., Penn., Penna. * * * I officially Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State (pop …   Universalium

  • Mount Penn, Pennsylvania — Coordinates: 40°19′46″N 75°53′26″W / 40.32944°N 75.89056°W / 40.32944; 75.89056 …   Wikipedia

  • New York-New Jersey Highlands — The New York New Jersey Highlands is a geological formation composed primarily of precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock running from the Delaware River near Musconetcong Mountain, northeast through the Skylands Region of New Jersey along the… …   Wikipedia

  • New York — Map highlighting the region The New York – New Jersey Highlands is a geological formation composed primarily of precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock running from the Delaware River near Musconetcong Mountain, northeast through the Skylands… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”