Subj : ES Picture of the Day 04  2022
To   : All
From : Dan Richter
Date : Tue Oct 04 2022 12:01:12

 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 Quechee Gorge in East Central Vermont

   October 04, 2022

    PattiW_IMG_0088 (003)a

    PattiW_IMG_0084 (003)a

   Photographer:  Patti Weeks

   Summary Author:  Patti Weeks

   The  Quechee Gorge is a 165-feet deep (50 m), 1-mile long (1.6 km)
   narrow chasm on the  Ottauquechee River. As Vermont’s deepest gorge,
   it is nicknamed by locals as “ Vermont’s Grand Canyon.” It was
   formed following the retreat of the massive  Pleistocene
    Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered all of present-day Canada and
   much of the northern United States, between 95,000 to 20,000 years ago.

   When the ice sheet began its retreat about 18,000 years ago, the
   Ottauquechee River re-emerged and began to flow east again, but was
   redirected from the Connecticut River to the newly-formed narrow
    Glacial Lake Hitchcock, which ran nearly 200 miles (320 km) from
   what is now northern Vermont to central Connecticut. A glacial
    terminal moraine (near present day Hartford, Connecticut) called
   the Rocky Hill Dam, blocked the flow of the  Connecticut River for
   approximately 4,000 years, during which the Ottauquechee River filled
   the lake with 170 feet (52 m) of sand, mud and silt. When the dam
   eventually broke, the river made a sharp turn to the south, rapidly
   cutting through the soft mud. Geologist  Frederick Larsen estimated
   that this initial erosion occurred in less than a week. The river has
   been slowly carving through the hard  Devonian age  schist and
    quartzite bedrock, the  Gile Mountain Formation, ever since —
   for the past 13,000 years.

   Now, the Quechee Gorge is a tourist attraction. The Ottauquechee River
   is also rated as a  Class III+(V) whitewater river for 3.7 miles
   (6.0 km). According to a report by  American Whitewater, the water
   level was low (<30 cfs) most of this past summer. Bottom photo shows
   whitewater details. Even at its best whitewater level, however, there
   is a challenging rapid area called “Well Enough.” After a thorough
   scouting, you might need to leave “well enough” alone and just portage.
   The second photo, focusing nearly straight down into the gorge from the
   bridge, shows some large rocks that could make rafting navigation
   challenging, whether the water covers them or not. Photos taken on July
   19, 2022.


   Quechee Gorge, Vermont Coordinates: 43.6374, -72.4085


Related EPODs

    Quechee Gorge in East Central Vermont  Limestone Stratification
   near Modica, Sicily  Strawberry Moon and Etna Exhaust  Kodachrome
   Basin State Park, Utah  Idaho’s Gravity-Defying Balanced Rock
    Eastern Flank of Mt. Etna
    More...

Geography Links

     *  Atlapedia Online
     *  CountryReports
     *  GPS Visualizer
     *  Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
     *  Mapping Our World
     *  Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
     *  Types of Land
     *  World Mapper

-
   Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the  Universities
   Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu
 
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