Jens Hilke Landscape Change Project Perkins Geology Museum

Jens Hilke Landscape Change Project Perkins Geology Museum jhilke@uvm. edu www. uvm. edu/perkins/Landscape/ Index. html supported by National Science Foundation University of Vermont

Credits § "Plate tectonic maps and Continental drift animations by C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP Project (www. scotese. com)"

Earth’s rigid crust floats on the soft mantle Mantle Crust

Convection currents drive plate movement

= Shows the location of Vermont

Grenville supercontinent breaks apart NY GRENVILLE SUPERCONTINENT NY VT NH

Opening of the Iapetus Ocean

IAPETUS OCEAN NY PROTOAMERICA VT NH PROTO-EUROPE

Plates reverse direction IAPETUS OCEAN VT NH NY PROTOAMERICA PROTO-EUROPE Subduction creates a chain of island arcs NY PROTOAMERICA VT NH PROTO-EUROPE

Island Arcs slam into Proto-American Plate Formation of Taconic Mtns (Taconic Orogeny) NY PROTOAMERICA VT NH PROTO-EUROPE

Acadian Orogeny Formation of the Green Mtns NY PROTOAMERICA VT NH PROTO-EUROPE

Proto European Plate collides with Proto America • Formation of the White Mtns. (Alleghanian Orogeny) • Champlain Thrust Fault occurs as a result of these compressional forces VT NY PROTOAMERICA NH PROTO-EUROPE

Formation of Pangea

Pangea begins to split apart Forms partial graben in Champlain Valley

570 mya Present 4. 6 bya Precambrian 570 mya 514 mya 458 mya 425 mya 255 mya Phanerozoic "Plate tectonic maps and Continental drift animations by C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP Project (www. scotese. com)" Present

VT NY PROTOAMERICA NH PROTO-EUROPE VT NH PROTO-EUROPE