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Hundreds of Millions of Years Ago, Continents Collided -- In Connecticut

Patrick Skahill / WNPR
Wesleyan geologist Phil Resor stands next to a "granitic gneiss" rock formation on the southeastern side of the Lake Char fault system.

Imagine Connecticut: mountains as high and as sharp as the Himalayas, volcanic activity, and ancient earthquakes shaking the ground -- much more powerful than those we feel today. To understand how this happened, we need to dial the clock back just a little bit... about 300 million years.

That's when the supercontinent of Pangea was taking shape, and an ancient landmass housing modern-day Africa and South America had slammed into Connecticut's coast. 

The collision drove up mountains and transformed the North American landscape. It also formed a rock boundary in Connecticut called the Lake Char fault zone.

Listen below, and read the full story at WNPR's Science Blog, The Beaker

Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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