New York and Philadelphia

Shortly after my analytical trip to California I returned home and immediately left for the East Coast.  For our trip we visited Philadelphia, Long Island, and New York City.  Although there wasn't a major portioning of geology for our trip I did see some interesting things it was great to see some of the landforms and features of the Eastern US.

In Philadelphia, we visited all of the typical tourist spots of American History: the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the US Mint.  We also walked around a great deal, soaking in the city and resting in the parks of the city, most placed in large squares about a square block in area.  I saw a fair amount of schist and gneiss in the walls of Eastern State Penitentiary, the famous prison of Pennsylvania.  The walls sparkled with micas but were otherwise drab metamorphic rocks with regular foliation.

On Long Island we visited the beach, where I was surprised to see the local park service people were working to protect sand dunes.  In New York City, I was glad to visit Central Park which was very near our hotel.  It was fascinating to see evidence of glacial activity preserved in the middle of a city.  I had never had a chance to actually feel the striations of glacial movement, so it was a real treat.

We also visited the American Museum of Natural History, where I took enough pictures just of the paleontological to run through my camera's battery.  I was really pleased to see how well done their general geology section was, and their sampled deep sea chimneys from the Juan de Fuca Ridge were fascinating.

 
We took so long walking through the museum that we had the gem and mineral section close on us just 15 minutes after we walked in, but that just means I will have to come back and give it the attention it deserves!