Editing Lowell, Vermont (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 56.1&nbsp;square miles (145.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 56.0&nbsp;square miles (145.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.1&nbsp;square mile (0.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (0.11%) is water. The unincorporated [[Lowell (CDP), Vermont|village of Lowell]] is in the center of the town.

===Geology===
Circa 400 million years ago, large and slow moving upheavals formed the [[serpentine rock]] and the asbestos fiber which sometimes accompanies serpentine. This serpentine comprises Brown's Ledges at the Lowell-Westfield border. A rare fern species, ''[[Adiantum viridimontanum]]'', grows which can tolerate the high nickel content of serpentine. Serpentine also contains iron, so much so that some rocks can be magnetized. This affects where cell towers can be placed in town. The iron oxide gives the color brown to "Brown's Ledges."<ref name="c080903">The Chronicle, September 8, 2008, page 22, "Geologist give talk about Lowell's geologic history"</ref>

The major [[Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador|Baie Verte]] fault<!---needs to be linked differently when article is available on fault itself---> line runs through Lowell. The Burgess branch of the river follows the fault with serpentine rocks on one side and nonserpentine rocks on the other.<ref name="c080903"/>

The Lowell ([[chrysotile]]) [[quarry]] on [[Belvidere Mountain]] was the last [[asbestos]] mine to operate in the Eastern U.S. It closed in 1993.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1189/pdf/Plate.pdf Plate.ai<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>