Editing Vermont (section)

===Geology===
[[File:WaitsRiverXSection.png|thumb|upright|[[Silurian]] and [[Devonian]] stratigraphy of Vermont]]
{{further|Geology of New England}}

There are five distinct [[physiographic]] regions of Vermont.<ref>{{cite web |title=Physiographic Regions |url=http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/physiographic/wordphysiomap.doc |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-date=November 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113013439/http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/physiographic/wordphysiomap.doc |url-status=dead }}</ref> Categorized by geological and physical attributes, they are the Northeastern Highlands, the Green Mountains, the [[Taconic Mountains]], the Champlain Lowlands, and the Vermont Piedmont.<ref>{{cite web|title=Academics Content Server at Saint Michael's|website=The Physiographic Regions of Vermont|url=http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/physiographic/physiographic_regions_of_vermont.htm|access-date=January 3, 2007|archive-date=May 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514235917/http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/physiographic/physiographic_regions_of_vermont.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

About 500 million years ago, Vermont was part of [[Laurentia]] and located in the tropics.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Joel Banner |last=Baird |title=Tremors of discovery |url=http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110724/GREEN01/107240301/Tremors-Discovery-Lone-Rock-Point-bears-scars-ancient-earthly-disruptions |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723202151/http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110724/GREEN01/107240301/Tremors-Discovery-Lone-Rock-Point-bears-scars-ancient-earthly-disruptions |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |newspaper=[[Burlington Free Press]] |location=Burlington, Vermont |pages=1–3D |date=July 24, 2011 }}</ref> The central and southern Green Mountain range include the oldest rocks in Vermont, formed about one billion years ago during the first mountain building period (or orogeny). Subsequently, about {{Nowrap|400 million}} years ago, the second mountain building period created Green Mountain peaks that were {{convert|15000|-|20000|ft}} tall, three to four times their current height and comparable to the [[Himalayas]]. The geological pressures that created those peaks remain evident as the [[Champlain Thrust]], running north–south to the west of the mountains (now the eastern shore of Lake Champlain). It is an example of geological fault thrusting where bedrock is pushed over the newer rock formation.

As a result of tectonic formation, Vermont east of the Green Mountains tends to be formed from rocks produced in the [[Silurian]] and [[Devonian]] periods, and western Vermont mainly from the older [[Pre-Cambrian]] and [[Cambrian]] material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/images/gengeo52.pdf |title=Generalized geologic map of Vermont |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-date=April 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405135709/http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/images/gengeo52.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Several large deposits within the state contain granite.<ref>{{cite web |title=Granite {{!}} Department of Environmental Conservation |url=https://dec.vermont.gov/geological-survey/resources-energy/minres/granite |website=dec.vermont.gov |publisher=Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=March 3, 2020}}</ref> The remains of the [[Chazy Formation]] can be observed in [[Isle La Motte, Vermont|Isle La Motte]] which was one of the first tropical reefs. It is the site of the limestone Fisk Quarry, which contains a collection of ancient marine fossils, such as [[Stromatoporoidea|stromatoporoids]], that date to {{Nowrap|200 million}} years ago. At one point, Vermont is believed to have been connected to Africa ([[Pangaea]]); the fossils found and the rock formations found on the coasts in both Africa and America are evidence affirming the Pangaea theory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/monkton/monktonmain.htm |title=Geology and Mineral Resources—Vermont Geological Survey |publisher=Anr.state.vt.us |access-date=January 25, 2012 |archive-date=December 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230180108/http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/monkton/monktonmain.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Slayton |first=Thomas |url=http://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/vermonts-farmers-have-geology-to-thank |title=The Outside Story &#124; Vermont's Farmers Have Geology to Thank |publisher=Northern Woodlands |date=December 1, 2009 |access-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/learn/Downloads/BRIEFGeologicHistory.pdf |title=Report |website=uvm.edu}}</ref>

In the past four centuries, Vermont has experienced a few earthquakes, rarely centered under the state. The highest ranked, in 1952, had a [[Richter magnitude scale]] 6.0 and was based in Canada.<ref name="bfp100624">{{cite news|title=Canada quake shakes Vt.|newspaper=Burlington Free Press|location=Burlington, Vermont|pages= 1A,4A|date=June 24, 2010}}</ref>