Editing Mount Holyoke (section)

==Geology and ecology==
Mount Holyoke, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of [[basalt]], also called [[trap rock]], a [[volcanic]] rock. The mountain formed near the end of the [[Triassic Period]] with the [[rift (geology)|rifting]] apart of the [[North America]]n continent from [[Africa]] and [[Eurasia]]. [[Lava]] welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent [[fault (geology)|faulting]] and [[earthquake]] activity tilted the strata, creating the dramatic cliffs and ridges of Mount Holyoke.<ref>[[Raymo, Chet]] and [[Raymo, Maureen E.]] ''Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States''. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.</ref> Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt [[scree|talus]] produce a combination of [[microclimate]] ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Massachusetts.<ref name="EF"/> (The Metacomet Ridge article has more information on the [[Metacomet Ridge#Geology|geology]] and [[Metacomet Ridge#Ecosystem|ecosystem]] of Mount Holyoke).