A Brief Geological History of Ithaca and Tompkins County:
<p>Tompkins County owes its stunning topography to its intricate and variegated Phanerozoic geologic history. Of principal influence over the region’s surficial geology are Devonian Period sedimentary processes as well as glaciation events which took place during the recent Pleistocene Ice Age — a period which still strongly influences global climatic conditions. In short, the collision of proto-continents during the Ordovician Period generated a massive mountain range (Taconic Orogeny), the remnants of which constitute the modern Appalachian chain. Erosion of said mountain range, deposition of sediment in tropical deltas, and subsequent lithification of sediment in conjunction with calcariferous marine organism skeletal detritus generated the sedimentary bedrock that comprises the vast majority of Tompkins County’s visible strata.</p>
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