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Connecticut Was Built By Rock (and Roll), Glaciers, and Lava

Chion Wolf
/
WNPR

We take certain things for granted. Like the mountains, rivers and rocks around us.

So what made Connecticut look the way it looks today? As you kayak on the Connecticut River, drive over Talcott Mountain, or swim in Long Island Sound...there are millions of years of history underneath you.

Today, we look at the geography and geology of Connecticut and New England. According to at least one geologist, we live on some of the most diverse land in the country. 

We also talk to a photographer who traveled around the Northern United States to find those giant boulders that are part of our everyday lives but don’t quite fit in. They most likely come from glaciers.

What are your favorite geologic features of Connecticut? What do you want to know about that boulder in your backyard? 

GUESTS:

  • Janet Stone - Research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey 
  • Ralph Lewis - Retired state geologist 
  • Yellie de Boer - Stearns Professor of Earth Science, Emeritus at Wesleyan University; author of Stories in Stone: How Geology Influenced Connecticut History and Culture 
  • Fritz Hoffman - Photographer 

This show originally aired on June 8, 2012. 

Tucker Ives is WNPR's morning news producer.
Catie Talarski is Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming at Connecticut Public.

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