East Rock

This article is about a mountainous ridge located in New Haven, Connecticut. See East Rock (neighborhood) for the residential neighborhood known by the same name.

East Rock of south-central Connecticut, with a high point of 366 feet (112 m), is a Template:Dist mile km long traprock ridge located on the north side of the city of New Haven. A prominant landscape feature and a popular outdoor recreation area with 300 feet (91 m) cliffs that rises over the city below, East Rock is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border.^[1]^[2]

Geography

East Rock, located in New Haven and Hamden, Connecticut, is Template:Dist mile km long by Template:Dist mile km wide at its widest point, although steepness of the terrain make the actual squire mileage much larger. Beside the high point, East Rock has three other distinct peaks: Whitney Peak, a sharp-sided pinnacle on the north side of the mountain, 366 feet (112 m); Indian Head, 310 feet (94 m), just south of the high point; and Snake Rock 205 feet (62 m), the southern buttress of the ridge. Whitney Peak and Lake Whitney, located at the western base of the mountain behind the dammed Mill River, is named after Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin and a former New Haven resident. A small museum dedicated to the inventor is located on the west side of the ridge at the base of the dam.

At the summit of East Rock, clearly visible for miles below, is the 112 feet (34 m) high Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The monument honors the residents of New Haven who gave their lives in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War.^[3]

East Rock is located entirely within the 425-acre East Rock Park, managed by the city of New Haven, which maintains a seasonal automobile road that climbs to the summit of the ridge, a network of trails, an environmental center, and a rose garden. A number of sports recreation fields are located at the southwest base of the ridge; these are also managed by the city. The ridge is completely surrounded by the urban neighborhoods of New Haven and its metropolitan extension into south Hamden. East Rock lends its name to the nearby upscale East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, known for its Queen Anne and Victorian architecture. U.S. Route 5 borders the east side of East Rock while Interstate 91 crosses below Snake Rock to the south.

The Metacomet Ridge extends west from East Rock as series of smaller, unnoteworthy traprock outcrops to West Rock Ridge and east over another series of traprock outcrops to Saltonstall Mountain. The west side of East Rock drains into the Mill river thence to New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound; the east side into the Quinnipiac River, thence to New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound. Both rivers abut the base of the mountain.^[2]^[4]

Geology

East Rock is a fault-block ridge formed 200 million years ago during the Triassic and Jurassic periods and is composed of traprock, also known as basalt, an extrusive volcanic rock. Basalt is a dark colored rock, but the iron within it weathers to a rusty brown when exposed to the air, lending the ledges a distinct reddish appearance. Basalt frequently breaks into octagonal and pentagonal columns, creating a unique "postpile" appearance. Huge slopes made of fractured basalt talus are visible beneath many of the ledges of East Rock. These basalt cliffs are the product of massive lava flows hundreds of feet deep that welled up in faults created by the rifting apart of North America from Eurasia and Africa over a period of 20 million years. Erosion occurring between the eruptions deposited deep layers of sediment between the lava flows and around the dike, which eventually lithified into sedimentary rock. The resulting "layer cake" of basalt and sedimentary sheets eventually faulted and tilted upward. Subsequent erosion wore away the weaker sedimentary layers a faster rate than the basalt layers, leaving the abruptly tilted edges of the basalt sheets exposed, creating the distinct linear ridge and dramatic cliff faces visible today.^[5]

Ecosystem

East Rock hosts a combination of microclimates unusual in New England. Dry, hot upper ridges support oak savannas, often dominated by chestnut oak and a variety of understory grasses and ferns. Eastern red cedar, a dry-loving species, clings to the barren edges of cliffs. Cooler north facing backslopes tend to support extensive stands of eastern hemlock interspersed with the oak-hickory forest species more common in the surrounding lowlands. Narrow ravines crowded with hemlock block sunlight, creating damp, cooler growing conditions with associated cooler climate plant species. Talus slopes are especially rich in nutrients and support a number of calcium-loving plants uncommon in eastern Connecticut.^[6]^[1]

East Rock is also an important seasonal raptor migration path.^[1]

Recreation

East Rock is a popular outdoor recreation destination, especially to the residents of the nearby metropolitan New Haven region. Views from the clifftops span metropolitan New Haven and Long Island. ^[4]

East Rock Park is open year round to hikers and walkers. the automobile road is open April 1 to November 1, 8 a.m. to sunset and November 1 to March 31, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Activities permitted in the park include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, picnicking, bicycling (on roads only), boating, bird watching, and dog walking. Rock climbing, swimming, and [[alcoholic beverage]s are prohibited. A number of hiking trails traverse the ridge, most notably the Giant Steps Trail which ascends the summit near-vertically from the south. At the foot of the mountain are located football, baseball, and soccor fields, tennis courts, and basketball courts. The Trowbridge Environmental Center is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and at least one Saturday a month for public programs; it offers displays and information about the geology and ecosystem of East Rock. The Pardee Rose Garden and Greenhouse features roses and other flowering plants from spring to fall, and is a popular place to shoot wedding pictures.