Hanging Hills
| Hanging Hills | |
|---|---|
 View of East Peak and Castle Craig from South Mountain, with the Merimere Reservoir and Mine Island below |
|
| Highest peak | West Peak ( 312 m ) |
| location | Connecticut , United States |
| Coordinates | 41 ° 34 ′ N , 72 ° 49 ′ W |
| rock | basalt |
| Age of the rock | Lower Jurassic |
The Hanging Hills of south-central Connecticut in the United States are a range of volcanic basalt ("trap rock") north and east of the cities of Meriden and Southington and the Quinnipiac Lowlands. They rise up to 900 ft (274 m) above the area. The Hanging Hills are part of the Metacomet Ridge , which stretches from Long Island Sound near New Haven (Connecticut) north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border . The mountains are a popular local recreation destination, known for its unique microclimatic ecosystems , rare plant communities, and panoramic views from the cliffs that rise up to 700 ft (213 m) from the plains. Also in the Hanging Hills area is the 1,800 acre (7.3 km²) Hubbard Park , which was created with the help of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted . The Metacomet Trail hiking trail runs over the mountains.
geography
The ridge lies in the area of the cities of Meriden, Southington and Berlin . It is roughly horseshoe-shaped, with cliffs facing south and west. The main heights are, from east to west, Cathole Mountain 515 ft (157 m), South Mountain 767 ft (234 m), East Peak 976 ft (297 m) and West Peak 1024 ft (312 m). Castle Craig is a small stone tower built on East Peak in 1900. Metacomet Ridge continues north of the Hanging Hills as Short Mountain and Ragged Mountain and southeast as Lamentation Mountain .
South, east and west of the Hanging Hills drain into the Quinnipiac River and thus into the Long Island Sound . The north side drains into the Mattabesett River , another tributary of the Connecticut River . Several significant reservoirs and natural bodies of water are located in or on the slopes of the Hanging Hills, including Kenmere Reservoir , Hallmere Reservoir , Elmere Reservoir , Beaver Pond , Silver Lake , Mirror Lake and Slopers Ponds .
geology
The Hanging Hills were formed around 200 million years ago by fracture tectonic processes during the Triassic and Jurassic geological ages . They are made of basalt , a type of extrusive volcanic rock . Basalt is dark in color, but the iron it contains weathers to a rusty brown hue when exposed to air. Therefore, the slopes develop a characteristic reddish color. Basalt often breaks up into octagonal and pentagonal columns, creating so-called "postpile" (basalt prisms). Large scree slopes also develop on many slopes ; particularly pronounced, for example, at the foot of the East Peak, where it rises above the Merimere Reservoir. The basalt cliffs are the product of several massive lava flows that rose into fracture zones from several hundred meters below the ground when North America drifted away from Eurasia and Africa . These effusions ran over a period of 20 million. Years. The erosion, which was effective in the periods between the eruptions, created thick layers of sediment between the lava layers, which eventually petrified and became sedimentary rocks themselves . The end result was a "layer cake" made of basalt and layers of sediment, which broke open and the pieces of which shifted vertically against each other. The onset of erosion subsequently carried away the softer sedimentary rocks more quickly and left the edges of the basalt layers, which today form the clear lines of the cliffs and the dramatic cliffs. Later glaciers scraped off the basalt on the southern edge of the mountain range and created overhanging cliffs. In the region of Meriden, numerous north-east oriented fault lines formed the channels for the volcanic effusions and the accumulating sedimentary rocks. Several of these fault lines break through the Metacomet Ridge north of Meriden. Erosion by water and glaciers created canyons along these fault lines and divided the basal ridge there into finger-shaped hanging hills. Merimere Reservoir was created in the valley between East Peak and South Mountain.
history
Hubbard Park in the Hanging Hills was funded by Walter Hubbard , an entrepreneur and president of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company. Hubbard engaged the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to produce the designs.
Edwin Howard Armstrong , a pioneer of Network Radio that the FM broadcasting invented (FM radio), used West Peak in 1939 as a transmission site for one of the first FM radio transmissions. The radio mast used at the time with a height of 70 ft (21 m) is still on the summit. West Peak is currently the location for seven FM stations: WPKT, WWYZ, WKSS, WDRC-FM, WZMX, WHCN and WMRQ-FM.
ecology
The Hanging Hills are home to a number of microclimatic biotopes that are unusual for New England . Dry, hot mountain ridges are locations for oak savannas, which are dominated by chestnut oak and some grasses and ferns in the undergrowth. Virginian juniper ( Juniperus virginiana , Eastern red cedar), a particularly drought-tolerant species, clings to the stony edges of the cliffs. Cooler northern slopes often carry extensive stands of the Canadian hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis , eastern hemlock) between the deciduous forests dominated by oak and hickory , which are also found in the surrounding lowlands. In narrow gorges, dense stands of hemlock shade the ground and create moist, cool biotopes in which plants that prefer cooler climates also grow. The scree slopes are particularly rich in nutrients and provide locations for plants that are otherwise rare in eastern Connecticut as lime-loving plants. The ridges are therefore the location for a number of plants that are rare in all of Connecticut or the United States.
In addition, the Hanging Hills are also an important landmark for birds of prey on migration .
Landscape protection
Much of the Hanging Hills has been converted into parkland, serves as a water reservoir for the surrounding communities, or is under conservation. Private owners also own large areas, especially in the eastern and northern parts of the area. In 2000 the Hanging Hills were included in a study by the National Park Service to develop recommendations for the construction of a new National Scenic Trail ( New England National Scenic Trail ). This trail was intended to connect the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts to the Mattabesett Trail and the Metacomet Trail in Connecticut.
Several regional and local non-profit organizations are involved in protecting the landscape and ecosystems of the Hanging Hills, most notably the Connecticut Forest and Park Association , the Meriden Land Trust , and the Berlin Land Trust .
Freetime activities
The Hanging Hills are a popular recreational destination. Hubbard Park features a Bandshell and Flower Garden and hosts various festivals and concerts, most notably during the Daffodil Festival in spring. A path from the park leads to Castle Craig Tower. Other hiking trails, including the 51 mi (80 km) long “blue-blazed” Metacomet Trail, run through the area. In addition to hiking trails, there are opportunities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; the trails are free for cycling and the slopes are particularly good for climbing at Cathole Mountain in Hubbard Park. However, swimming is prohibited. There are many different vantage points from the tops of the mountains overlooking the Quinnipiac River Valley region , Long Island Sound, and other higher peaks of southern New England.
The Black Dog of the Hanging Hills
The Black Dog of the Hanging Hills (The Black Dog of the Hanging Hills) is a legendary ghost dog (hound) occurs in local legends. Folklore says that he has haunted the region since the early 19th century and that he appears as a small black dog, often as a friendly companion that leaves no tracks and does not make a sound. Legend has it that seeing the dog for the first time is a good omen, while a second appearance is a warning. A third encounter, on the other hand, is an omen of death. At least six deaths have been linked to Black Dog apparitions.
One of the first reports was published in the Connecticut Quarterly (April – June 1898) by the New York geologist WHC Pynchon . According to Pynchon, the dog appeared in February 1891 when he and colleague Herbert Marshall of the United States Geological Survey were doing geological surveys in the Hanging Hills. Pynchon had seen the dog before. Marshall, who had seen the dog twice before, made fun of the legend. Shortly after the two saw the dog, however, Marshall slipped on a sheet of ice on the edge of the cliff and fell to his death. Black dog sightings are reported to this day.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Elizabeth J. Farnsworth: "Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment." ( Memento of the original from August 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 2004.
- ↑ a b c Hubbard Park Hiking Trails. ( Memento of the original from April 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Meriden Land Trust 2012.
- ^ DeLorme Topo 6.0 (2006). Mapping software. DeLorme , Yarmouth, Maine.
- ↑ Chet and Maureen E. Raymo: Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States . Chester, Connecticut: Globe Pequot 1989.
- ^ Natural Resource Inventory. City of Meriden Plan of Conservation & Development Update. Harrall-Michalowski Associates, Inc. Hamden, Connecticut 2007 ( PDF 520 kB)
- ↑ City of Meriden , August 21, 2009.
- ↑ This Week on Amateur Radio. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Monadnock, Metacoment, Mattabesett National Scenic Trail Study ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , October 8, 2007.
- ↑ Meridenlandtrust.com ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Berlinlandtrust.org ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Meriden Daffodil Festival .
- ^ Connecticut Walk Book: A Trail Guide to the Connecticut Outdoors. 17th edition. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association . Rockfall, Connecticut. Undated.
- ↑ a b Connecticut Windows on the Natural World .
- ^ Curbstone Press . December 13, 2007.
