Paleontology and geologyDuring the Devonian, North America collided with Western Europe forming the Acadian Mountains in eastern New York. This collision buckled the crust downward, deepening part of the inland sea that covered New York. The Acadian Mountains eroded rapidly, providing huge amounts of sediment, which formed a large deltathe Catskill Delta. The coarsest sediments were deposited close to the mountains and finer-grained sediments spread westward into the inland sea. At times, when the amount of sediment being deposited from the highlands decreased, limestone and dolostone were formed. Marine sediments contain fossils of trilobites, corals, and bryozoans. This map indicates a broad exposure of Devonian rocks across southern New York. |