A MARS-SIZED PLANET HIT EARTH, SENDING DEBRIS INTO ORBIT AROUND EARTH. A

FRACTION OF THAT DEBRIS FORMED THE MOON AND THE REST RETURNED TO EARTH.

4.5 BILLION YEARS AGO

AS ANCIENT EUROPE (“BALTICA”) AND BRAZIL (“AMAZONIA”) COLLIDED WITH PROTO-NORTH AMERICA, SEDIMENTARY AND IGNEOUS ROCKS

WERE DEFORMED AND METAMORPHOSED TO PRODUCE THE ROCKS OF THE GRENVILLE MOUNTAINS. THESE ARE THE OLDEST ROCKS

FOUND IN CONNECTICUT.

1 BILLION YEARS AGO

THE TACONIC MOUNTAINS, PART OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CHAIN, FORMED

WHEN VOLCANIC ISLANDS AND OCEAN SEDIMENTS COLLIDED WITH NORTH AMERICA.

460 MILLION YEARS AGO

THE TACONIC MOUNTAINS, PART OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CHAIN, FORMED

WHEN VOLCANIC ISLANDS AND OCEAN SEDIMENTS COLLIDED WITH NORTH AMERICA.

380 MILLION YEARS AGO

THE ROCKS OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS CONTINUED TO FORM AS A CONTINENTAL MASS EARTH SCIENTISTS CALL “AVALONIA” COLLIDED

WITH EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.

350-250 MILLION YEARS AGO

THE SUPERCONTINENT PANGEA (MEANING “ALL LANDS”) WAS FORMED WHEN ALL THE CONTINENTS CAME TOGETHER. DURING THIS TIME, THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS CONTINUED TO FORM. THE MOUNTAINS

WERE AS HIGH AS THE HIMALAYAS ARE TODAY, REACHING ELEVATIONS OF 20,000-30,000 FEET

ABOVE SEA LEVEL

230-210 MILLION YEARS AGO

THE BREAKUP OF PANGEA STARTED AS THE SUPERCONTINENT BEGAN TO RIFT APART,

ULTIMATELY CREATING THE ATLANTICOCEAN BASIN.

200 MILLION YEARS AGO

AS PANGEA CONTINUED TO BREAK UP, SOME SMALLER RIFTS PERPENDICULAR TO THE MAIN RIFT DID NOT OPEN COMPLETELY,

PRODUCING FAILED RIFT VALLEYS LIKE CONNECTICUT’S CENTRAL VALLEY (NEWARK TERRANE). THE FAMOUS

BROWNSTONES OF CONNECTICUT ARE MADE FROMSEDIMENTS THAT WERE DEPOSITED IN THE RIFT VALLEY. THE FLOOD BASALT LAVAS THAT ERUPTED ALONG THE RIFTS ARE

NOW PRESERVED AS TRAPROCK RIDGES. ONE LAVA FLOWWAS ABOUT 200 METERS (OVER 600 FEET) THICK! DINOSAURS

ROAMED THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY AND LEFTFOOTPRINTS ALONG THE MUDDY MARGINS OF RIFT

VALLEY LAKES. ONE TYPE OF LARGE FOOTPRINT IS NAMED EUBRONTES AND IS THE CONNECTICUT STATE FOSSIL.

65 MILLION YEARS AGO

A 10-KILOMETER DIAMETER ASTEROID STRUCK EARTH NEAR THE YUCATAN PENINSULA

(CHICXULUB CRATER) IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. MANY EARTH SCIENTISTS THINK THAT THE RESULTING CATACLYSMS CAUSED A MASS

EXTINCTION THAT WIPED OUT MANY SPECIES, INCLUDING DINOSAURS

LIKE TYRANNOSAURUS REX.

25,000 YEARS AGO

THE GLACIERS MELTED, UNCOVERING CONNECTICUT. THE TERMINAL MORAINES THAT

WERE LEFT BEHIND FORMED LONG ISLAND, BLOCK ISLAND, MARTHA’S VINEYARD AND

NANTUCKET ISLAND.

20,000 TO 12,000 YEARS AGO