When you think of geology, the Calumet Region may not come to mind at first. It may not be as obvious as other states or areas, but the geologic history is there. The geologic time scale or the "calendar of events in Earth's history" are obvious in the Region when you dig deeper into the work that geologists have left behind. The geologic time scale is based on stratigraphy, which is the study of sedimentary layers. Fossils of ancient life form in different rock layers which provide the road to putting together a time scale. In the Calumet Region, paleontologists have collected rocks containing fossils. The rivers and landscapes have contributed to the development or the destruction of many towns.
The existence of visible life is called the Phanerozoic eon. The Precambrian of time is divided into the Proterozoic, the Archean and the Hadean eons, in order of increasing age. There is the Cenozoic (recent life and the age of mammals along with the development of humans and when dinosaurs became extinct), Mesozoic (middle life and when dinosaurs were dominant and birds first appeared) and the Paleozoic (ancient life and when first organisms appeared and fish were dominant).
The Pleistocene Ice Age began approximately 2 million years ago. The earth started to experience periodic ice advances. The landscape today represents the last two ice sheets. The last age ended with a change in weather and a great melting of ice. This created summer torrents of water pouring down most of the streams in Indiana.
Indiana has many mineral resources. The building stone belt expands from Gosport to Salem across South Central Indiana. Limestone from the state contributes to the development of buildings and other structures throughout North America. Advances in glass, lime, cement, clay and coal took place in Indiana.
As you can see, this is a great beginning to looking further into the history of geology in the Calumet Region. Looking forward to sharing more of my findings with you!
References: http://www.the freelibrary.com
Camp, Mark J., and Graham T. Richardson. Roadside Geology of Indiana. Missoula, Mt.: Mountain, 1999. Print.
This is the Thornton Quarry which was a Silurian
Sea, millions of years ago.
Photograph Taken By: Carol Haynes
This is the Little Calumet River that empties into the Grand Calumet River.
The formation of the Little Calumet and the Grand Calumet were created by glaciers 1,600,000
years ago.
Photograph Taken By: Carol Haynes
This is Ridge Road in Highland. This was an ancient sand dune.
Photograph Taken By: Carol Haynes
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