Lake Sunapee from near the summit of Mount Sunapee. Photo by Destiny Saxon.
Lake Sunapee from near the summit of Mount Sunapee. Photo by Destiny Saxon.
We are working on a detailed 1:24,000-scale geologic map of the area surrounding Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. Several important features of the Acadian orogen in NH come together in this area, including plutons associated with all four groups of the NH Plutonic Series, as well as a narrow septum of metasedimentary rocks related to larger structures of the orogen. Mapping in this area may help improve understanding of the relationships between structural development, magmatism and metamorphism during orogenic events. This mapping also has application to ground water hydrology and water quality. Finally, the results of this project may be of interest to the lay public as the area includes a State Park and a National Wildlife Refuge.
Christina Burt in the field, June 2001.
The mapping entails bushwhacking through remote forests, climbing steep mountains, and spending long hours in the hot sun carefully studying confusing rock outcrops. Successful students are motivated self-starters able to work independently with minimal supervision, who have taken courses in Structural Geology and Petrology prior to the field season.
This work has been supported by the USGS EDMAP program, part of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping program, with matching funds from Keene State College. Students have also received funding for geochemical and isotopic analyses of rocks from the map area from the KSC Undergraduate Research Fund. Students involved in the project to date have included: Dina Andretta (recon mapping, Summer 1999); Destiny Saxon (mapping, Summer & Fall 2000; geochemistry Fall 2000); Christina Burt (geochemistry, Fall 2000; mapping, Summer & Fall 2001); and Josh King (geochemistry, Fall 2000)
Supported by the 
and 
Thanks!
,
Funded by the USGS EDMAP
2001 program.
given at the Northeast Section
Meeting of the Geological Society of
America, Burlington, VT, March 12, 2001
