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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Ray Lyman Wilbur, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. C. Mendenhall, Director Bulletin 839 GEOLOGY OF THE BOSTON AREA MASSACHUSETTS BY LAURENCE LAFORGE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1932 For_sale.jby the Superintendent of Documents, Washington; D. C. ------ Price 40 cents CONTENTS Page Introduction...___ ________________________________________________ 1 Position and general relations...-------------------------------- 1 General features of southeastern New England...___--_________-__ 1 Historical sketch.________-__--__----__----_--_-_--_-_---___'___ 4 Topography._____________-_-____--__--_____:_-_------_-___-______ 8 Features of the relief.___--_-____--_-----_-----_--_----__----__ 8 General character and divisions.____________________________ 8 Boston Lowland.___--___------------------------------_-- 9 Fells Upland.----------..__.__.___.__..-_____ 9 Needham Upland.---------------------------------------- 10 Coast line and islands.-_._--------_-------_-----_-_------- 10 Drainage features------.--.-----------------_--------_--_____. 11 Streams...---.------------------------------------------- 11 Ponds and swamps._--_--------_-__-_--_----__-__-___---__ 11 Coastal marshes_-_-__----------------------------_------- 12 Characteristics of the drainage.---------------------.------- 12 Cultural features.._.___-----__-_------------------------------ 13 Settlement-_________-_- __ ____ 13 Occupations- ._____i___-___---_- ----_----_______-___-___ 13 Communications. _ ____-__-__---_------___--_--_-_---_---__ 13 Geology_____-_-________---_-_-_---_-------_------____-_-___-__ 14 Areal geology and stratigraphy....._______--__.._._____._.______ 14 General character, age, and grouping of rocks...-_____________ 14 Pre-Cambrian rocks.--.----------------------------------- 15 General character..---__--------_----_----_-----_---__ 15 Waltham gneiss....----------------------------------- 16 Westboro quartzite..------------_-_-__-___________-__- 17 .. Marlboro formation-.------.-------------------------- 17 Woburn formation.___------------------_-__----_----- 18 Cambrian system.____-_---__------_-______.--_-__________ 18 General features.___-___---______-_________-___--_____ 18 Lower Cambrian series..-._--_----__-_-_---____--______ 19 Weymouth formation------__--_-_-_--__________--_ 19 Middle Cambrian series.------------------------------. 20 Braintree slate....__--_----------__-_-____--_-__-_ 20 Early Paleozoic igneous rocks.------.----------------------- 21 General character.__---_------------__--____--__-_____ 21 Salem gabbro-diorite.----------------.---------------.- 23 Newburyport quartz diorite._----_-_-__________________ 25 Dedham granodiorite.____---_-----------------------_- 26 General relations.--.---------------------------------- 27 Devonian or Carboniferous rocks-_-__------_---_--_---_-___- 28 General character, grouping, and age.___________________ 28 Lynn volcanic complex.____---_--_--___-______-----___ 30 Mattapan volcanic complex.___________________________ 33 Quincy granite and associated rocks.____________________ 35 General relations..-____--_____-_____---____----___ 35 Quincy granite._.._______-____-____-__--____-___ 36 Intrusive felsites.__-_---_-_-_----_----_-----__-___ 37 in IV CONTENTS Geology Continued. Areal geology and stratigraphy Continued. Devonian or Carboniferous rocks Continued. Page Boston Bay group________-.__--------_______._______ 37 General relations..._____-_--____--_-_____-_____.__ 37 Roxbury conglomerate._--_--__--_-__-____--___.___ 39 Brighton melaphyre.__.---_-__----________________ 42 Cambridge slate._.___.---_-_--__-__-_____.__.____ 43 Carboniferous rocks____----------------------------_-----_ 44 Andover granite._________------_----.---_____--_.___. 44 Diabase dikes of diverse ages._.------_------_----_---_._____ 45 General relations..-.----..------------.---------.-----. 45 Older east-west dikes.--------------------------..------ 46 Northwest-southeast dikes.___________--_____...__.____ 46 Younger east-west dikes and sills.__.___---_____-_______ 47 Medford diabase dike._________________________________ 48 North-south dikes..-.-.------------------------------- 49 Quaternary system._____-_.____---_-.--_-------_--_--____. 50 General relations.-.-..-------------------------------- 50 Pleistocene series.._____-___----_--___---_-___---______ 50 General character and divisions______________________ 50 Pre-Wisconsin deposits.---.------------------------ 51 Wisconsin drift-____-._----------------.-----______ 51 General relations..------------------------.--- 51 General till sheet-..-.---------------------.--- 52 Drumlins ________-----------------__-______._ 54 Till moraines and boujder belts__._._..___._._._. 55 Kame and kettle moraines.-_----_____.________ 56 Eskers.---- _______________________________ 56 Outwash plains.__----_-------_-_-_-_-_-______ 57 Lacustrine deposits --_--__---______.-_____._ 58 Late Wisconsin marine deposits..-___..__________.._ 58 General relations....-------------_-----..-____- 58 Beaches and spits.--------------------------.- 59 Marine clay______---_-_--__-_-____.__________ 59 Recent series__-_-_-----.__----------------.---------- 59 Alluvial deposits-...-..--------------------------- 59 Marine deposits--___-_---------_-_--___-_-_--_____ 60 Structure-________-____-_-------_--------------_---------_-_. 61 General conditions.-------------------------------------.- 61 Folds.----..--------- ---- --- ----------- 61 Faults._.__..-__---_---_--- ------_--_--..---_.._- 62 Joints ____________-___--_---_---------_----__-__-----___- 63 Metamorphic characters.___-____--------_---_-__.-__--____ 64 Structure sections._______ -______---__-__-____ _____________ 65 Geologic history.____-_-_-__-----------_-------------_------------ 66 Pre-Cambrian time.________-_-_--____-_---_--_--_____---__.___ 66 Cambrian period..__________--_--_--------------__-__-----___- 67 Ordovician and Silurian periods.____-__---_-_--_______.___--_-_- 67 Devonian period.__________._-__-___---__-_-_-_-_____----_-.__ 69 Carboniferous period._________________________________________ 70 Late Carboniferous deformation....__-_-___--____-______________ 72 Triassic period-_.-_--_------_--_------------------_-_--------- 74 Jurassic to Tertiary time_--___-__--_--__---_-____-._------_.. 76 CONTENTS V Geologic history Continued. Page Quaternary period....__-_________-___-__---__-__---_-__--_____ 79 Pleistocene epoch.___________-___.___--__-__--_--_______-_ 79 Pre-Wisconsin time__--___-___---_-_--_--_-____-_____ 79 Wisconsin glaciation.._----_---_-_-----__-----__-___--_ 80 Late Wisconsin time..--------------------------------- 85 Recent epoch.----------------------------------------.--- 86 Natural resources____--___-----__-_---_--------_------------------ '87 Mineral resources.____----_-___-----_------_----_---_-----_--_ 87 General nature___--_______-___-___-_---_----____---____ 87 Building materials.--------------------------------------.- 88 Road materials.__-_---_----_-_------------_-------------_ 90 Peat....------.-.------------------------.--------------- 91 Water resources..__.____-_-__-_-_-__--___-__--___-_--__-______ 91 Ground water__._____._____-___-___-_-_-_-----_-_--__-__ 91 Surface water___-_--__--_-_-___-_______-____-_-_-_______ 91 Water power.____________________________________________ 92 Soils, forests, and scenery...-_._______-_._-._--_ ---..-.._--. 92 Bibliography.___-_____-_-___-__--_---______--------_----______--_ 93 Index...__-.._-----.--.-.-- ... -. _ __ 103 ILLUSTRATIONS Paee PLATE 1. Map and sections showing areal geology of the Boston and Boston Bay quadrangles, Massachusetts--____-.-_____ In pocket. 2. Map showing surficial geology of the Boston and Boston Bay quadrangles, Massachusetts_____--.___-.__-___.____ In pocket. 3. Earliest geologic map of the Boston district.....--._________ 26 4. Generalized geologic map and section of Boston Basin.______ 26 5. Columnar section for the Boston area--..-..--------------- 26 6. A, Weymouth formation in the cliff at East Point, Nahant; B, Columnar jointing in rhyolite porphyry._______________ 42 7. Fossils of Middle Cambrian age from the Braintree slate._-__ 42 8. Plutonic breccia in cliff at Clifton, Marblehead __--__-_-_--- 42 9. A, Cliff of Roxbury conglomerate in Washington Heights, Brighton district; B, Disintegrating diabase of the great Medford dike in the former quarry at Pine Hill, Medford- _ 42 10. Squantum tillite in cliff at Squantum Head, Quincy. ________ 42 11. Cambridge slate in the former Mystic quarry, Somerville___ 43 12. _4, Great Hill or Winthrop Head, Winthrop; B, Glacial gouge in bedrock, Mattapan, Dorchester district _-__--_____--__ 74 13. The Auburndale esker, Newton..-..______________________ 74 14. Cliff on the north side of Beacon Street, east of Newton Center. 74 15. The "Churn" or "Spouting Horn," Marblehead Neck... _ 75 FIGURE 1. Index map showing location of Boston area.________________ 2 2. Generalized geologic map of southeastern New England-_____ 3 3. Geomorphic subdivisions of Boston area_.__-___---__-----__ 8 4. Map of parts of New England, New York, and New Jersey, showing directions of movement and terminal moraines of the last great'ice sheet.__--_-_-__--_--__-___-___-______ 53 5. Distribution of drumlins and eskers in the Boston area.-.---_ 55 6. Direction of local striations in Boston area.....------------ 81 GEOLOGY OF THE BOSTON AEEA, MASSACHUSETTS By LAURENCE LAFORGE INTRODUCTION* POSITION AND GENERAL RELATIONS The area herein described, which lies between parallels