Did you know there’s a 400-million-year-old ocean beneath West Virginia? It’s called the Iapetus Ocean, and it lies underneath the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The Iapetus Ocean, which predates the Atlantic Ocean, was named after a Greek Titan.
Does the Iapetus Ocean still exist?
At the end of the Silurian period (c. 420 million years ago) the Iapetus Ocean had completely disappeared and the combined mass of the three continents formed the “new” continent of Laurasia, which would itself be the northern component of the singular supercontinent of Pangaea.
Was West Virginia ever under water?
West Virginia’s fossil record begins in the Cambrian. From that time through the rest of the early Paleozoic, the state was at least partially submerged under a shallow sea. The Paleozoic seas of West Virginia were home to creatures like corals, eurypterids, graptolites, nautiloids, and trilobites at varying times.
Does West Virginia have salt water?
It has been estimated that West Virginia has enough salt resources to supply the nation’s needs for 2,000 years. During recent years, production has been about 600,000 to 1,000,000 tons per year.
Where is the Iapetus Ocean?
The Iapetus Ocean existed in the Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic eras (between 600 and 400 million years ago). The ocean was in the southern hemisphere, between three paleocontinents. The ocean disappeared when these three continents joined to form one big landmass.
How did the Iapetus Ocean disappear?
In Greek mythology, Iapetus was the father of Atlantis, so the older ocean is named after the older mythological figure. (The Iapetus Ocean disappeared as continental plates shifted around and recombined as Pangea. After Pangea broke up, a younger ocean – the Atlantic – formed between Africa and North America.)
How big is the Iapetus Ocean?
So, did the Iapetus Ocean exist? Huff says yes. “Based on our data, it was roughly 1,000 kilometers wide..about 600 miles.” More important, Huff finds no evidence that North and South America were ever side by side.
Can you find gold in WV?
Gold in West Virginia
There are no commercial gold mines operating in West Virginia. Despite the lack of gold found within quartz, very small quantities of gold can be found within the state. As with almost any state, very tiny specks of gold have been reported to be found in several creeks and rivers.
Did glaciers cover West Virginia?
While no part of the State was covered by glacial ice during the stages of glacial advance in the Wisconsinan stage, the climate in West Virginia, however, was several degrees colder than it is today.
Does West Virginia have fossils?
In limestone, a collector can find fossils of marine life that lived in shallow waters, including the most abundant animal fossil in West Virginia, a type of extinct marine invertebrate called a brachiopod. Brachiopod fossils found in the state can be anywhere from 350 to 425 million years old.
Can you drink tap water in West Virginia?
Story highlights. Health officials say the tap water near Charleston, West Virginia, is all right to drink.
Why is the black bear the state animal of West Virginia?
The Black Bear was selected as West Virginia’s official State Animal by a poll of students, teachers and sportsmen conducted by the Division of Natural Resources in 1954-1955. It was officially adopted by the Legislature during the 1973 Regular Session with the approval of House Concurrent Resolution 6.
What minerals are mined in West Virginia?
The most commonly found and collected rocks and minerals in West Virginia are:
- Petrified wood.
- Quartz.
- Jasper.
- Calcite.
- Dolomite.
- Siderite.
- Silicified coral.
- Chert.
When was the closure of the Iapetus Ocean?
closure, and destruction of the Iapetus Ocean in the period from the start of the Cambrian (542 million years ago) to the end of the Silurian (about 416 million years ago).
What was the ocean like during Pangea?
paleoceanography. …of Pangea, one enormous ocean, Panthalassa, existed on Earth. Currents in this ocean would have been simple and slow, and Earth’s climate was, in all likelihood, warmer than today. The Tethys seaway formed as Pangea broke into Gondwana and Laurasia.
Who were the early salt makers in WV?
In 1797, Elisha Brooks erected the first salt furnace in the Kanawha Valley at the mouth of Campbell’s Creek. He produced as much as 150 bushels of salt a day and sold it to settlers to be used for curing butter and meats.
How long ago did Pangaea exist?
about 280-230 million years ago
From about 280-230 million years ago (Late Paleozoic Era until the Late Triassic), the continent we now know as North America was continuous with Africa, South America, and Europe. They all existed as a single continent called Pangea.
When did Pangea break up?
about 175 million years ago
Many people have heard of Pangaea, the supercontinent that included all continents on Earth and began to break up about 175 million years ago.
What was before the Neoproterozoic Era?
Preceding the Neoproterozoic is the Mesoproterozoic era of the Proterozoic, and preceding this was the Paleoproterozoic, the oldest era of the Proterozoic. The Neoproterozic extended from 1,000 to 542 +/- 0.3 million years ago (Gradstein et al. 2005).
Which orogenic events led to the closing of the Iapetus Ocean in the latter half of the Paleozoic?
Late Cambrian-Mid Ordovician Subduction and Arc–Continent Collision on the Laurentian Margin. Eastern Avalonia rifted away from Gondwana in the Early Ordovician (ca. 475 Ma), initiating closure of the Iapetus Ocean and opening, to the south, of the Rheic Ocean.
Which sea was between Laurentia and Gondwana?
Modern theory. From the Ediacaran (600 Mya ) into the Devonian (360 Mya ), the Proto-Tethys Ocean existed and was situated between Baltica and Laurentia to the north and Gondwana to the south.
