Geology and Historical Implications 3/5/08 8:00 PM

The foundation of Civilization has long depended on the underlying geology of a location. Types of buildings, agricultural successes, materials, and fuel resources, are the obvious effects of geology on our sense of place. Few realize that geology has also played a part in military planning. In the Pennsylvania region historians have recognized the geology and resultant topography as reasons for success or failure at three well-known sites. These include Gettysburg, Minisink, and Valley Forge.

Geology of areas can motivate humans to make great change to the topography as well. Consider the anthracite and bituminous coal regions of Pennsylvania. Along the Schuylkill river movement of this material was a final catalyst for development of an intricate canal system and railway making navigation possible along the river of falling waters.

Geology has also saved landscapes from the hands of overambisous engineers. At one point the US Army Corp had proposed damming the Delaware river at Tocks Island, just upstream from the Delaware Watergap. The geography of the area prevented such a sequence. Today the Delaware remains the largest undimmed river in the Eastern US.

Geology reveals much about our unwritten past and constantly shapes our future.




This is a map of the Minisink area. At one end of this region is the Minisink Ford and at the other is the Delaware Watergap. This was quite a fortress.
















This is a map of the Minisink area related to the battle. It demonstrates
• Battle of Minisink http://minisink.org/minisinkbattle.html













An arieal photograph of the Tocks Island Region.








Additional resources:

Article Geology as an Historical Science: Its Perception within Science and the Education System
http://www.springerlink.com/content/g327240v712521g6/

Article about Battle of Minisnk - What did happen on top of that rocky hill? Terrain, geology, and historical uncertainty at the Battle of Minisink (1779), New York-Pennsylvania
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/gsaabstr/minisink.aspx

Tocks Island Information - http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcrm.cr.nps.gov%2Farchive%2F25-03%2F25-03-3.pdf&ei=H6kVSNr-NIXQeu6DhZYC&usg=AFQjCNGFETOcrRojzmRqFpUnH5Ji761vhg&sig2=vd4r_WtSD963Pa5vUjQupg

Teaching with these resources

These materials can take educators inmany directions. They could guide their students along the following investigations:

• Investigations of historic battlefield placements
• Environmental consequences of geologic reserves
• Hydrogeology of area and successful development
• How has geology promoted development
• How has geology shaped forestry and agriculture practices
• What are the long term implications, social, economic, and environmental of geological resource extractions
• How does geology shape our inernational relations

PA Standards potentially addressed by the above recommendations:

Civics and Government:
5.4 How International Relationships Function

Environment and Ecology:
4.1 Watersheds and Wetlands
4.4 Agriculture and Society
4.8 Humans and The Environment
4.9 Environmental Laws and their Impact

Economics:
6.2 Scarcity and Choice
6.4 Economic Interdependence

Geography:
7.2 The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions
7.4 The Human Characteristics of Places and Region

History:
8.1 Historic Analysis and Skills Development
8.2 Pennsylvania History
8.3 US History
8.4 World History