The Geology of Groton State Forest

Groton State Forest is not a geologist’s paradise—as compared to Yellowstone Park or the Grand Canyon—but it does contain interesting rocks and land forms which can be explained geologically. In keeping with the calm, subdued and mature atmosphere of the Vermont countryside, the geology is unobtrusive. There are few jutting cliffs or bare rock exposures; all is mantled with vegetation. If this vegetation could be stripped away—admittedly, a postulation that would destroy the wilderness and charm that belongs to Groton—boulders and gravelly glacial deposits would be seen to fill the valleys. If in turn these boulders and the soil could be stripped away, a continuous floor of rock would be exposed. This would be a geologist’s paradise—square miles of bare rock would be available for study. However, lacking the magic wand to perform this feat, we must be satisfied to glean what information we can from the existing rock exposures.