The bay is a long, narrow arm of the Atlantic Ocean that extends northward into Maryland and cuts the state into two parts. Rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, flooded the Susquehanna River valley. The name might have actually meant something like 'great water', or it might have just referred to a village location at the Bay's mouth."[13]. In 1992, the bay program partners agreed to continue the 40 percent reduction goal beyond 2000 and to attack nutrients at their source: upstream, in the bay tributaries. Chesapeake How Big Was The Meteor That Hit The Chesapeake Bay? governments, industry, agriculture, citizen groups). Average depth is 21 feet (6.4m), reaching a maximum of 174 feet (53m). There are several magazines and publications that cover topics directly related to the Chesapeake Bay and life and tourism within the Bay region. It runs from the mouth of the Rappahannock River to the mouth of the Bay. Overharvesting, pollution, sedimentation and disease have turned much of the bay's bottom into a muddy wasteland. 9. pp. The southern part of the bay is bordered by Virginia and its northern part by Maryland. The three main points that I'm going to hit are when/where the Chesapeake impact crater, so that everybody can leave here being able to tell a seven-year-old what an impact crater is and what the Chesapeake Bay impact crater is. Ice sheets that covered the poles and Canada some 2 million years ago periodically pushed their way into the present-day United States. Underwater archaeologists have also been successful in constructing accurate models and maps of the wreckage amongst the sea floor. What does the discovery tell us? Their marching route from Newport, Rhode Island through Connecticut, New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to the "Head of Elk" by the Susquehanna River along the shores and also partially sailing down the Bay to Virginia. Wang, D.-P. 1979. water quality criteria, standards for individual tributaries, improvements in data gathering and modeling techniques),[92] agreed to settle the lawsuit and issued its TMDL for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution on December 29, 2010. [73] Extensive use of lawn fertilizers[74][75] and air pollution from motor vehicles and power plants are also significant nutrient sources. [6] In 1988, the Maryland Maritime Archeology Program (MMAP) was established with the goal to manage and explore the various underwater archaeological sites that line the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin includes parts of the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New . [14], Much of the Bay is shallow. Remnants of . Crumbling Walls of Ancient Chesapeake Bay Crater Threaten - NSF Evidence of the crater comes from two sources: (1) cores drilled by the USGS and the Virginia State Water Control Board (fig. (3.6% is as salty as the ocean. Blue crab continues to be an especially popular regional specialty. The Solutrean hypothesis challenges the previous theory regarding the first inhabitants of North America, whereas it is commonly accepted amongst anthropologists that the Clovis people were the first to settle the region somewhere around 13,000 years ago. It is rare for the surface of the Bay to freeze in winter, something that happened most recently in the winter of 197677.[18]. The state intends to initiate "all necessary pollution reduction actions" by 2025. A second cause for the oyster depletion is that the drastic increase in human population caused a sharp increase in pollution flowing into the bay. Catchings, R.D., Saulter, D.E., Powars, D.S., Goldman, M.R., Dingler, J.A., Gohn, G.S., Schindler, J.S., and Johnson, G.H., 2001, High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction images near the outer margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, York-James Peninsula, southeastern Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-407, 18 p. Edwards, L.E., Horton, J.W., Jr., and Gohn, G.S., 2004, ICDP-USGS Workshop on deep drilling in the central crater of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA, September 22-24, 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1016, CD. Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay impact crater adds to sea level rise - Phys.org Chesapeake Bay, largest inlet in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the eastern United States. [77], While the bay's salinity is ideal for oysters and the oyster fishery was at one time the bay's most commercially viable,[78] the population has in the last fifty years been devastated. The bolide hurled millions of tons of debris and rocks into the atmosphere, leaving a gaping, smoldering crater in the continental shelf. In the mid-20th century, the Bay supported over 6,000 oystermen. Prehistoric collision left Chesapeake crater, layer of glass Sea level at that time stood approximately 30 feet (9 m) lower than the present level. The frame of the rest of the eastern boundary of the watershed is along the shallow backbone of the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) Peninsula east of the Chesapeake Bay. [37] Other manatees are occasionally seen in the Bay and its tributaries, which contain sea grasses that are part of the manatee's diet. It may have been the first European expedition to explore parts of the Chesapeake Bay, which the Spaniards called "Baha de Santa Mara" ("Bay of St. Mary") or "Baha de Madre de Dios. Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Standards", "Oysters Are on the Rebound in the Chesapeake Bay", "Supreme Court ends challenge to the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan", "Lawsuit: EPA fails to enforce Chesapeake Bay pollution caps", "Riparian Forest Buffer; Conservation Practice Job Sheet", "Maryland passes law to reduce pollution from lawn fertilizer", "Va. governor signs bill banning phosphorus lawn fertilizer", Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, Volumes I and II, Constructing Stormwater Retrofits in Maryland: Challenges & Recommendations for Cost Estimation, "Failing the Chesapeake BayBroken Promises on the Bay", "Two Million Dead Fish Appear in Chesapeake Bay", "Climate change already affecting Chesapeake Bay region", "Portrait of an Island Part I: What used to be home", "The competing impacts of climate change and nutrient reductions on dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay", "After decades of waterfront living, climate change is forcing communities to plan their retreat from the coasts", "Submersed Aquatic Vegetation in Chesapeake Bay: Sentinel Species in a Changing World", "Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System", "Eyes on the Bay: Your home for Maryland tidal water quality data, downloads and visualizations", "Underwater Archaeology: History From the Deep", "Fisherman Pulls Up Beastly Evidence of Early Americans", "Revolutionary War shipwrecks near Yorktown getting their first good look in years", "Bay Journal: Independent environmental news for the Chesapeake region", "Annapolis Magazine - Eastern Shore Magazine - West County Magazine", "Season 8, Episode 3 Gear: Ghosts of the Chesapeake", "Tom Wisner; Chesapeake Bay served as bard's muse; at 79", Crawford, S. 2012. [104], Installation of stormwater management facilities is already a requirement for most new construction projects in the bay region, under various state and local government requirements. Unable to accurately carbon date the stone tool, archaeologists looked at similar styles of blade carving in order to gauge when it was made. It is the ria, or drowned valley, of the Susquehanna River, meaning that it was the alluvial plain where the river flowed when the sea level was lower. "[107] In January 2011, there were reports that millions of fish had died, but officials suggested it was probably the result of extremely cold weather. Johnson, About 35 million years ago, a large comet or meteor slammed into the shallow shelf on the western margin of the Atlantic Ocean, creating the Chesapeake Bay impact crater. The crater took so long to find because it's buried under 1,000 feet of rock beneath the. Taking photos and videos, creating maps, and constructing models are all a part of the process of preserving remains. [31][32] Endangered North Atlantic right whale[33] and fin, and minke and sei whales have also been sighted within and in the vicinity of the Bay. An official website of the United States government. Dingler, G. S. Gohn, J. S. Schindler, G.H. The watershed's eastern and southern boundaries are less dramatic: they do not contain mountains, only high topographic areas connecting ridgelines that separate the Susquehanna River basin from the Delaware River basin in the northeast. CHESAPEAKE IMPACT CRATER by: Charles O'Dale Type: Complex Age ma: 33.99 0.71 Ma a - EOCENE Diameter: ~85 b km Location: N 37 17 ' W 76 01 ' Shock Metamorphism: breccia matrix includes trace quantities of shocked quartz (Poag). It is also the subject of a designated National Historic Trail as the WashingtonRochambeau Revolutionary Route. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS [59] Oyster farms provide jobs as well as a natural effort for filtering excess nutrients from the water in an effort to reduce the effects of eutrophication pollution (too much algae). The Bay provides recreation for Virginians and visitors, billions . The trail follows the route of Smith's historic 17th-century voyage. Immense faults cracked open. At the Chesapeake Bay BridgeTunnel (CBBT) site, which lies at the southernmost point of the Bay where it meets the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk, Virginia, and the capes of Charles and Henry, there is a distinct semi-diurnal tide throughout the lunar month, with small amplitude modulations during spring (new/full moon) vs. neap (one/three quarter moon) tidal periods. The parties agreed to: Concurrent with the 1983 agreement EPA began providing matching grants to the bay states for research and restoration projects. It is the seventh-oldest surviving English place-name in the United States, first applied as Chesepiook by explorers heading north from the Roanoke Colony into a Chesapeake tributary in 1585 or 1586. Along with environmental factors, the bay has been negatively impacted by humans since being settled in the 17th century, bringing with them problems like pollution, construction, and destruction of the environment. They like to go on runs, hikes, or biking adventures with their . Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times, 2008[68], The Chesapeake Bay plays an important role in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania's economies, in addition to the ecosystem. This page was last edited on 28 June 2023, at 04:01. Erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediments are constantly changing the Bay's shorelines. Official websites use .gov The Chesapeake Bay watershed has been heavily impacted by natural forces such as erosion, tides, and a history of hurricanes and other storms. The Chesapeake Bay Impact Structure is the largest crater in the US and sixth in the world, according to Yorktown, Virginia's website, but visitors won't be able to see it. [citation needed], The Chesapeake Bay was the site of the Battle of the Chesapeake (also known as the "Battle of the Capes", Cape Charles and Cape Henry) in 1781, during which the French fleet defeated the Royal Navy in the decisive naval battle of the American Revolutionary War. The manatee, recognizable due to distinct markings on its body, was nicknamed "Chessie" after a legendary sea monster that was allegedly sighted in the Bay during the 20th century. After locating the site, Langley and her team have a strict process in order to preserve the site and its contents, allowing more accurate and thorough research to be conducted. Lithologies of cores are correlated with borehole geophysical logs to characterize the physical properties of the stratigraphic units and their geophysical signatures. [110], Climate change may worsen hypoxia. The report stated that the bay was an "ecosystem in decline" and cited numerous instances of declines in the populations of oysters, crabs, freshwater fish and other wildlife. 21401, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. A network of fractures spread 40 miles beyond its rim. How Big Was The Meteor That Hit The Chesapeake Bay? [34][35][36] The same manatee has been spotted as far north as Rhode Island, and was the first manatee known to travel so far north. Below are multimedia items associated with this project. [78] The bay's oyster industry has also suffered from two diseases: MSX and Dermo. The enormous watersheds of these rivers produce huge flows of freshwater, which cause the western half of the Bay to be less salty, more silty, cluttered with woody and other vegetative debris, and generally more active than rivers on the eastern side. The mouth of the Bay at its southern point is located between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. Facts and Formation - Chesapeake Bay (U.S. National Park Service) During this period, the lower Susquehanna River basin started to fill up with seawater. [72], The principal sources of nutrient pollution in the bay are surface runoff from farms, as well as runoff from urban and suburban areas. Created by the submergence of the lower courses of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, it is 193 miles (311 km) long and 3 to 25 miles (5 to 40 km) wide. These natural causes of sedimentation are often accelerated by human activity. In the later 20th century, a series of road crossings were built. At the end of the last glacial stage, some 15,000 years ago, a great meltdown began and sea level rose relatively rapidly. Each of these storylines helps us understand this complex environment. America's Largest Asteroid Impact Left a Trail of Destruction Across The age of the Chesapeake Bay crater's very saline groundwater was then determined by extrapolating to its helium-4 composition from the helium-4 compositions of the dated Maryland groundwater, a technique the authors of this investigation admitted was a "large extrapolation" and "far from precise." The age of the Chesapeake Bay . The greatest improvements were seen in the lower bay areas, while the Patapsco River and Back River (Maryland) regions showed minimal improvement. As glaciers and sea level adjusted, so did the rivers. The correlation between cores, well cuttings, and boreho, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction images near the outer margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, York-James Peninsula, southeastern Virginia, The effects of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater on the geologic framework and the correlation of hydrogeologic units of southeastern Virginia, south of the James River, The effects of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater on the geological framework and correlation of hydrogeologic units of the lower York-James Peninsula, Virginia.
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