What were the geographical features of colonial New York?
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Most of New York State is underlaid by sedimentary rocks: sandstone, shale, limestone, and conglomerate. This tells us that much of geologic history, the state was under water, especially during the Paleozoic Era between 500 to 300 million years ago. Very thick deposits formed at the bottom of that ancient sea, and the resulting rock layers are visible in many places – the Niagara Gorge, the Genesee Valley, the Finger Lakes, and the Hudson Valley – just to name a few locations. There are several places, however, that show a different geologic past. Most of New York City and the Hudson Highlands, for example, have exposures of igneous and metamorphic rocks. This tells us that these parts of the state had a violent history of volcanism and colliding tectonic plates. At one time there were mountains thousands of feet high, but they have eroded down to their roots. The skyscrapers of Manhattan are anchored in these ancient mountain cores. The most unique area of the stat
