Geologic Map of New York

_{(c) 2001 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc. (fair use policy)}

Here's a thumb-sized version of New York from a 1986 publication by several state government agencies. At this scale only the gross features are apparent: the grand sweep of the western state's classic Paleozoic section, the gnarled ancient rocks of the northern mountains, the north-south stripe of folded Appalachian strata across the easternmost state, and the huge glacial sediment deposit of Long Island. The New York Geological Survey issued this map, along with much explanatory text and two cross sections, as Educational Leaflet 33; for $6.95 it's a tremendous bargain.

I've prepared wallpaper-size versions of this map, just to look at, at four sizes: 800x600 (200 KB), 1024x768 (400 K), 1280x1024 (500 K), and 1600x1200 (725 K). (You may also use these in presentations, if you give me credit.)

A version you can actually read and use is the 3100x2500 version (1.93 MB). Or for the full fidelity of my original scans, download the maps for the western (3000x3000, 3.1MB), northern (2400x2400, 2.5 MB) and southeastern (2500x2500, 2.3 MB) parts of the state. By now you will want the map's legend (2655x2082, 1.09 MB) to identify the particular formation and age of the rocks at any locality. It puts a whole booklet worth of information onto one sheet. But really, just buy Educational Leaflet 33 instead.

More about New York Geology

More about New York City Geology

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