Fall Comes to the Devonian
November 04, 2011
Photographer: Ron Chapin
Summary Author: Ron Chapin
As shown above, a slab of black shale provides a backdrop to a brightly colored sugar maple (Acer saccharum). This shale formed from sediments deposited in a down-warped basin that took shape during the Acadian Orogeny of the Devonian Period. It represents just a thin layer of the Catskill Delta, which was created as the rising Acadian Mountains to the east were eroded away and their sediments deposited in an inland sea to the west. These sediments today provide the shale, siltstone, and sandstone that are the bedrock of the Allegheny Plateau of southern New York State. Photo taken in fall of 2009.
Photo details: Camera Maker: Canon; Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi; Focal Length: 55mm; Aperture: f/5.6; Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125); ISO equiv: 800; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: program (Auto); White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Color Space: sRGB; Software: Picasa.