Calvert Cliffs State Park
Encyclopedia
Calvert Cliffs State Park is a state park
in Calvert County, Maryland
, USA, situated on the Chesapeake Bay
. On the 1612 John Smith
map, the site is called "Rickard's Cliffes". The park is located in Lusby, Maryland
.
It is a short distance south of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
operated by Constellation Energy
.
sub-epoch fossil
s, which can be found on the shoreline. It contains the type locality
site of the Early to Middle Miocene
Calvert Formation. These rocks are the sediment
from a coastal ocean that covered the area during that time. The age of the formation is (19-)18-15(-14) million years ago (Ma), i.e. it extends essentially over the Hemingfordian stage
. This formation occurs in Maryland and neighboring Virginia
.
In addition, rocks of the younger Choptank and the St. Marys Formations are exposed here. This makes Calvert Cliffs State Park extremely interesting for its paleoclimatology
and paleontology
, because the accessible strata
provide a good record of the Middle Miocene Climate Transition and document a minor mass extinction event — the "Middle Miocene disruption
". Fossil
collecting and "rockhounding" are permitted on the beach, but access to the Cliffs is no longer open due to erosion.
teeth. Especially popular among "rockhounds" are those from giants such as Carcharocles and the famous Megalodon
(which is often included in Carcharocles).
The ancestral baleen whale
Eobalaenoptera harrisoni
and the merganser Mergus miscellus were described from the Virginian part of the formation. From the uppermost layer, deposited 15-14 Ma, they represent the oldest known member of their family
and genus
, respectively. Some remains of a prehistoric loon
(Gavia) from the lowermost parts of the Calvert Formation, dating back nearly 18 Ma, are the oldest records of that genus from North America, and among of the oldest worldwide.
has records of at least 163 species of birds observed in the park.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in Calvert County, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA, situated on the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. On the 1612 John Smith
John Smith of Jamestown
Captain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and friend Mózes Székely...
map, the site is called "Rickard's Cliffes". The park is located in Lusby, Maryland
Lusby, Maryland
Lusby is a place in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was officially 1,666 at the 2000 census, although residents of the Chesapeake Ranch Estates-Drum Point community also use the Lusby zip code designation, making Lusby in fact a much larger community...
.
It is a short distance south of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland.-Overview:...
operated by Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is an energy producer, trader, and distributor. The company operates over 35 power plants in 11 states under its operating company Constellation Commodities Group and/or Constellation Generation Group...
.
Geology
Formations
The park is known for the abundance of mainly Middle MioceneMiddle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....
sub-epoch fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, which can be found on the shoreline. It contains the type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
site of the Early to Middle Miocene
Middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....
Calvert Formation. These rocks are the sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
from a coastal ocean that covered the area during that time. The age of the formation is (19-)18-15(-14) million years ago (Ma), i.e. it extends essentially over the Hemingfordian stage
Nalma
Nalma is a village development committee in Lamjung District in the Gandaki Zone of northern-central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2082 people living in 409 individual households.-External links:*...
. This formation occurs in Maryland and neighboring Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
In addition, rocks of the younger Choptank and the St. Marys Formations are exposed here. This makes Calvert Cliffs State Park extremely interesting for its paleoclimatology
Paleoclimatology
Paleoclimatology is the study of changes in climate taken on the scale of the entire history of Earth. It uses a variety of proxy methods from the Earth and life sciences to obtain data previously preserved within rocks, sediments, ice sheets, tree rings, corals, shells and microfossils; it then...
and paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, because the accessible strata
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
provide a good record of the Middle Miocene Climate Transition and document a minor mass extinction event — the "Middle Miocene disruption
Middle Miocene disruption
The term Middle Miocene disruption, alternatively the Middle Miocene extinction or Middle Miocene extinction peak, refers to a wave of extinctions of terrestrial and aquatic life forms that occurred around the middle of the Miocene Epoch, c...
". Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
collecting and "rockhounding" are permitted on the beach, but access to the Cliffs is no longer open due to erosion.
Paleontology
The Calvert Formation is notable for its plentiful fossil sharkShark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
teeth. Especially popular among "rockhounds" are those from giants such as Carcharocles and the famous Megalodon
Megalodon
The megalodon and ὀδούς ) is an extinct species of shark that lived roughly from 28 to 1.5 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era .The taxonomic assignment of C...
(which is often included in Carcharocles).
The ancestral baleen whale
Baleen whale
The Baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea . Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans,...
Eobalaenoptera harrisoni
Eobalaenoptera harrisoni
Eobalaenoptera harrisoni is an extinct species of baleen whale. The species was first described in June 2004 by researchers at the Virginia Museum of Natural History....
and the merganser Mergus miscellus were described from the Virginian part of the formation. From the uppermost layer, deposited 15-14 Ma, they represent the oldest known member of their family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
and genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, respectively. Some remains of a prehistoric loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
(Gavia) from the lowermost parts of the Calvert Formation, dating back nearly 18 Ma, are the oldest records of that genus from North America, and among of the oldest worldwide.
Ecology, Hunting, and Fishing
Calvert Cliffs State Park is mostly forested, but also includes some wetland areas, and a small pond open for fishing. 550 acres of the park are open to hunting upland game, turkey, and deer. The park is rich in biodiversity and is home to numerous species of plants and animals. eBirdEBird
eBird is an on-line database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, it was widened to include New Zealand in 2008, and was widened to...
has records of at least 163 species of birds observed in the park.