Lone Rock Point

Lone Rock Point

Cedar hanging on to the edge of the cliff

     We visited Lone Rock Point on a warm partly cloudy day at the end of March. The site is located on the edge of Lake Champlain directly north of Burlington, VT. Upon reaching the site we discussed lenses for a short while before walking to the cliffs overlooking the lake. 

Cedar Tree

    The cliffs ranged from twenty to eighty feet above the water level. Upon the edge of the cliffs and extending twenty feet back were cedar trees. The cedars thrive in the harsh climate that they are located in. They do not require little soil and gain their nutrients from the dolomite cliffs. The are small in stature due to the harsh conditions but are the one of the only types of trees that can live in such an environment. 

Champlain Thrust

      Beyond the cliffs, we followed a small stream down to the beach area beneath the cliffs. This is where we came upon the Champlain Thrust which had created these cliffs millions of years ago. What made the Champlain Thrust so unique is that it is a reverse thrust meaning the older rock had pushed itself over the younger rock which is uncommon. In the case of the Champlain Thrust the older dolomite rock was driven over the 100 million year younger shale. The shale was eroding faster than the dolomite meaning small caverns and undercut overhangs were beginning to appear throughout the cliff structure. 

Fossilized coral from worlds oldest coral reef.

     While scouring the beach I located a piece of what we believe is old coral reef. North of our location is the oldest coral reef in the world so it is possible that somehow the coral made its way to the beach. Beyond the cliffs we came upon the actual lone rock point which was located about one hundred feet above the lake. Here we took some fantastic group pictures while perched precariously upon the edge.