In 1849, workers building a railroad between Burlington and Rutland uncovered a
strange skeleton in a muddy field in Charlotte. While they initially thought it was a horse, it was
in fact
a
beluga whale, found 200 miles from the ocean and 200 feet above sea level.
The Charlotte whale is evidence of a brief period in geologic history when, for the blink of an eye
(in
geological terms), the Atlantic Ocean covered the northeastern portion of the state. Its effects can
be seen
in
finds like the Charlotte whale, but there are living remnants of that era, too. Their story begins
30,000
years
ago.
Scroll down to learn more.
30,000 years ago
The Laurentide ice sheet, a massive continent-wide glacier covering Canada, makes its way into Vermont. The immense weight of the ice sheet gradually depresses the earth to hundreds of feet below sea level.14,000 years ago
Changes in the Earth’s orbit about 24,000 years ago alter the climate just enough to cause the glaciers to retreat over thousands of years, leaving behind massive glacial lakes. By this time, the glaciers have retreated to the canadian border. The retreating glaciers also allow the land to rise, albeit very slowly, a process known as isostatic rebound.Around 12,000 years ago
Once the glaciers have retreated enough, there is nothing left to block the Atlantic Ocean from flooding the depressed land, which at this point is 320 feet below sea level. The water floods in, creating a massive inlet from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the modern location of Lake Champlain.10,000-9,000 years ago
The depressed ground has risen back up to its previous pre-glacier level, cutting off the Atlantic Ocean. The Champlain Sea drains through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while glacial melt combines with the remaining water to create Lake Champlain.In terms of geological time, the Champlain Sea lasted for a blink of an eye.
But it left its mark. Glacial till, rock crushed and ground by glaciers, is found across the state, while rocks carried from far North called glacial erratics are similarly abundant. And even though thousands of years have passed, there are living remnants, too.