Cape Cod Massachusetts
Title Page, Geologic History of Cape Cod Massachusetts, by Robert Oldale
Cape Cod is a sandy peninsula built mostly during the ice age and juts into the Atlantic Ocean like a crooked arm (see Fig. 1 above). Geologists are interested in Cape Cod because it was formed, by glaciers, very recently in terms of geologic time and because of the ever changing shore as the Cape adjusts to the rising sea. ... The Ultimate Cape Cod ... Figure 1. Cape Cod ... [Read More]
Cape Cod National Seashore (National Park Service)
Cape Cod National Seashore comprises 43,604 acres of shoreline and upland landscape features, including a forty-mile long stretch of pristine sandy beach, dozens of clear, deep, freshwater kettle ponds, and upland scenes that depict evidence of how people have used the land. A variety of historic structures are within the boundary of the Seashore, including lighthouses, a lifesaving station, and numerous Cape Cod style houses. The Seashore offers six swimming beaches, eleven self-guiding nature trails, and a variety of picnic areas and scenic overlooks. ... [Read More]
Woods Hole Science Aquarium
The Woods Hole Science Aquarium was voted "Best Rainy Day Activity on the Upper Cape" (for a third year) and "Best Kids' Activity on the Upper Cape" in Cape Cod Life magazine's 2005 Best of the Cape and Islands Readers' Poll. ... Woods Hole (Cape Cod) Massachusetts ... "voted best kids' activity on the upper cape" ... [Read More]
Sewage-Contaminated Ground Water Investigation: Cape Cod Site: USGS Toxics Program
A view of the side of a trench cut into the Cape Cod aquifer showing what is commonly referred to as a “homogeneous” aquifer. Studies of the distribution of the horizontal conductivity resulted in a range of conductivity from 0.02 to 0.34 centimeters per second, which demonstrated that the aquifer is not homogeneous ... Treated sewage disposal has formed a plume of contaminated ground water about 2.5 miles long in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The plume contains chlorinated hydrocarbons, detergents, metals, nitrate, and microbes. Detailed sampling of the plume and large-scale tracer experiments are being used to develop models that will enable scientists to predict how contaminants spread in the subsurface and how quickly contaminants in sewage degrade to less toxic compounds. These methods are being used at other contaminated sites nationwide. ... [Read More]
Glacial Cape Cod, Geologic History of Cape Cod by Robert N. Oldale
Most, if not all, of the outwash plains were formed as deltas in glacial lakes. The outwash plains on the upper Cape were formed in glacial lakes that occupied Nantucket Sound and Vineyard Sound, and those on the lower Cape were formed in a lake that occupied Cape Cod Bay. This is the best known of all the glacial lakes because outwash deltas graded to the lake occur all around Cape Cod Bay from Duxbury to Truro. Thus, the lake was given the name Glacial Lake Cape Cod. The earliest levels of the lake ranged between roughly 80 and 50 feet above present sea level, and during these lake stages, the lake drained across the Sandwich moraine and into the lowland that was to become Buzzards Bay. As the Cape Cod Bay lobe retreated northward, lower outlets were occupied and eventually the lake drained completely. The initial outlet across the Sandwich moraine was continuously lowered by erosion as the water escaped, and when the outlet was eroded to an elevation of about 30 feet, the outlet was ... [Read More]
Cape Cod Rail Trail
Before the first railroad tracks were laid, the Cape was a relatively isolated area, accessible only by packet boat or stagecoach. By 1848, the Old Colony Railroad Company laid tracks that connected Boston and Sandwich. Railroad track extensions continued and by 1873, Old Colony had linked Boston with Cape Cod’s outermost point of Provincetown, offering a miraculously short, five-hour journey. As the Cape’s popularity as a summer resort increased, the railroad was heavily used to transport visitors from New York and Connecticut, as well as other parts of Massachusetts. With the growing number of visitors came train-loads of food and other provisions needed to meet their needs. But the railroad’s importance was soon surpassed by the automobile. Bridges to carry cars over Cape Cod Canal were opened in 1935, and in 1937 passenger service to the towns east of Dennis ended. Trains continued to haul freight until the mid-1960’s, but then the tracks were torn up and t ... [Read More]
Cape Cod National Seashore: Places: Coast Guard Beach
The outer beach, or "backside," of Cape Cod has been the notorious graveyard for more than 3,000 ships since the wreck of the Sparrowhawk in 1626. The high cost in lives and property demanded by the sands of Cape Cod, led to the establishment of the Massachusetts Humane Society in 1786, the first organization in the nation devoted to the rescue and assistance of shipwrecked mariners. The Humane Society established shelter huts along the coast; later, it built lifeboat stations where surfboats, line-throwing guns, and other lifesaving gear were stored for the use of volunteer crews in times of emergency. ... [Read More]
Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program's Cape Cod & Islands Region
The CZM Regional Office for Cape Cod & Islands serves the 15towns of Barnstable County, along with Martha's Vineyard,Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands. These communities, whichare in the Cape Cod Bay, Cape Cod, and Buzzards Bay watershedsare: Aquinnah, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Chilmark, Dennis,Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gosnold, Harwich, Mashpee, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Tisbury, Truro, Wellfleet, West Tisbury, and Yarmouth. ... [Read More]
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
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Introduction, Geologic History of Cape Cod by Robert N. Oldale
The Pilgrims first landed in America on the tip of lower Cape Cod after they were turned back from their more southerly destination by shoals between Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. On Cape Cod, they found potable water and food and had their first fight with the natives. The Pilgrims, however, decided that this land was too sandy to support them, and they sailed across Cape Cod Bay to establish Plymouth. Today, the natural landscape of Cape Cod is little changed. Small villages are separated by large areas of forest, dune, beach, and marsh. This unspoiled natural beauty makes Cape Cod one of the most favored vacation areas for the people living in the thickly settled northeastern States. ... [Read More]
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