Forts, Floods, and Periglacial Features: Exploring the Pittsburgh Low Plateau and Upper Youghiogheny Basin

This guidebook provides detailed itineraries of three of the geological field trips related to the 2017 joint meeting of the GSA Northeastern and North-Central Sections in Pittsburgh. The first chapter outlines a walking trip of downtown Pittsburgh and the escarpment to its south, consisting of seven “Pitt stops” investigating geological, archaeological, and historical aspects of the Gateway to the West. Venturing further afield, the second chapter describes a trip that explores periglacial features as far as the Upper Youghiogheny River basin in Maryland and the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. The third chapter investigates hydrologic aspects of the 1889 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood, largely following the progress of the flood from its point of origin to the city of Johnstown.