96-660: Letchworth State Park is a 14,427-acre (5,838 ha) New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York . The park is roughly 17 miles (27 km) long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several large waterfalls . It is located 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Rochester and 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Buffalo , and spans portions of
192-417: A few species of the order Proetida . The subsequent end-Devonian extinction , which occurred at around 359 Ma, further impacted the ecosystems and completed the extinction of all calcite sponge reefs and placoderms. Devonian palaeogeography was dominated by the supercontinent Gondwana to the south, the small continent of Siberia to the north, and the medium-sized continent of Laurussia to
288-763: A low-latitude archipelago to the north of Gondwana. They were separated from the southern continent by an oceanic basin: the Paleo-Tethys . Although the western Paleo-Tethys Ocean had existed since the Cambrian, the eastern part only began to rift apart as late as the Silurian. This process accelerated in the Devonian. The eastern branch of the Paleo-Tethys was fully opened when South China and Annamia (a terrane equivalent to most of Indochina ), together as
384-529: A massive extinction event . ( See Late Devonian extinction ). Primitive arthropods co-evolved with this diversified terrestrial vegetation structure. The evolving co-dependence of insects and seed plants that characterized a recognizably modern world had its genesis in the Late Devonian Epoch. The development of soils and plant root systems probably led to changes in the speed and pattern of erosion and sediment deposition. The rapid evolution of
480-416: A new section of valley. The historic, restored Glen Iris Inn , William Pryor Letchworth 's former residence adapted for use as a hotel, is located on the top of a cliff overlooking Middle Falls and offers in-season meals and overnight accommodations. It is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The park is the present-day site of the grave of Mary Jemison , a Scots-Irish immigrant pioneer who
576-553: A public park, intending to deter commercial businesses from damaging the fragile nature of the gorge and surrounding woodlands. He further required that the land be managed by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society . A plaque near the gorge contains a dedication written by Letchworth's niece in 1910, and reads: God wrought for us this scene beyond compare But one man's loving hand protected it And gave to his fellow man to share. George F. Kunz , president of
672-420: A range of evidence, such as plant distribution, points to a Late Devonian warming. The climate would have affected the dominant organisms in reefs ; microbes would have been the main reef-forming organisms in warm periods, with corals and stromatoporoid sponges taking the dominant role in cooler times. The warming at the end of the Devonian may even have contributed to the extinction of the stromatoporoids. At
768-664: A terrestrial ecosystem that contained copious animals opened the way for the first vertebrates to seek terrestrial living. By the end of the Devonian, arthropods were solidly established on the land. The Late Devonian extinction is not a single event, but rather is a series of pulsed extinctions at the Givetian-Frasnian boundary, the Frasnian-Famennian boundary, and the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. Together, these are considered one of
864-541: A unified continent, detached from the northeastern sector of Gondwana. Nevertheless, they remained close enough to Gondwana that their Devonian fossils were more closely related to Australian species than to north Asian species. Other Asian terranes remained attached to Gondwana, including Sibumasu (western Indochina), Tibet, and the rest of the Cimmerian blocks. While the South China-Annamia continent
960-602: A volcanically active region during the Devonian, as it continued to assimilate smaller island arcs. The island arcs of the region, such as the Balkhash-West Junggar Arc, exhibited biological endemism as a consequence of their location. Siberia was located just north of the equator as the largest landmass in the Northern Hemisphere. At the beginning of the Devonian, Siberia was inverted (upside down) relative to its modern orientation. Later in
1056-622: A warm temperate climate . In the Late Devonian, by contrast, arid conditions were less prevalent across the world and temperate climates were more common. The Devonian Period is formally broken into Early, Middle and Late subdivisions. The rocks corresponding to those epochs are referred to as belonging to the Lower, Middle and Upper parts of the Devonian System. The Early Devonian lasted from 419.2 to 393.3 Ma. It began with
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#17327869513071152-578: Is good evidence that Rheic oceanic crust experienced intense subduction and metamorphism under Mexico and Central America. The closure of the eastern part of the Rheic Ocean is associated with the assemblage of central and southern Europe. In the early Paleozoic, much of Europe was still attached to Gondwana, including the terranes of Iberia , Armorica (France), Palaeo-Adria (the western Mediterranean area), Bohemia , Franconia , and Saxothuringia . These continental blocks, collectively known as
1248-492: Is located on a tributary creek a short distance east of the Inspiration Point Overlook, 0.4 miles (640 m) west of the park visitor center. It has a total drop of 350 feet (110 m). While impressive in its height, it is seasonal and often appears as only a water stain on the cliff. The falls faces to the south-southwest and has a crest that is one foot (300 mm) wide. The bedrock exposed in
1344-430: Is observed in many of those plants. Some of the early land plants such as Drepanophycus likely spread by vegetative growth and spores. The earliest land plants such as Cooksonia consisted of leafless, dichotomous axes with terminal sporangia and were generally very short-statured, and grew hardly more than a few centimetres tall. Fossils of Armoricaphyton chateaupannense , about 400 million years old, represent
1440-527: Is permitted on a seasonal basis are listed below. A state license appropriate for that type of hunting is required; some sites also require park permits to hunt. Devonian The Devonian ( / d ə ˈ v oʊ n i . ən , d ɛ -/ də- VOH -nee-ən, deh- ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era during the Phanerozoic eon , spanning 60.3 million years from
1536-610: Is present. The territory of the park was long part of the homeland of the Seneca people , who were largely forced out after the American Revolutionary War , as they had been allies of the defeated British. The Seneca called the land around this canyon Sehgahunda , the "Vale of the three falls"; the Middle Falls ( Ska-ga-dee ) was believed to be so wondrous it made the sun stop at midday. Having first viewed
1632-641: The Antler orogeny , which extended into the Carboniferous. Mountain building could also be found in the far northeastern extent of the continent, as minor tropical island arcs and detached Baltic terranes re-join the continent. Deformed remnants of these mountains can still be found on Ellesmere Island and Svalbard . Many of the Devonian collisions in Laurussia produce both mountain chains and foreland basins , which are frequently fossiliferous. Gondwana
1728-811: The Catskill Park , at 700,000 acres (2,800 km ; 1,100 sq mi). Together they comprise the New York Forest Preserve, properties that must be kept "Forever Wild" according to Article 14 of the New York Constitution . Both parks are managed by DEC; the Adirondack Park is managed by the Adirondack Park Agency , as well. OPRHP manages lands designated as state parks in New York, with
1824-652: The Civilian Conservation Corps , who inhabited a large camp at the park during the 1930s. Improvements enacted by the CCC included the construction of cabins, overlooks, bridges and trails. The Erie Railroad Company built a wooden trestle bridge over the Genesee River just above the Upper Falls. Construction started on July 1, 1851, and the bridge opened on August 16, 1852. At the time, it
1920-565: The Frasnian , 382.7 to 372.2 Ma, during which the first forests took shape on land. The first tetrapods appeared in the fossil record in the ensuing Famennian subdivision, the beginning and end of which are marked with extinction events. This lasted until the end of the Devonian, 358.9 Ma. The Devonian was a relatively warm period, although significant glaciers may have existed during the Early and Middle Devonian. The temperature gradient from
2016-536: The Genesee Valley Canal and William Pryor Letchworth. The Humphrey Nature Center opened in 2016. Operated year-round by New York State, the 5,000-square-foot (460 m) sustainable building features classrooms and meeting rooms, a research lab, a butterfly garden, and connections to various trails. Construction of the Mount Morris Dam , at the north end of the park, was begun in 1948 by
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#17327869513072112-483: The Late Carboniferous . The first ammonites , a subclass of cephalopod molluscs , appeared. Trilobites , brachiopods and the great coral reefs were still common during the Devonian. The Late Devonian extinction , which started about 375 Ma, severely affected marine life, killing off most of the reef systems, most of the jawless fish, half of all placoderms, and nearly all trilobites save for
2208-640: The Lochkovian Stage 419.2 to 410.8 Ma, which was followed by the Pragian from 410.8 to 407.6 Ma and then by the Emsian , which lasted until the Middle Devonian began, 393.3 Ma. During this time, the first ammonoids appeared, descending from bactritoid nautiloids . Ammonoids during this time period were simple and differed little from their nautiloid counterparts. These ammonoids belong to
2304-726: The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), with the exception of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks which are managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Outside of the Adirondacks and the Catskills, the state parks department is organized into eleven regions: The largest parks in New York are the Adirondack Park , at six million acres (24,000 km ; 9,400 sq mi); and
2400-672: The Portage Viaduct opened for traffic on July 31, 1875: an incredible construction feat for that or any other time. One of the greatest natural disasters in Genesee Valley history took place in June 1972. Hurricane Agnes came ashore on the Florida Panhandle on June 19, 1972, and moved north through Georgia and South Carolina . The hurricane then went out to sea via North Carolina , recharged its energy and hit
2496-526: The Southern Tier of New York State on June 22, 1972. Although Agnes was only a Category 1 hurricane , it soon stalled over North Central Pennsylvania . Caught up in a slow moving low pressure system , the storm drifted slowly northeastward into New York State. The area, having already been soaked by showers the week before, could not absorb the six to twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) rainfall that fell over Pennsylvania and New York. Known locally as
2592-674: The United States Army Corps of Engineers under the Flood Control Act of 1944 , and completed in 1954. The Genesee River became wider and deeper immediately upstream as a result, but areas downstream were spared yearly flooding which destroyed valuable farmland. The Mount Morris Dam is the largest flood control device of its kind (concrete gravity) east of the Mississippi River . It is 1,028 feet (313 m) in length and rises 230 feet (70 m) from
2688-475: The cladoxylopsids and progymnosperm Archaeopteris . These tracheophytes were able to grow to large size on dry land because they had evolved the ability to biosynthesize lignin , which gave them physical rigidity and improved the effectiveness of their vascular system while giving them resistance to pathogens and herbivores. In Eifelian age, cladoxylopsid trees formed the first forests in Earth history. By
2784-452: The " Big Five " mass extinctions in Earth's history. The Devonian extinction crisis primarily affected the marine community, and selectively affected shallow warm-water organisms rather than cool-water organisms. The most important group to be affected by this extinction event were the reef-builders of the great Devonian reef systems. Amongst the severely affected marine groups were the brachiopods, trilobites, ammonites, and acritarchs , and
2880-695: The 1910 memorial to Mary Jemison , "The White Indian of the Genesee", who is buried at "the ancient Indian Council House of the Senecas " located on the grounds of the Letchworth park. Letchworth, having earned "life-residence" at the Glen Iris, died there on December 1, 1910. He was buried in Buffalo at Forest Lawn Cemetery . The park was the beneficiary of numerous enhancements enacted by workers from
2976-471: The American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society of New York, was an enthusiastic supporter of the park. Dr. Kunz helped with the organization and preservation of the library of William Pryor Letchworth when the society took over the management of his estate in New York. In 1907, it was stated: "The library embraces one of the finest, if not the finest, private collection of books on charities in
Letchworth State Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-710: The Armorican Terrane Assemblage, split away from Gondwana in the Silurian and drifted towards Laurussia through the Devonian. Their collision with Laurussia leads to the beginning of the Variscan Orogeny , a major mountain-building event which would escalate further in the Late Paleozoic. Franconia and Saxothuringia collided with Laurussia near the end of the Early Devonian, pinching out the easternmost Rheic Ocean. The rest of
3168-536: The Armorican terranes followed, and by the end of the Devonian they were fully connected with Laurussia. This sequence of rifting and collision events led to the successive creation and destruction of several small seaways, including the Rheno-Hercynian, Saxo-Thuringian, and Galicia-Moldanubian oceans. Their sediments were eventually compressed and completely buried as Gondwana fully collided with Laurussia in
3264-623: The Buffalo Creek Reservation and reinterred on the grounds of a Seneca Council House, relocated to the site by Letchworth and rededicated in 1872. The park also features the William Pryor Letchworth Museum, which was founded with the collections of the park's founder. The exhibits focus on the natural and cultural history of the Genesee Valley, and include archaeological artifacts of the Seneca nation , and displays on Mary Jemison, early pioneers,
3360-511: The Carboniferous. Sea levels in the Devonian were generally high. Marine faunas continued to be dominated by conodonts, bryozoans , diverse and abundant brachiopods , the enigmatic hederellids , microconchids , and corals . Lily-like crinoids (animals, their resemblance to flowers notwithstanding) were abundant, and trilobites were still fairly common. Bivalves became commonplace in deep water and outer shelf environments. The first ammonites also appeared during or slightly before
3456-533: The Devonian Period. The newly evolved forests drew carbon out of the atmosphere, which were then buried into sediments. This may be reflected by a Mid-Devonian cooling of around 5 °C (9 °F). The Late Devonian warmed to levels equivalent to the Early Devonian; while there is no corresponding increase in CO 2 concentrations, continental weathering increases (as predicted by warmer temperatures); further,
3552-408: The Devonian seas. The first abundant genus of cartilaginous fish, Cladoselache , appeared in the oceans during the Devonian Period. The great diversity of fish around at the time has led to the Devonian being given the name "The Age of Fishes" in popular culture. The Devonian saw significant expansion in the diversity of nektonic marine life driven by the abundance of planktonic microorganisms in
3648-645: The Devonian to often be dubbed the Age of Fishes . The armored placoderms began dominating almost every known aquatic environment. In the oceans, cartilaginous fishes such as primitive sharks became more numerous than in the Silurian and Late Ordovician . Tetrapodomorphs , which include the ancestors of all four- limbed vertebrates (i.e. tetrapods ), began diverging from freshwater lobe-finned fish as their more robust and muscled pectoral and pelvic fins gradually evolved into forelimbs and hindlimbs , though they were not fully established for life on land until
3744-434: The Devonian, as free- sporing land plants ( pteridophytes ) began to spread across dry land , forming extensive coal forests which covered the continents. By the middle of the Devonian, several groups of vascular plants had evolved leaves and true roots , and by the end of the period the first seed -bearing plants ( pteridospermatophytes ) appeared. This rapid evolution and colonization process, which had begun during
3840-506: The Early Devonian and the existence of fossils such as Protichnites suggest that amphibious arthropods may have appeared as early as the Cambrian ). By far the largest land organism at the beginning of this period was the enigmatic Prototaxites , which was possibly the fruiting body of an enormous fungus, rolled liverwort mat, or another organism of uncertain affinities that stood more than 8 metres (26 ft) tall, and towered over
3936-471: The Early and Middle Devonian, the west coast of Laurussia was a passive margin with broad coastal waters, deep silty embayments, river deltas and estuaries, found today in Idaho and Nevada . In the Late Devonian, an approaching volcanic island arc reached the steep slope of the continental shelf and began to uplift deep water deposits. This minor collision sparked the start of a mountain-building episode called
Letchworth State Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-538: The Flood of '72, the event had a tremendous impact on Western New York and Letchworth Park. Although the Genesee River and Letchworth Park was not hit as hard as the Susquehanna Valley and other areas, the impact of the flood was felt in the park for many years. The Lower Falls Bridge and trail to Sugar Loaf did not officially reopen for several years. Visitors can still see some of the natural scars left by
4128-622: The Genesee River and as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into it; the deep gorge formed by the river, with rock walls rising up to 550 feet (170 m) in places and which narrow to 400 feet (120 m) across above the middle of the three falls, prompted the area's reputation as the " Grand Canyon of the East". The three major waterfalls — called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls — are located in Portage Canyon,
4224-637: The Late Devonian the tectonic situation had relaxed and much of South America was covered by shallow seas. These south polar seas hosted a distinctive brachiopod fauna, the Malvinokaffric Realm, which extended eastward to marginal areas now equivalent to South Africa and Antarctica. Malvinokaffric faunas even managed to approach the South Pole via a tongue of Panthalassa which extended into the Paraná Basin . The northern rim of Gondwana
4320-682: The Late Devonian. The Altai-Sayan region was shaken by volcanism in the Early and Middle Devonian, while Late Devonian magmatism was magnified further to produce the Vilyuy Traps , flood basalts which may have contributed to the Late Devonian Mass Extinction. The last major round of volcanism, the Yakutsk Large Igneous Province, continued into the Carboniferous to produce extensive kimberlite deposits. Similar volcanic activity also affected
4416-541: The Livingston County towns of Leicester , Mount Morris and Portage , as well as the Wyoming County towns of Castile and Genesee Falls . In 1859, Buffalo industrialist William Pryor Letchworth (1823–1910) began purchasing land near the Middle Falls, and started construction of his Glen Iris Estate. In 1906 he bequeathed the 1,000-acre (4 km) estate to New York, which soon after became
4512-463: The OPRHP, as of 2015. Some OPRHP-'owned' parks are managed primarily or in part by other agencies, through lease or partnership agreements. The second table lists three former New York state parks that have been transferred to other entities. The NYS OPRHP maintains two state golf courses in addition to the courses noted above: New York state parks and historic sites where some type of hunting
4608-640: The Silurian and Devonian, it decreased across the span of the Devonian, particularly during the Pragian, and that the overall diversity of nektonic taxa did not increase significantly during the Devonian compared to during other geologic periods, and was in fact higher during the intervals spanning from the Wenlock to the Lochkovian and from the Carboniferous to the Permian. The study's authors instead attribute
4704-404: The Silurian, is known as the Silurian-Devonian Terrestrial Revolution . The earliest land animals , predominantly arthropods such as myriapods , arachnids and hexapods , also became well-established early in this period, after beginning their colonization of land at least from the Ordovician period. Fishes , especially jawed fish , reached substantial diversity during this time, leading
4800-415: The State of New York, but the offer was declined due to a lack of available funds to convert the bridge into an observation platform. A steel arch design was approved for the bridge's replacement in late 2014, at an estimated cost of $ 71 million. The project was completed in late 2017. New train-activated gates at both ends of the new bridge now keep trespassing tourists off it when no approaching freight train
4896-594: The aims of providing public space for outdoor recreation while conserving natural and cultural resources. The agency offers the "Empire Passport", which provides unlimited day use vehicle entry to most of New York's state parks and recreational facilities. As of 2017, New York has 215 state parks and historic sites encompassing 350,000 acres. The agency's portfolio also includes 28 golf courses, 35 swimming pools, 67 beaches, and 18 museums and nature centers. The following sortable tables list current and former New York state parks , respectively, all 'owned' or managed by
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#17327869513074992-415: The beginning of the Mississippian subperiod of the Carboniferous. In 19th-century texts the Devonian has been called the "Old Red Age", after the red and brown terrestrial deposits known in the United Kingdom as the Old Red Sandstone in which early fossil discoveries were found. Another common term is "Age of the Fishes", referring to the evolution of several major groups of fish that took place during
5088-528: The continent (such as Greenland and Ellesmere Island ) established tropical conditions, most of the continent was located within the natural dry zone along the Tropic of Capricorn , which (as nowadays) is a result of the convergence of two great air-masses, the Hadley cell and the Ferrel cell . In these near-deserts, the Old Red Sandstone sedimentary beds formed, made red by the oxidised iron ( hematite ) characteristic of drought conditions. The abundance of red sandstone on continental land also lends Laurussia
5184-412: The continents Laurentia (modern day North America) and Baltica (modern day northern and eastern Europe). The tectonic effects of this collision continued into the Devonian, producing a string of mountain ranges along the southeastern coast of the continent. In present-day eastern North America, the Acadian Orogeny continued to raise the Appalachian Mountains . Further east, the collision also extended
5280-532: The core of the newly created Letchworth State Park. The park prominently features three large waterfalls – the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls – on the Genesee River, which flows within a deep gorge that winds through the park. The rock walls of the gorge, which rise up to 550 feet (170 m) in places, prompted the area's reputation as the " Grand Canyon of the East". Park entrances are located near Mount Morris , Perry , Castile and Portageville . A paved two or three-lane road follows
5376-426: The country. It contains also a good collection of local histories, books about Indians, and a miscellaneous assortment of standard literature. His mementos - personal gifts and testimonials - are extremely interesting. It is most desirable that these should be kept together and adequately-preserved in a new library building, as part of the monument to the generous donor of Letchworth Park." Further, Dr. Kunz helped with
5472-405: The early Devonian Period around 400 Ma. Bactritoids make their first appearance in the Early Devonian as well; their radiation, along with that of ammonoids, has been attributed by some authors to increased environmental stress resulting from decreasing oxygen levels in the deeper parts of the water column. Among vertebrates, jawless armored fish ( ostracoderms ) declined in diversity, while
5568-419: The east. Major tectonic events include the closure of the Rheic Ocean , the separation of South China from Gondwana, and the resulting expansion of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean . The Devonian experienced several major mountain-building events as Laurussia and Gondwana approached; these include the Acadian Orogeny in North America and the beginning of the Variscan Orogeny in Europe. These early collisions preceded
5664-401: The end of the Devonian, the first seed-forming plants had appeared. This rapid appearance of many plant groups and growth forms has been referred to as the Devonian Explosion or the Silurian-Devonian Terrestrial Revolution. The 'greening' of the continents acted as a carbon sink , and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide may have dropped. This may have cooled the climate and led to
5760-399: The end of the preceding Silurian period at 419.2 million years ago ( Ma ), to the beginning of the succeeding Carboniferous period at 358.9 Ma. It is the fourth period of both the Paleozoic and the Phanerozoic. It is named after Devon , South West England , where rocks from this period were first studied. The first significant evolutionary radiation of life on land occurred during
5856-412: The equator to the poles was not as large as it is today. The weather was also very arid, mostly along the equator where it was the driest. Reconstruction of tropical sea surface temperature from conodont apatite implies an average value of 30 °C (86 °F) in the Early Devonian. Early Devonian mean annual surface temperatures were approximately 16 °C. CO 2 levels dropped steeply throughout
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#17327869513075952-416: The flood waters more than 50 years ago. Video footage of the devastation can be viewed upon request at the William Pryor Letchworth Museum, located near the Glen Iris Inn. List of New York state parks This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York . Also listed are state golf courses , seasonal hunting areas, and former state parks. In New York, state parks are managed by
6048-459: The formation of the single supercontinent Pangaea in the Late Paleozoic. The period is named after Devon , a county in southwestern England, where a controversial argument in the 1830s over the age and structure of the rocks found throughout the county was resolved by adding the Devonian Period to the geological timescale. The Great Devonian Controversy was a lengthy debate between Roderick Murchison , Adam Sedgwick and Henry De la Beche over
6144-413: The free water column as well as high ecological competition in benthic habitats, which were extremely saturated; this diversification has been labeled the Devonian Nekton Revolution by many researchers. However, other researchers have questioned whether this revolution existed at all; a 2018 study found that although the proportion of biodiversity constituted by nekton increased across the boundary between
6240-412: The gorge is Devonian in age, mostly shales , with some layers of limestone and sandstone . The rock was laid down in an ancient inland sea, and it holds many marine fossils . The landform of the section of the Genesee River valley represented by the park is geologically very young, caused by a diversion of the river from the old valley by the last continental glacier , which forced the river to cut
6336-402: The gorge that was to become the park from a train on the nearby railroad trestle in 1858, William Pryor Letchworth purchased an initial 190 acres (0.77 km) of land near the Portage Falls in 1859 and subsequently began work on his Glen Iris Estate . By purchasing the land, Letchworth successfully halted plans to install a hydroelectric dam in the gorge that would have altered the flow of
6432-744: The increased overall diversity of nekton in the Devonian to a broader, gradual trend of nektonic diversification across the entire Palaeozoic. A now-dry barrier reef, located in present-day Kimberley Basin of northwest Australia , once extended 350 km (220 mi), fringing a Devonian continent. Reefs are generally built by various carbonate -secreting organisms that can erect wave-resistant structures near sea level. Although modern reefs are constructed mainly by corals and calcareous algae , Devonian reefs were either microbial reefs built up mostly by autotrophic cyanobacteria or coral-stromatoporoid reefs built up by coral-like stromatoporoids and tabulate and rugose corals . Microbial reefs dominated under
6528-425: The increasing competition, predation, and diversity of jawed fishes . The shallow, warm, oxygen-depleted waters of Devonian inland lakes, surrounded by primitive plants, provided the environment necessary for certain early fish to develop such essential characteristics as well developed lungs and the ability to crawl out of the water and onto the land for short periods of time. Finally, the Late Devonian started with
6624-403: The jawed fish (gnathostomes) simultaneously increased in both the sea and fresh water . Armored placoderms were numerous during the early ages of the Devonian Period and became extinct in the Late Devonian, perhaps because of competition for food against the other fish species. Early cartilaginous ( Chondrichthyes ) and bony fishes ( Osteichthyes ) also become diverse and played a large role within
6720-411: The land lay under shallow seas, where tropical reef organisms lived. The enormous "world ocean", Panthalassa , occupied much of the Northern Hemisphere as well as wide swathes east of Gondwana and west of Laurussia. Other minor oceans were the Paleo-Tethys Ocean and Rheic Ocean . By the early Devonian, the continent Laurussia (also known as Euramerica ) was fully formed through the collision of
6816-575: The low, carpet-like vegetation during the early part of the Devonian. Also, the first possible fossils of insects appeared around 416 Ma, in the Early Devonian. Evidence for the earliest tetrapods takes the form of trace fossils in shallow lagoon environments within a marine carbonate platform/shelf during the Middle Devonian, although these traces have been questioned and an interpretation as fish feeding traces ( Piscichnus ) has been advanced. Many Early Devonian plants did not have true roots or leaves like extant plants, although vascular tissue
6912-562: The name "the Old Red Continent". For much of the Devonian, the majority of western Laurussia (North America) was covered by subtropical inland seas which hosted a diverse ecosystem of reefs and marine life. Devonian marine deposits are particularly prevalent in the midwestern and northeastern United States. Devonian reefs also extended along the southeast edge of Laurussia, a coastline now corresponding to southern England , Belgium , and other mid-latitude areas of Europe. In
7008-625: The naming of the period. Murchison and Sedgwick won the debate and named it the Devonian System. While the rock beds that define the start and end of the Devonian Period are well identified, the exact dates are uncertain. According to the International Commission on Stratigraphy , the Devonian extends from the end of the Silurian 419.2 Ma, to the beginning of the Carboniferous 358.9 Ma – in North America , at
7104-411: The nearby microcontinent of Amuria (now Manchuria , Mongolia and their vicinities). Though certainly close to Siberia in the Devonian, the precise location of Amuria is uncertain due to contradictory paleomagnetic data. The Rheic Ocean, which separated Laurussia from Gondwana, was wide at the start of the Devonian, having formed after the drift of Avalonia away from Gondwana. It steadily shrunk as
7200-401: The oldest known plants with woody tissue. By the Middle Devonian, shrub-like forests of primitive plants existed: lycophytes , horsetails , ferns , and progymnosperms evolved. Most of these plants had true roots and leaves, and many were quite tall. The earliest-known trees appeared in the Middle Devonian. These included a lineage of lycopods and another arborescent, woody vascular plant,
7296-703: The order Agoniatitida , which in later epochs evolved to new ammonoid orders, for example Goniatitida and Clymeniida . This class of cephalopod molluscs would dominate the marine fauna until the beginning of the Mesozoic Era. The Middle Devonian comprised two subdivisions: first the Eifelian , which then gave way to the Givetian 387.7 Ma. During this time the jawless agnathan fishes began to decline in diversity in freshwater and marine environments partly due to drastic environmental changes and partly due to
7392-473: The park commonly disregarded warning signs in order to view the gorge from the bridge, despite the safety concerns associated with walking on an active railroad bridge. On November 29, 2011, Norfolk Southern Railway announced plans to demolish the Portage Viaduct and build a new bridge approximately 75 feet (23 m) to the south of the 1875 structure. Norfolk Southern had offered the old bridge to
7488-403: The period continued, as the two major continents approached near the equator in the early stages of the assembly of Pangaea . The closure of the Rheic Ocean began in the Devonian and continued into the Carboniferous. As the ocean narrowed, endemic marine faunas of Gondwana and Laurussia combined into a single tropical fauna. The history of the western Rheic Ocean is a subject of debate, but there
7584-472: The period it moved northwards and began to twist clockwise, though it was not near its modern location. Siberia approached the eastern edge of Laurussia as the Devonian progressed, but it was still separated by a seaway, the Ural Ocean . Although Siberia's margins were generally tectonically stable and ecologically productive, rifting and deep mantle plumes impacted the continent with flood basalts during
7680-529: The period. Older literature on the Anglo-Welsh basin divides it into the Downtonian, Dittonian, Breconian, and Farlovian stages, the latter three of which are placed in the Devonian. The Devonian has also erroneously been characterised as a "greenhouse age", due to sampling bias : most of the early Devonian-age discoveries came from the strata of western Europe and eastern North America , which at
7776-613: The rise of the Caledonian Mountains of Great Britain and Scandinavia . As the Caledonian Orogeny wound down in the later part of the period, orogenic collapse facilitated a cluster of granite intrusions in Scotland. Most of Laurussia was located south of the equator, but in the Devonian it moved northwards and began to rotate counterclockwise towards its modern position. While the most northern parts of
7872-473: The river and diminished flows over the large waterfalls. He enlisted the services of the famous landscape artist William Webster to design winding paths and roadways, rustic bridges, glistening "lakes" and a sparkling fountain. Letchworth spent the following years expanding his landholdings in the area. In 1906, Letchworth granted the Glen Iris and the surrounding 1,000 acres (4 km) to the State of New York as
7968-468: The riverbed. The dam proved its worth during the Flood of 1972 , saving thousands of acres of farmland and the city of Rochester from flooding. The Portage Viaduct (1875) was an iron Erie Railroad bridge located upstream and within view of the park's Upper Falls. The bridge was 820 feet (250 m) long and 240 feet (73 m) high. Although walking on the structure was considered trespassing, visitors to
8064-472: The southern section of the park. The only trail bridging the Genesee River in the park crosses a stone bridge just below the Lower Falls. The Middle Falls is the highest, and the Upper Falls has a recently-built (2017) active Norfolk Southern Railway arch bridge crossing immediately above it, replacing a historic 1875 Erie Railroad bridge. The park also contains Inspiration Falls, a ribbon waterfall that
8160-628: The terminus of the Devonian, Earth rapidly cooled into an icehouse , marking the beginning of the Late Paleozoic icehouse . The Devonian world involved many continents and ocean basins of various sizes. The largest continent, Gondwana , was located entirely within the Southern Hemisphere . It corresponds to modern day South America , Africa , Australia , Antarctica , and India , as well as minor components of North America and Asia . The second-largest continent, Laurussia,
8256-535: The time straddled the Equator as part of the supercontinent of Euramerica where fossil signatures of widespread reefs indicate tropical climates that were warm and moderately humid. In fact the climate in the Devonian differed greatly during its epochs and between geographic regions. For example, during the Early Devonian, arid conditions were prevalent through much of the world including Siberia, Australia, North America, and China, but Africa and South America had
8352-521: The warmer conditions of the early and late Devonian, while coral-stromatoporoid reefs dominated during the cooler middle Devonian. By the Devonian Period, life was well underway in its colonization of the land. The moss forests and bacterial and algal mats of the Silurian were joined early in the period by primitive rooted plants that created the first stable soils and harbored arthropods like mites , scorpions , trigonotarbids and myriapods (although arthropods appeared on land much earlier than in
8448-482: The west side of the gorge, allowing many scenic viewpoints for the geologic features. The park includes pavilions, picnic tables, playgrounds, 66 miles (106 km) of hiking trails, two large swimming pools, cabins, campsites for tents, trailer sites with dumping stations, and horse-riding trails. Activities within the park include hiking , biking , fishing , whitewater rafting and kayaking , geocaching , and hunting ( wild turkey and deer when in season). During
8544-465: The winter, the park facilitates snowmobiling , cross-country skiing , snow tubing , and horse-drawn sleighs. Hot air ballooning is available at the park, weather permitting. In 2015, Letchworth State Park won USA Today' s Reader's Choice competition as the best state park in the United States. In 2020 the park topped a similar list. Within the park, there are three large waterfalls on
8640-555: The world saw the disappearance of an estimated 96% of vertebrates like conodonts and bony fishes , and all of the ostracoderms and placoderms. Land plants as well as freshwater species, such as our tetrapod ancestors, were relatively unaffected by the Late Devonian extinction event (there is a counterargument that the Devonian extinctions nearly wiped out the tetrapods ). The reasons for the Late Devonian extinctions are still unknown, and all explanations remain speculative. Canadian paleontologist Digby McLaren suggested in 1969 that
8736-680: Was by far the largest continent on the planet. It was completely south of the equator, although the northeastern sector (now Australia) did reach tropical latitudes. The southwestern sector (now South America) was located to the far south, with Brazil situated near the South Pole . The northwestern edge of Gondwana was an active margin for much of the Devonian, and saw the accretion of many smaller land masses and island arcs. These include Chilenia , Cuyania , and Chaitenia , which now form much of Chile and Patagonia . These collisions were associated with volcanic activity and plutons , but by
8832-542: Was captured at the age of 12 from central Pennsylvania by a French and Shawnee raiding party during the French and Indian War . She was soon adopted by a family of Seneca people , and eventually lived in western New York on the Genesee River. She became thoroughly assimilated and chose to live with the Seneca for the rest of her long life, having a total of seven children by two successive husbands. Her remains were exhumed from
8928-442: Was mostly a passive margin, hosting extensive marine deposits in areas such as northwest Africa and Tibet . The eastern margin, though warmer than the west, was equally active. Numerous mountain building events and granite and kimberlite intrusions affected areas equivalent to modern day eastern Australia , Tasmania , and Antarctica. Several island microcontinents (which would later coalesce into modern day Asia) stretched over
9024-438: Was northwest of Gondwana, and corresponds to much of modern-day North America and Europe . Various smaller continents, microcontinents , and terranes were present east of Laurussia and north of Gondwana, corresponding to parts of Europe and Asia. The Devonian Period was a time of great tectonic activity, as the major continents of Laurussia and Gondwana drew closer together. Sea levels were high worldwide, and much of
9120-579: Was the longest and tallest wooden bridge in the world. In the early morning hours of Thursday, May 6, 1875, the great wooden railroad bridge was destroyed in a tremendous fire. The bridge was a total loss, leaving only the concrete bridge abutments . Immediately after the Portage Bridge fire, officials of the Erie Railroad Company moved quickly to replace the wooden bridge with an iron design. Construction began on June 8, 1875, and
9216-577: Was the newest addition to the Asian microcontinents, it was not the first. North China and the Tarim Block (now northwesternmost China) were located westward and continued to drift northwards, powering over older oceanic crust in the process. Further west was a small ocean (the Turkestan Ocean), followed by the larger microcontinents of Kazakhstania , Siberia , and Amuria . Kazakhstania was
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