Anthracite Upland Section

Anthracite Upland Section
Name	Anthracite Upland Section
Type	Physiographic section
Location	Pennsylvania, United States
Area	~unknown

Anthracite Upland Section The Anthracite Upland Section is a physiographic region in northeastern Pennsylvania characterized by coal-bearing strata, rugged ridgelines, and a history tied to industrial development. The area has influenced transportation networks, settlement patterns, and conservation initiatives linked to regional institutions and landmark events.

Geology

The bedrock framework includes folded Carboniferous strata hosting significant anthracite seams associated with the Appalachian orogeny, with connections to studies by William Maclure, Louis Agassiz, Benjamin Silliman, James Hall, and later surveys by the United States Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Structural elements reflect thrusting and folding like those documented in the Allegheny Plateau and compared to formations in the Rondout Formation and Catskill Formation contexts, with references to mapping traditions from the Geological Society of America, American Philosophical Society, and fieldwork at sites near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Mineralogy exhibits pyrite and marcasite occurrences alongside anthracite, with geochemical analyses linked to methods from Charles Lyell-inspired stratigraphic practice and petrographic techniques promoted at Harvard University and Columbia University.

Geography and Boundaries

The section lies within northeastern Pennsylvania, intersecting counties such as Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, and Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, and abutting landscapes associated with the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians and the Pocono Mountains. Major adjacent municipalities include Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Hazleton, Pennsylvania, while transport corridors tie to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, Interstate 81, U.S. Route 209, and historic alignments of the Delaware and Hudson Canal and Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad. Political boundaries intersect jurisdictions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and spatial planning authorities like the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Topography and Landforms

Topographic relief features steep ridges, narrow valleys, and benchlands formed by erosion of coal measures, with named ridges comparable to those in the Allegheny Mountains and local prominences near Nescopeck Mountain, Broad Mountain (Pennsylvania), and Mahanoy Mountain. Landforms include spoil piles and culm banks from mining activities, terraces along streams similar to those in the Lehigh Gorge, and abandoned strip pits analogous to sites studied by the National Park Service and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Elevations transition toward the Susquehanna River basin, influencing slope processes documented by the U.S. Geological Survey and geomorphologists at Pennsylvania State University.

Soil and Hydrology

Soils derive from collisional bedrock and mining tailings, showing acidity and heavy metal enrichment patterns evaluated in work by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hydrologic networks feed tributaries of the Susquehanna River, Lehigh River, and Delaware River watersheds, with acid mine drainage issues affecting streams studied by the Water Resources Research Center and remediated through projects involving the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers. Groundwater flow and mine pool dynamics have been subjects of research at institutions such as the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Natural History and Ecology

Vegetation reflects secondary successional forests, reclaimed mine plantings, and riparian corridors with species inventories comparable to studies by the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, and botanists affiliated with Drexel University and Lehigh University. Faunal communities include mammals and birds recorded by Pennsylvania Game Commission surveys and ornithological work by the American Bird Conservancy and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Habitat restoration aligns with conservation models used by the National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Human History and Land Use

Human activity centers on indigenous histories preceding European settlement, industrialization tied to anthracite extraction, and communities shaped by corporate entities like the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, and the Reading Company. Labor movements including the Molly Maguires era, the Lattimer Massacre, and union organizing by the United Mine Workers of America influenced regional demographics alongside immigrant groups arriving through ports like Philadelphia and New York City. Urbanization and land-use changes were driven by entities such as the Lehigh Valley Railroad and wartime production linked to facilities in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

Economy and Resources

Anthracite mining historically dominated the economy with companies like Bethlehem Steel sourcing regional coal, while contemporary economies integrate manufacturing, services, and energy projects involving corporations such as Exelon Corporation and utilities regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Resource issues include reclamation liabilities managed under statutes such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and funding through programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Interior. Economic redevelopment initiatives involve partnerships with universities including Pennsylvania State University, regional development agencies, and foundations such as the William Penn Foundation.

Conservation and Recreation

Conservation efforts are coordinated by agencies and organizations including the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, and local land trusts, with recreation opportunities in state parks, rail-trail conversions like the Lehigh Gorge State Park and the D&L Trail, and heritage tourism centered on sites associated with the Steamtown National Historic Site and mining museums such as the Anthracite Heritage Museum. Restoration projects often involve federal funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and nonprofit grants managed with input from institutions like Temple University and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.

Category:Physiographic sections of the United States