Site Features:

Geology of the North Fork Basin

Limestone

Shale

Quartzite & Shale

The course of the North Fork Shenandoah River is a result of its adjustment to the local geology. The ridge forming complexes of the North Mountain and Massanutten Mountain are composed of sandstone and quartzite, while the valleys lie in the least resistant carbonate rocks of limestone and dolomite. The unique meanders of the seven bends region are formed along jointing planes of the Martinsburg Shale Formation.

Map adapted from Hack 1965 by A. Weimer