Geology & Soils

If away from exposed bedrock and on sandy soils, trails at Flynt Park and Keep Homestead could be less susceptible to erosion and pooling. However, given the disturbance history on the landscape and the level of current use, amendments and alterations to the trails must be made to give the user an enjoyable experience and promote ecological health.

g la C ially s ha P ed l ands C a P e

As the last ice age waned, the laurentide ice sheet dramatically altered the landscape across North America and in Monson. Over thousands of years, lakes formed and rivers shifted material all across the landscape. In the Monson area, around 15,000 years ago, a glacial lake later named Quaboag formed in the Monson-Palmer area. Peaks that were above 660 feet, including the top of Mt. Ella and the nearby Peaked Mountain, were perched above the water. About 12,400 years ago the water receded from Glacial Lake Quaboag to form the Chicopee River Basin, one of the largest drainage basins in the state. The valley is bordered by two prominent ridges running north and south on the east and west sides of town. Monsonʼs highest peaks, including Peaked Mountain (1,278 feet), West Hill (900 feet), and Mount Ella (820 feet) are part of the western ridgeline. Rolling hills form the eastern ridgeline that can be seen from the top of Mt. Ella.

g la C ial T ill and e x P osed b edro CK

Flynt Park and the Keep Homestead Museum and its grounds are underlain by gneiss and schist bedrock. As evident by an old quarry at the Keep Homestead Museum and the old granite foundations seen at Flynt Park, whose namesake made a fortune in the granite industry, Monson Granite was quarried at the base of the western ridge line for use in many of the town's historical buildings. The eastern ridge, in contrast, was formed by glacial deposits of schist, sandstone, feldspar, and quartz. This glacial formation occurred when the glaciers retreated several thousand years ago and dropped and stirred up debris gathered from the bedrock and distant landscapes. Areas of exposed bedrock can either be a desirable feature to a more rugged trail's surface or limit the capacity to develop more accessible trails. They can also define an experience outdoors by emphasizing features and destination points along a pathway. Exposed bedrock and large till deposits can help people appreciate the specific qualities of the natural landscape of the site, and be used as fixtures of a site’s identity.

S Andy S Oils

Given the gneiss bedrock and the glacial till surficial geology, the soils that formed with those natural conditions are mostly fine sandy loam. With the exception of small portions of the site, the site is mostly moderate to well draining soil that in areas, can be shallow to bedrock. Given those conditions and the topography of the site (water generally shedding off the mountain to lower areas), water moves quickly off the site with the exception of areas subject to human impact and use. Trails that are not correctly graded to have a crown or a side slope of 2 percent and with a running slope greater than 15 percent tend to erode with heavy rainfall and cause issues for users. This was exacerbated after vegetation was cleared from the tornado and soil was compacted by machinery and heavy use. As a result, water was able to move faster along the surface, but puddle in spots of compaction. Trails not graded to take water off to the side, erode at very shallow grades.

Adapting the trail system on site to fit with the goals of accessibility and connecting the two properties means assessing where the trail conditions are encouraging erosion or pooling and where it can be managed.