ENHANCING SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AT THE WHALEBACK ANTICLINE, BEAR VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA

The Whaleback Anticline has served for decades as an educational, scientific, historical and recreational resource. The site is within Bear Valley, a coal strip mine on the southern limb of the Western Middle-Anthracite-Field Synclinorium in the Alleghanian Valley and Ridge Province (central PA). The upper surface of a folded sandstone layer was excavated and fully exposed during mining, revealing the 20-m-high E-W trending, tight antiformal fold (and limbs of adjacent folds) in three dimensions. As an educational resource, Bear Valley is regularly visited by numerous institutions for geology field trips. A visit is an immersive experience: It is possible to walk the hinge of the anticline and to directly observe both limbs for more than 100 m along strike. As a scientific resource, the Whaleback Anticline is a world-class exposure for the study of folds and related minor structures. As a classic example of scale-dependent structure formation, the outcrop-scale features observed within the rocks at Bear Valley record the structural stages of the regional-scale Alleghanian orogeny that typify deformation in the Valley and Ridge. Additionally, abundant fossil flora are found at the site, including a rare fossil tree in growth position.

The development and decline of anthracite mining dominate the economic and cultural history of the local area. As a historical resource, the site preserves evidence of early deep mining, a current landscape produced by mid-20th century strip mining, and exposures of the Mammoth coal, the most economically important coal seam in the region. Long used as an informal recreational area, in recent years land around the Whaleback has been formally developed and promoted by Northumberland County Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Authority as an ATV/off-road vehicle park, bringing additional attention to the site. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources has identified the Whaleback Anticline as a geoheritage site, but the mine is on private land. As the surrounding area is redeveloped, access to the site is rapidly evolving. Our objectives are to advance scientific understanding of the fold history and mechanisms, enhance educational resources that support geo-field trips, and develop a digital resource that enables virtual exploration of this iconic geologic structure.