ABSTRACT
The Taconic Orogeny happened in phases when small microcontinents and volcanic islands—similar to Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia—merged westward and collided with ancient North America. Rivers transported huge amounts of sediments to the west, and the sediment collected in a shallow inland sea between the mountains and the main part of what is North America. Typical sedimentary rocks contain no more than a few percent organic material, but the Marcellus exceeds 10% in some places. The sediments produced by the Acadian Orogeny collected to create the Catskill Delta. Rocks formed from these sediments crop out extensively in the Pocono and Catskill Mountains of Pennsylvania and New York. Weathering and erosion produce sediment that later may become sedimentary rock. Plants and animals make biochemical sediments if they secrete hard parts such as shells and bones that remain and collect after the rest of the organism has decomposed.
