Sideling Hill Mountain Cut Ice Cascading Down!

Some of my information came from Wikipedia, but first I want to say about what I remember of this project started close to the Farm that I grew up on!

I remember the machines and road being cut through the forests next to Interstate 40. The Road we took when we came home from shopping in Hancock, Md so long ago. Route 40 was a beautiful interstate with picnic tables you could stop at on the western side of Sideling Hill! Autumns were breath-taking.

When the construction started there were huge boulders that lay along Route 40. My Dad wanted one of the huge rocks but had no one to move it for him. When the road was completed My DAD and MOM, Myself and Husband walked the path that went up the Western side of the cut as far as we could and what a view to behold!

One of the best exposures of rock in Maryland. Cut 340 feet deep and Located 6 miles west of Hancock in Washington County. Sideling Hill Mountain lies in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province of eastern North America. The region is characterized by tightly folded strata. This is a beautiful cut in the Mountain and the different layers of rocks in the cut are explained inside the Exhibit Center that is closed. You can also go on line and find out more about this Cut in Sideling Hill Mountain.

Some History about the Sideling Hill Mountain Cut: From Wikipedia I discovered that the construction began as far back as 1965 and lasted for about 25 years. The completion of the road was to improve the economic situation along the corridor. Two of the largest city's along the route are Cumberland and Morgantown. I-68 is a major transportation route in western Maryland and northern West Virginia and an alternative route to Pennsylvania Turnpike for westbound traffic from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The Exhibit Center provides the public with a better understanding of the geology of the cut.

To the right of the Cut, going west, is the Maryland and Pennsylvania line. A natural gas pipe line separates the two states. A Shale line running from New York to West Virginia runs at the outer edges west and north and south of this cut. That is my own personal opinion from a map studying shale and natural gas.

I have done a slide show of some pictures I took this past weekend when home. The ice running from the rock formation cut, was so beautiful. Hope You enjoy the slide show.