TOPOGRAPHY. The highland region, which cotn /Deuces in Vermont in the Green Mountains and continues across Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills, descends into Connecticut, at find with con siderable height; but southward it gradually loses its mountainous character, and as Long Island Sound is approached it is represented by low hills only. In this hill country, the streams flow in most cases in narrow valleys. East of this region is the broad valley of the Connecticut, with an altitude of less than 100 feet at the north boundary of the State, and less than 500 feet over a breadth of 25 miles. The river leaves this de pression at Middletown. the depression continuing southwestward to the coast at New Haven, while the river flows southeastward through a hill coun try to its mouth at Saybrook. The eastern part of the State is hilly, with altitudes exceeding 1000 feet near the northern boundary, and diminishing in height southward. Here also most of the streams flow in narrow-, deep valleys.
in former geologic times the area of Connecti cut is believed to have formed a part of the southern slope of a great mountain mass, whose summits are perhaps indicated by the present White, Green, and Adirondack mountains. Long continued erosion of streams and perhaps of ice reduced this region to a plain, with low relief and shallow stream valleys. A comparative ly recent tilting of the land has slightly de pressed the coast and elevated the interior. This has revived the cutting power of the streams, which are now actively eroding their valleys, most of them in hard rocks, in which slow prog ress is made. The Connecticut Valley is, how ever, largely of relatively softer rocks, which have been eroded away with greater rapidity. fn recent geologic times the area of the State was covered by the Laurentian glacier, which did much erosion and deposition, scouring out lake basins, and thus forming the multitude of little lakes and ponds which diversify the surface, and modifying the streams' courses, prmlneing rapids and falls, now utilized for water-power.
Among the highest points in Connecticut are Bear Mountain, 2355 feet; Gridley Mountain.
2200 feet : Riga Mountain, all in Salisbury: Bradforil Mountain. in Canaan, 1927: Dutton Mountain, 1620 feet, and Mount Ball, 1760, in Norfolk; Above All Alountain, 1456, in Warren; Ivy Mountain. in Goshen, 1640 feet; and Ells worth 1580 feet. in Sharon. The eoast of Connecticut is very broken and irregular, and consists of a succession of rocky points and gravel or sandy beaches. it possesses a number of good harbors, and the larger rivers have estu ary-like months. The coast waters are shallow, but usually deep enough to permit the near ap proach to land of vessels. Numerous small rocky islands skirt the shores; the largest island on this coast being Fisher's Island, off the mouth of the•Thames, which, while geographically be longing to the Connecticut coast. politically be Icngs to New York.
The hydrography of Connecticut is simple in general outline, the streams as a whole following the slope of land from the north toward the south. Since this slope is but a continuation from the higher land to the north, the main streams rise north of the Connecticut boundary and the waters flow in a generally southerly di rection across the State and empty into Long Island Sound. There are three main river sys tems: the liousatonie-Nauga tuck in the west; the Connecticut in the middle; and the Thames in the east. The streams tributary to these main rivers are numerous, and some of them of considerable size. In the southern part of the State there are many small streams which have a southerly direction and flow straight to the Sound. The three main ricers receive the drain age of a comparatively small portion of this coast area. The small streams are in few eases more than 25 miles in length in a direct course, except the Quinnipiae, which enters New Haven Harbor, and which has its source well within the Connecticut depression. The Connecticut water-courses have in general deeply cut their path through the highlands, so that on the main streams the fall is less than might be expected from the neighboring elevations. The smaller streams, however, and the larger ones in their upper courses, furnish an enormous water power.