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Western New England Marble Valleys

Ecoregion in Appalachian Mountains in NY, CT, MA, VT

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The Western New England Marble Valleys ecoregion includes the Vermont Valley in the north, which is a continuation of the larger Berkshire Valley or Stockbridge Valley in Massachusetts. It extends into northwest Connecticut and small portions of southeastern New York. This scenic lowland ecoregion of soluble carbonate rocks stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding highland areas of more resistant rock. The Marble Valleys are wedged between the Taconic Mountains (58a) on the west and the southern Green Mountains/Berkshire Highlands (58c) and Lower Berkshire Hills (58d) on the east. Its northern boundary with the Champlain Lowlands (83b) is not as distinct; it is marked by the submersion of limestone and limestone-derived soils under the glacial lake and marine sediments of Ecoregion 83. The climate of the Marble Valleys has milder winter temperatures and lower precipitation amounts than surrounding ecoregions. Most of the ecoregion is narrow, but widens to about 10 miles across in the southwest part of Massachusetts. With elevations of 500 to 1900 feet, the lowland has formed because of differential weathering and erosion of the calcitic and dolomitic marbles and limestone. Surficial materials of glacial drift are relatively abundant compared to that found in the surrounding highland areas. Due to faulting and folding, some of the resistant rocks of schist, gneiss, and quartzite that surround the ecoregion also crop out within it. Deep and well-drained limestone-derived soils are common throughout the valleys, typically loamy and coarse-loamy, mesic Inceptisols. The land cover consists of mixed and deciduous forest, pasture and cropland, and some extensive urban and residential land. The forests are generally transition hardwoods (maple-beech-birch, oak-hickory) and northern hardwoods (maple-beech-birch) depending on latitude, elevation, and aspect. Surface water alkalinity values are high due to the prevalence of limestone and marble bedrock. A few remaining natural areas in the valleys include some diverse swamps and calcareous fens that support a wide variety of fish, birds, mammals, and distinct flora, including a number of rare or endangered species.

— EPA

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