About 35 million years ago, a bolide (an object similar to a meteor or a comet) crashed into the present-day Delmarva Peninsula and created a 55-mile-wide crater.
The depression created by the crater changed the course of the rivers and determined the location of Chesapeake Bay.
The formation of Chesapeake Bay occurred 35.5 million years ago when a meteor hit the Earth and formed a huge crater. Over the next few million years (and some glaciations), rising and falling sea levels helped shape the shallow bay. As a result, the bay now alternates between dry land and shallow coastal sea.Between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, the Earth was plunged into an Ice Age or glacial period. At that time, the position of Earth's continents and oceans was practically the same as it is today. However, large glaciers covered about 8% of the Earth's surface. Slight natural variations in the Earth's orientation toward the Sun are thought to cause these cycles of glaciation or Ice Age.
When the Ice Age came to an end, the melting of the ice caused the transformation of the landscape. Here, in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Susquehanna River was flooded with enormous amounts of water flowing from the melting ice sheet. The entire area that was once the river valley was gradually filled with water and turned into a wide bay. Geologists refer to this as a drowned river valley or river valley.
The bay continued to take shape and reached its current shape about 3,000 years ago. Chesapeake Bay, the largest and once the most productive estuary in the United States, and the third largest in the world, is an integral part of our natural and national history. Home to more than 18 million people and 3,600 species of plants and animals, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is truly an extraordinary place. The Bay Watershed, which spans six states and the District of Columbia, never ceases to amaze with its rich history, vital economic importance and astounding beauty.
Below is just a sample of some of the impressive facts and figures about our wonderful watershed. Do you want more? Discover 10 things you didn't know about Chesapeake Bay. The State of the Bay report makes it clear that the bay needs our support now more than ever. Your gift helps the Chesapeake Bay Foundation maintain our momentum toward a restored bay, rivers and streams for today and for future generations.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501 (c) () of the Internal Revenue Code. The distinctive geographical formation of the bay is the result of the collision of a meteor that exploded on the Earth's surface and dates back 35.5 million years ago. It is said that the meteor hit the lower end of the current Delmarva Peninsula and created a large crater in the form of a depression that eventually caused nearby bodies of water and valleys to drain and they will accumulate. In addition, movement in these waterways also caused erosion and the movement of sediments to form the shape of the bay.
Drive across the picturesque Chesapeake Bay Bridge, visit the maritime museum, and then spend a day exploring Chestertown's many historic sites and museums. This English explorer sailed across Chesapeake Bay in 1608 in search of gold, land and adventure. Some may not even have their own boats, let alone win regattas, but Chesapeake Bay draws them inexorably. Individual, population, and ecosystem effects of hypoxia in a dominant benthic bivalve in Chesapeake Bay.
Response of a benthic animal that feeds in suspension (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) to three centuries of anthropogenic eutrophication in Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects Virginia's east coast to its mainland (in the Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake metropolitan areas), is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long; it has trestle bridges and two two-mile-long (3.2 km) sections of tunnels that allow unimpeded transportation; the bridge is supported by four 5.25-acre (21,200 m) artificial islands. In the 1970s, Chesapeake Bay was discovered to contain one of the first identified marine dead zones on the planet, where the waters were so depleted of oxygen that they could not support life, causing the massive death of fish. This great depression helped determine the location of Chesapeake Bay when it began to form millions of years later. The Chesapeake Bay watershed provides drinking water to about 75% of the 18 million residents living in surrounding regions.
The northern end of the Oligohaline Zone is north of Baltimore and the southern end is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The tide forecasts published by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (see the figure on the right) are a good example of how different Chesapeake Bay sites experience different tides. This region borders Chesapeake Bay and offers a treasure trove of maritime museums, historic sites and nature reserves for you to explore. The Chesapeake Bay Flotilla, which was built with shallow barges and ships to counter British naval attacks during the War of 1812. Chestertown is one of the most historic cities on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is just a stone's throw from Chesapeake Bay.
Humans have occupied the Chesapeake Bay area for at least 12,000 years, although the exact chronology is unknown.