Whaleback Anticline, Shamokin Pennsylvania Query

Hi all,

While not of deep mineralogical interest, the "whaleback" anticline in an old strip mine near Shamokin Pennsylvania is a really interesting and probably unique geologic feature. A photo of the site follows: notice the size of the trees on the exposed anticline - this is a big thing:



(Image from here)


I received an email, quoted below, about turning the whaleback and it surrounding lands into a park, and promoting the whaleback as a geologic education site.

Mostly this is fyi - and if you have any strong feelings about this proposal, you could contact the planner (Pat Mack) who sent me the email (contact info below).

John K.

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Hello:

I work for Northumberland County in Pennsylvania. We are attempting to build a formalized Off Highway Vehicle Park on approximately 6,000 acres of County owned land.

The area we are attempting to formally build this park is located very close to "The Whaleback." In our many contacts with various state Departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, etc. They have discussed an interest for the purchase of this site to preserve it for its natural, historical, and educational value.

I am reaching out to various groups to gather their thoughts about this site in hopes to semi-formalize a movement to aid my employers and state agencies decide how to handle this site. Obviously my intent is to benefit our potential park, but we envision this park being a place for families, atv users, campers, environmentalists, etc People of all types to come enjoy themselves and do whatever it is they enjoy to do. Ride horses, camp, view wildlife, etc. One feature in adding "The Whaleback" to the park I believe we can then have a major geological formation within our confines where we can reach out to all educational institutions of every level state and nation wide as an educational attraction.

This area which has become depressed since the downturn of the anthracite coal industry was the life blood of the country back in the early 1900's. That life blood was the anthracite coal they were mining. We have gathered from the actual people who lasted and mined this site the story on how it came to be. I can share this information with you.

I would appreciate your input and thoughts on the preservation of this piece of ground and the impact it has had on your students and teaching.

Regards,

Pat Mack (pat.mack@norrycopa.net)
Planning Director

I'm all for turning this area into a geologic education site!! It is incredible in photos and even better to see in person......

Geology is best when it's "in your face" and this site doesn't disappoint! I sure hope it's preserved for educational purposes, many other sites should be as well.

What a great idea. Thanks for the alert and posting the picture.

Please be advised,
The Whaleback is on private property
Trespassers could be prosecuted.

Funding to buy this site is unavailable and past offers to purchase this site have been rejected.

At last report, Northumberland County Officials and the landowner are not talking to each other.
The use of this land as an educational site is greatly appreciated by all who visit this site.

All who have visited the site known that trail space is limited.
4 wheelers, atv and off road vehicles are currently making the Whaleback an attractive nuisance.

Any adverse publicity caused by any member of the general public at this site will propably result in the loss
of this area for educational purposes.

Neat place, but I notice the county planner advocates opening it up to "atv users" and people to "do whatever people enjoy doing". As James has noted, as soon as ATVs (or motorcycles) get in, quite often the place is effectively ruined for horseback riders, hikers or anybody else, so it's probably better off being private property right now.

John,
I grew up not 15 miles from Shamokin Pennsylvania, and I've never heard of it before . . . Huh.
Guess you gotta be a "REAL" local to know about this one! Hahahah!!!

James,
I'm with you. Old strip mines and associated waste rock covered hills in the area have long suffers the "boys and their big noisy toys", but there again . . the powers that be actually allow snowmobiles into the Grand Teton National Park in winter too! Good luck keeping that crowd away from anywhere, they're a pretty selfish lot if you ask me. :P

Usually takes decades to get things like this going. There are already lots of state park land in the area and some nature preserves which need be subsidized and supported (such as on some PP&L land). Good luck preserving this chunk, though doesn't sound like it's really "going" anywhere. (is it even near any development or decent roads?)

MRH

Hi, Mark,

How have you been? Like you, I grew up not far from Shamokin (I love the name) and had not heard of the geologic feature until information was posted here on Mindat.

As the gentleman said there is very little money in the area so the chances of the land being purchased are low. There is a large population of ATV drivers in the region with many coming in from all over the state and elsewhere. Every so often an ATV driver goes off a cliff or gets whiplashed by a cable strung across a private road, so there is little regard up there for private property rights when it comes to ATVs.

At lot of the land up there is either owned by the Rich Familly, The Girard Estates (Coal Baron Steven Girard) or Blue Ridge Land Company and others, and you whould think that they would donate the land for the common good and the postive publicity. The vein has obviously been mined out and it would take millions of dollars to reclaim it.

Hopefully, the site will be preserved.

Best,

Joe

Hey Joe, doing well, how are you?
I do hope to make Macungie again this year, hope to see you again there too!

That area was a pretty great place to grow up though, how 'bout it!? Where a kid COULD be a kid!
Where (and how) we live now, kids are all lock-boxed and over-scheduled (a real shame)!

It would be nice to have a free access trail to view the formation, but beyond that I don't see much point. It isn't a wealthy area for sure, not a lot of development even on good lands, and if I'm not mistaken by the color of that pool, I'll suggest a high acid mine run off pond/lake also makes an unwelcome neighbor in those hot summer months!


Mark

Is the Whaleback just cool? Nope...it's shamokin cool.

This locality, famous for many years among geology teachers, also has a few minerals. There are, for example, large (2-3 ft.) siderite concretions containing plant-fossil fragments. Small, clear quartz crystals line vuggy fractures. There are massive external molds of tree stumps, and other large plant fossils. The site was made famous by Bucknell University geologist Richard P. Nickelson, who wrote a pioneering study of of the stages of Alleghanian deformation, based on detailed study of structures exposed in the quarry. I took many students there over my teaching career; the only downside was the abundance of trash of every description and the occasional encounters with shooters. The ATV people seemed to be just as interested in the geology as our students were.