Littleton Formation (MADl;0)

State	Massachusetts
Name	Littleton Formation
Geologic age	Lower Devonian
Lithologic constituents	Major Metamorphic > Schistaluminous mica schist, quartzose schist Metamorphic > Metasedimentary > Metaclastic > Phyllitealuminous phyllite
Comments	Part of Connecticut Valley Belt (Silurian and Devonian Rocks); also part of Merrimack Belt. Secondary unit description per MA006 as reported in USGS Geologic Names lexicon (ref. MA024): Report text and figures deal extensively with areal extent of Littleton in MA, but footnotes [added to the report just before the report went to press] indicate two major restrictions to the use of the Littleton [these changes are not reflected on the MA State bedrock geologic map]: 1) Recent stratigraphic interpretations in the Monadnock (Thompson, 1985) and Hinsdale (Elbert, 1986) areas, NH, and remapping in the Mt. Grace area (Robinson, 1987), MA, have shown that garnet quartzite and iron formation mapped as Littleton Formation in the Pelham-Shutesbury syncline in MA, are now assigned to the Perry Mountain Formation, [here geographically extended to MA.] 2) Littleton Formation rocks in the belt that enters MA from NH east of the Keene gneiss dome and extending to southwest of Ware, and rocks in the Amherst inlet where Littleton and Partridge are complexly interfolded, are here assigned to the Rangeley Formation [here geographically extended to MA] (Hatch and others, 1988).
References	Zen, E-An (ed.), Goldsmith, R. (comp.), Ratcliffe, N.M. (comp.), Robinson, P. (comp.), Stanley, R.S. (comp.), Hatch, N.L., Jr., Shride, A.F., Weed, E.G.A., and Wones, D.R., 1983, Bedrock Geologic Map of Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, scale 1: 250,000. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70046713 Hatch, N.L., Jr., Robinson, Peter and Stanley, R.S., 1988, Stratigraphy of the Connecticut Valley belt, Chapter B, IN Hatch, N.L., Jr., ed., Bedrock geology of Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1366-A-D, p. B1-B34. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1366AD USGS Geologic Names lexicon found at: http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/ https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/search
NGMDB product	NGMDB product page for 16357
Counties	Franklin - Hampden - Hampshire - Middlesex - Worcester

State

Massachusetts

Name

Littleton Formation

Geologic age

Lower Devonian

Lithologic constituents

Major

Metamorphic > Schistaluminous mica schist, quartzose schist

Metamorphic > Metasedimentary > Metaclastic > Phyllitealuminous phyllite

Comments

Part of Connecticut Valley Belt (Silurian and Devonian Rocks); also part of Merrimack Belt. Secondary unit description per MA006 as reported in USGS Geologic Names lexicon (ref. MA024): Report text and figures deal extensively with areal extent of Littleton in MA, but footnotes [added to the report just before the report went to press] indicate two major restrictions to the use of the Littleton [these changes are not reflected on the MA State bedrock geologic map]: 1) Recent stratigraphic interpretations in the Monadnock (Thompson, 1985) and Hinsdale (Elbert, 1986) areas, NH, and remapping in the Mt. Grace area (Robinson, 1987), MA, have shown that garnet quartzite and iron formation mapped as Littleton Formation in the Pelham-Shutesbury syncline in MA, are now assigned to the Perry Mountain Formation, [here geographically extended to MA.] 2) Littleton Formation rocks in the belt that enters MA from NH east of the Keene gneiss dome and extending to southwest of Ware, and rocks in the Amherst inlet where Littleton and Partridge are complexly interfolded, are here assigned to the Rangeley Formation [here geographically extended to MA] (Hatch and others, 1988).

References

Zen, E-An (ed.), Goldsmith, R. (comp.), Ratcliffe, N.M. (comp.), Robinson, P. (comp.), Stanley, R.S. (comp.), Hatch, N.L., Jr., Shride, A.F., Weed, E.G.A., and Wones, D.R., 1983, Bedrock Geologic Map of Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, scale 1: 250,000.

https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70046713

Hatch, N.L., Jr., Robinson, Peter and Stanley, R.S., 1988, Stratigraphy of the Connecticut Valley belt, Chapter B, IN Hatch, N.L., Jr., ed., Bedrock geology of Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1366-A-D, p. B1-B34.

https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1366AD

USGS Geologic Names lexicon found at: http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/search

NGMDB product

NGMDB product page for 16357

Counties

Franklin - Hampden - Hampshire - Middlesex - Worcester