Pike CNHI - Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

Physiography and Geology
Most of Pike County lies within the Glaciated Low Plateau Section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province.
The western end of the county is in the glaciated Pocono Plateau section of the same province. The
Appalachian Plateau Province is characterized by horizontal layers of rock cut by many stream valleys. Pike
County is underlain by bedrock from the Devonian period. The bedrock is composed of sandstone, siltstone,
mudstone, shale, and conglomerate. All of Pike County has been influenced by glaciation – most recently by
the Wisconsin Glacier that withdrew about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago (Larsen 1982). Glaciation modified the
landscape by carving valleys, scraping mountains, leaving depressions that filled with water, and leaving
deposits of rock, sand, silt, and clay as unstratified glacial till and stratified drift. Glacial debris brought from
other areas produced soil types that could not have developed from the bedrock in the county. New drainage
patterns that developed due to the scraping and deposition of debris and ice resulted in the formation of the
many wetlands and natural ponds in the county. Many of the plant species that were common during and
shortly after the glacial period retreated northward as the climate warmed. Some of these species can still be
found in the bogs and other wetland habitats that are found in the county.
Figure 3. Generalized soil associations of Pike County.
Soils
Soil patterns in Pike County reflect either the bedrock beneath the soils or the glacial material that was deposited
over the landscape. The soils that developed have influenced the vegetation, settlement and land use patterns
within the county. The seven soil associations recognized within the county are shown in Figure 3. A description
of soils associations, along with their abundance and land use within Pike County, is found in Table 3.
Pike County Natural Heritage Inventory – Natural History Overview / 5