A few natural facts about the Bay:
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“Wonder
lies in the bay and its watershed in full measure. It is nothing alien
or mystical, or reserved for the expert. It is a different way of looking
at things.”
—Tom Horton, Saving the Bay |
The Bay is 15,000 years old, geologists say. It was formed when an immense
glacier melted, flooding the ancient Susquehanna River valley.
- Shallow overall, the Bay is 22 feet deep on average. But in spots it reaches
depths as great as 175 feet.
- The Bay’s width ranges from 3.4 miles near Aberdeen, Maryland, to
35 miles near the mouth of the Potomac River.
- It holds about 18 trillion gallons of water.
- Nearly 12,000 miles of shoreline wind around the edges of the Bay and the
shores of its tidal rivers.
- More than 150 major rivers run through the broad Chesapeake watershed. About
10,000 smaller tributaries drain into those rivers.
- Some of the fossils found on the Bay’s shores today date back to
times when elephant-like mammoths roamed the landscape.
For more information on the Chesapeake Bay, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program at www.chesapeakebay.net.
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