Cover Story: Chesapeake Bay's eventful, prehistoric past

From a prehistoric sea twice as salty as today's oceans to a 70,000 mph meteor impact, the Chesapeake Bay's beginnings are, quite literally, out of this world.

Scientists in the last 10 years have estimated that 100 to 145 million years ago an ancient ocean existed below the present-day Chesapeake. This discovered body of water dates back to the Early Cretaceous period when wet and dry seasons controlled the climate, tropical jungles dominated the landscape and dinosaurs were plentiful. The discovery is the oldest sizeable body of seawater to be identified worldwide.

Fast forward to roughly 35.5 million years ago, an exploding meteor collided with Earth and formed a massive crater – the largest known in the United States at a diameter of 80 miles. Located beneath the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Cape Charles, Va., the mostly circular crater is twice the size of Rhode Island and nearly deep as the Grand Canyon. Since waterways flow along paths of least resistance, the crater's depression caused river valleys to converge – setting the stage for the formation of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Millions of years later, the prehistoric Susquehanna River began carving a 400-foot-deep canyon as it flowed from the Appalachian Mountains toward the Atlantic Ocean. Rising sea levels following the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago) flooded the river valley. Over time, sediment would ultimately fill most of the former river channel.

During periods of historic high sea levels, the Delmarva Peninsula lengthened into a major barrier spit. Progressive phases of high sea levels and the renewal of landform development, as well as low sea levels and the cessation of landform development, continued throughout the last 2 million years. Protecting the Bay's western shoreline from the Atlantic for the first time, the early formation of Delmarva also proved pivotal in diverting western rivers, including the Potomac and Patuxent, into the river valley and what would become one of the largest estuaries in the world today.

The rest, they say, is history.

Out and About: Rock Hall among best 'chill' towns in Maryland

World Atlas recently published a list of the best small towns for relaxing in Maryland, and Rock Hall, as well as its neighbor Chestertown, were among those listed.

"Tucked within [Maryland's] boundaries are extraordinary towns, brimming with fishing delights, that stand out for their gorgeous vistas and peaceful aura. For a tranquil retreat, you have come to the right place," reads the article published last week.

The travel story credits Rock Hall's abundant outdoors and natural scenery, in addition to its close proximity to Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Read up on the eight towns perfectly suited for chill in Maryland. Photo courtesy of World Atlas (featuring a pair of Haven Harbour Marina Resorts' bicycles).