Our beloved Giant’s tale begins in the late Triassic period. Back then, Connecticut was part of the supercontinent Pangea, nestled in a mountain range close to Africa. The climate was semi-arid with seasonal monsoons.

Birth of the Atlantic Ocean: Tectonic forces started pulling Pangea apart, creating rifts and faults. One such fault in central Connecticut led to the formation of the Central Lowlands. Sand and sediments accumulated over time, forming the sandstone we see today.

200 Million Years Ago: The Jurassic period brought massive volcanic eruptions as Pangea continued to break apart. Three separate lava flows flooded the Central Lowlands, leaving layers of ancient basalt.

The Making of a Giant: Some magma didn’t reach the surface and was trapped in an underground chamber. This chamber cooled and solidified into diabase, which is chemically identical to basalt but formed underground. This diabase is what would become the Sleeping Giant.

The Ice Age: Fast forward to the Pleistocene Epoch, the world was in an Ice Age. Connecticut was covered by glaciers that sculpted the landscape. The glaciers eroded the soft sandstone, exposing the diabase. The Sleeping Giant we know today was shaped by these glaciers.

Today: The Sleeping Giant stands tall, its diabase core resistant to erosion. The trails are adorned with pebbles and boulders left behind by the glaciers. The Giant’s Head, Chest, and Chin are a testament to the geological forces that shaped them.