1.  GLACIAL TILL
New York stands at the farthest edge of one of the great glaciers. Glacial till is soil that was pushed in front of the glacier and, in New York City, deeply covers parts of the bedrock—areas unsuitable for New York’s trademark skyscrapers. Through rain and plant decay, the uppermost portions of glacial till became rich topsoil. New Yorkers modified the land by sculpting much of Central Park and reclaiming shoreline in lower Manhattan.

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