CAPE CHARLES, Va., Aug. 25, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U-Haul today announced the release of 1,200 new 14-foot moving vans and 1,200 17-foot moving vans showcasing the Chesapeake Bay impact crater. The Chesapeake Bay impact crater is the largest crater in the United States and lies below the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, beneath a thousand feet of sand, silt and clay. It wasn't until a recent discovery, made by geologists C. Wylie Poag, David S. Powars, and T. Scott Bruce, that the ancient mysteries of this impact crater surfaced from the dark depths of the bay.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5374
At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2008, U-Haul will officially unveil the Virginia SuperGraphic at the August 2008 Harbor Party at the intersection of Mason Avenue and Bay Avenue, Cape Charles, Virginia. Guests will have the opportunity to hear from scientists who discovered the crater, as well as local dignitaries, and also enjoy festivities hosted by the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce. Each person attending the Harbor Party will receive a free U-Haul commemorative T-shirt and informational booklet.
For more than 35 million years, the impact crater lay undiscovered below the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding peninsulas. Its discovery solved a geological mystery and forced scientists to revise their thinking about the geology of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Scientists consider the Chesapeake Bay impact crater to be one of the best preserved marine-impact craters on Earth and believe that the crater hosts mysteries that are just waiting to be revealed.
"We are thrilled to partner with the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce to educate the public about the importance of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater," stated Rich Cowell Jr., president, U-Haul Company of Tidewater. "Now, people all over North America will have the privilege of discovering and learning about how the sub-surface impact crater aided in developing the Chesapeake Bay. The impact crater now can be seen everywhere as it surfaces from the depths of the bay to travel with U-Haul across North America on the sides of 2,400 moving vans."
"The business leaders of Northampton County and the entire Eastern Shore of Virginia are truly excited about the opportunity of exposure across North America that U-Haul has provided us. The SuperGraphic depiction of the impact crater's significance to the Chesapeake Bay will create a sense of locale and pique interest to the entire Eastern Shore of Virginia," stated Dave Burden of the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce.
U-Haul has been decorating its moving trucks with vibrant images featuring distinctive features of every U.S. state and Canadian province since 1988 with the launch of the "America's Moving Adventure" and "Canada's Moving Adventure" U-Haul SuperGraphics Campaigns. The newest SuperGraphics are part of the "Venture Across America" Campaign that highlights little-known facts about North America. Nearly 200 different images have been created since the SuperGraphics Program began. They can be viewed online by visiting www.uhaul.com/supergraphics.
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The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
