Virginia Geology
Physiographic provinces
• There are five physiographic provinces in Virginia. Coastal
Plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and the
Appalachian Plateau.
• Each physiographic province has its own characteristics.
Coastal Plain
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Closest to the beach
western border is the fault line
eastern border is the Atlantic Ocean
flat low-lying area with swamps and
marshes
• made mostly of sedimentary rock from
the erosion of the Appalachian
Mountains
• Most fossils are of marine organisms
which means that large areas of Virginia
were covered in seawater
Piedmont
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largest province
fault line is to the east
Blue Ridge is to the west
made of igneous and
metamorphic rock.
• Fall line – a narrow zone of
small waterfalls and rapids
– found as the border between
the coastal plain and the
piedmont provinces
Blue Ridge
• includes the Blue Ridge
Mountains
• folded and faulted
mountains that are thickly
forested
• highest point in Virginia is
Mount Rogers
• Made of igneous rocks
• Fossils can be found here
of marine animals because
these rocks were once
under water
Valley and Ridge
• includes most karst
topography
• made of limestone
• parallel ridges and valleys
• used mostly for farming
• Fossils from the Paleozoic,
Mesozoic and Cenozoic
eras are found here
Appalachian Plateau
• most mining of coal is done
here
• relatively flat but can be hilly
and rugged
Virginia Watersheds
• A watershed, or drainage basin, is the land area
which contributes water to a stream, lake, river,
wetland, or groundwater.
• Managing water resources on a watershed basis
makes good sense - environmentally, financially,
and socially.
• Watersheds are defined by natural hydrology, not
political boundaries, and represent the most logical
basis for managing water resources.
Watersheds of Virginia
• We live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Virginia is also in the Mississippi watershed which
ultimately flows into the Gulf of Mexico .
• Some water flows into the Atlantic Ocean as it
goes into North Carolina.