PHOTO PATTERN DATA ELEMENTS: SLATE
The Older Appalachians- The eastern half is a rolling upland surface known as the
Piedmont, an area made up of complex crystalline rocks. Neither bedrock nor boulders
appear as obstructions. The streams that cut through these crystalline rocks have rock
channels. The outcropping hard layers of crystalline rocks form ridges or parallel hills
due to alternating hard and soft rocks, the latter forming lowlands and the former
occupying the ridges.
Form
Piedmont, rolling, rough topography, many sharp ridges,
sharply round-topped, moderate slopes.
Drainage
Rectangular; fine, some parallelism.
Gully Characteristics
Numerous short, parallel gullies present.
Special Features
Rough topography with many sharp, parallel ridges, having
nearly equal elevations.
Color (Photo Gray Tones) Uniform gray; where forest cover- dark tones.
Land Use
Natural cover, valleys are cultivated.
Vegetation
Forest.
Source: Terrain analysis procedural guide for surface configuration, US Army engineer
topographic laboratories, p. 7-125