Virginia’s Physiographic
Provinces
Area defined by geologic activity, rock type, and age
1. Coastal Plain (flat)
2. Piedmont (rolling hills)
Provinces
3. Blue Ridge (mountains)
4. Valley and Ridge (mountains)
5. Appalachian Plateau (elevated flat land)
4
1
2
5
3
Fall line rapid change in elevation
1. Coastal Plain
1
Rock / Age
Sedimentary
1-140 myo
Resources
Clay
Oil and gas
(offshore)
Sand and gravel
Topography
•Flat (less than 50 m)
• bordering the
Chesapeake Bay
and the Atlantic Ocean
Geologic Activity:
CP = product of erosion of the Appalachian Mountains and
oceanic sedimentary deposits.
2. Piedmont
2
Rock
Metamorphic
Igneous
Sedimentary
Resources
Topography
Soapstone
Rolling hills
Slate Gold
Pyrite Vermiculite
Iron
Zinc
Copper Coal
Geologic
Activity
•Folding
•Faulting
(earthquakes)
•Intrusions
(magma)
This area is the product of convergence
(plates moving together)
3. Blue Ridge
Rock / Age
Metamorphic
Igneous
1.2 byo
Resources
Copper Tin
Iron Granite
Turquoise
Quartzite
The Blue Ridge is a high ridge
separating the Piedmont and the
Valley. It is a result of convergence.
3
Topography
Mountains
Ridges
Geologic Activity:
•Folding
•Faulting (earthquakes)
•intrusions
4. Valley and Ridge
4
Rock and Age
Resources
Topography
Sedimentary
300-550myo
Lime
Zinc
Gypsum Lead
Iron Limestone
Mountains
This area is the
result of
convergence
between Africa and
North America.
*
Geologic Activity:
•Folding
•Faulting (earthquakes)
•Karst
5. Appalachian Plateau
Topography:
5
Used to be high, flat
area, now hills
Rock and Age
Resources
Geologic Activity
Sedimentary
280-320myo
Coal
Oil
Natural gas
Folding
Faulting
(earthquakes)
*This area is the result of uplift from the convergence
of plates. It is no longer a flat-topped area due to
weathering and erosion.
Watershed
The area of land
where all of the
water that is under it
or falls on it drains
into the same place.
Virginia has nine major river systems.
•The New, Tennessee and Big Sandy empty (shed) into the Gulf of
Mexico.
•The Chowan and Roanoke empty (shed) into the Albemarle
Sound.
•The Potomac-Shenandoah, Rappahannock, York, and James empty
(shed) into the Chesapeake Bay.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
15 MILLION people live in this watershed!
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
• Major Sources of Pollution
– Runoff (non point source!)
• Fertilizers, pesticides, oil, other chemicals from
roadways, animal wastes
• The Solution?
– Reduce chemical use
– Natural filters
Consolidation and Water Quality
Virginia is underlain by igneous, metamorphic and
sedimentary rocks. Throughout the five provinces sedimentary
is the dominant rock type.
Rock type and consolidation (how tightly packed the
grains are within the sediment or bedrock), and age all
contribute to the quality of groundwater.
When the rock sediments have enough space for water
and air to move through (porous), the water is naturally filtered.
As the rock becomes more consolidated (less pore space for
water movement), the water is not able to filter naturally.
No Space
Space
As compaction increases water quality decreases.
*Worst
*Best
As compaction increases,
Water Quality decreases.