November 1, 2011
• Objective:
– Identify the 5 major
regions of Virginia
• Agenda:
– Landscape Notes
– Virginia Map
– Virginia Map Analysis
– Homework:
• Projects due Friday
• Test is Friday
Landscapes
• What is a landscape?
– A region on Earth’s surface in which various
landforms are related by a common origin.
• What is a landform?
– Hills, valleys, and streams
Landscape Regions:
• Mountains are high elevations with steep
gradients. They have faulted, folded, and
tilted rocks.
• Plateaus are high elevations with
horizontal layers. They usually have a
fairly level slope
• Plains are level with little change in slope.
They have a low elevation with horizontal
rock layers.
The Five Physiographic
Provinces of Virginia
The Five Provinces
Virginia is divided into 5 provinces
based on their geologic formations.
1. Coastal Plain ( Tidewater)
The Coastal Plain runs from the fall
line on the west, to the Atlantic
Ocean on the east
• It is a
terraced
landscape
• Sand, silt and clay
produced by
erosion of the
Appalachian Mts.
covers the plain
• As sea levels rose
and fell, fossils
were left at
various layers
Virginia Fossils
• Fossils include
various marine
organisms like
clams, scallops,
sharks teeth, and
other hard
remains
Virginia Fossils
• Paleozoic,
Mesozoic,
and Cenozoic
fossils are
found in
Virginia
2. Piedmont
Facts about the Va. Piedmont
• It is an area of
rolling hills underlain
by ancient igneous
and metamorphic
rock
• It is the largest of
the provinces
Mining the Piedmont
• High quality slate is
mined from this area
• The Piedmont host
one of the worlds
largest kyanite
mines
( see picture of kyanite )
3. Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Facts
• The billion year
old igneous and
metamorphic
rocks are the
oldest in the
state
Blue Ridge Facts
• It is a high ridge
separating the
piedmont from
the valley and
ridge province
4. Valley and Ridge
Province
Valley and Ridge
• The Valley and
Ridge Province is
an area of long
parallel ridges and
valleys underlain by
ancient folded and
faulted sedimentary
rocks
Cambrian fossil algal structures
are found in the V&R Province
Limestone outcrops are common
in the Valley and Ridge Province
This area is also famous for
Karst
• What does karst mean?
• Karst is an irregular limestone
region with sinks, underground
streams, and caverns
Sink holes!
Caverns!
5. Appalachian Plateau
Appalachian Plateau Facts
• The Appalachian Plateau has
rugged, irregular topography and is
underlain by ancient, flat-lying
sedimentary rocks
Appalachian Plateau Facts
• Do you
notice any
thing in
these
layers?
COAL!
Virginia Coal
• Most of
Virginia's coal
is found in the
Appalachian
Plateau.
Virginia Coal
• These old
sedimentary
rocks contain
many fossils
and tons of
coal.