Virginia Geology

The Five Physiographic Provinces of Virginia

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The Five Provinces50

Virginia is divided into 5 provinces based on their geologic formations.

After looking at the first few slides, how many of the provinces can you name?

Do you know in which province we live?

Coastal Plain

Coastal Plain

• Chesapeake Bay:

Coastal Plain

• A flat area underlain by young unconsolidated sediments such as sand, silt, and clay.

Coastal Plain

• These layers of sediment were produced by erosion of the Appalachian Mountains and then deposited on the Coastal Plain.

Coastal Plain

• Known for fossils • Fossils include

various marine organisms like clams, scallops, sharks teeth, and other hard remains

Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont

• An area of rolling hills underlain by mostly ancient igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Piedmont

• The igneous rocks are the roots of ancient volcanoes formed prior to the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.

• This is the largest province and the province we live in.

Piedmont

• Important rock and minerals include pegmatites, slate, kyanite, gold, and pyrite.

• Known for rock and mineral mines

Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge

• A high ridge separating the Piedmont from the Valley & Ridge Provinces.

Blue Ridge

• The billion year old igneous and metamorphic rocks are the oldest in the state

Blue Ridge

• Metamorphism of these rocks occurred during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.

Let’s Review!

• Which province, that has already been described, is known for having layers of fossils?

• Which province is the largest?• Which province has the oldest rocks?• Which province has slate and kyanite mines?

Valley & Ridge

Valley & Ridge

Valley & Ridge

• An area with long parallel ridges & valleys underlain by ancient folded & faulted sedimentary rocks which occurred during a collision between Africa & North America – this Paleozoic era collision produced the Appalachian Mountains.

Valley & Ridge

• Known for karst landforms such as caves and sinkholes formed from limestone.

Appalachian Plateau

Appalachian Plateau

• The Appalachian Plateau has rugged, irregular topography and is underlain by ancient, flat-lying sedimentary rocks

• This area is actually a series of plateaus separated by faults.

Appalachian Plateau

• Do you notice any thing in these layers?

Appalachian Plateau

• This area is known for the sedimentary rock coal

Let’s Review

Let’s Review

1. Which province is covered by sand, silt and clay?

2. This province contains billion year old rocks?3. Which province is underlain by ancient, flat-

lying sedimentary rocks?

Let’s Review

4. This province has rolling hills underlain by ancient rocks.

5. What do we call an irregular limestone region with sink holes and caverns?

Let’s Review

6. Which province is at the most western part of the state?

7. Which province is the largest?8. Which province is famous for coal?