Provinces of Virginia

 The provinces of VA are divided by geology & geography.  They are an extension of the Physiography of North America

1.Pacific Coastal Plain 2.Southwest 3.Rocky Mountains 4.Great Plains 5.Central Lowlands 6.Appalachian & Ozark Plateaus 7.Gulf & Atlantic Coastal Plain 8.Canadian Shield

Coastal Plain (Tidewater)  Eastern most province.  Flat Land w/ lots of wetlands & marshes  Part of Atlantic Coast of U.S.A.  Sand, gravel & clay are quarried (construction aggregate)  a component of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt.  are widely used in drainage applications like septic fields.  are also used as base material under foundations, roads, and railroads.

Fall Line: The natural border between the Coastal Plain & the Piedmont. Has many waterfalls & rapids (whitewater) Location of major cities

Piedmont  Piedmont means “foot of the Mountains”  Foothills of the Appalachians  Rolling hills that get steeper as you go west.  Kyanite, slate, vermiculite, granite, gabbro, diabase, and feldspar are quarried here. (mostly for aggregate)

Blue Ridge  Old (250 million years old), rounded mountains.  Part of the Appalachian Mountain Range.  Source of many rivers in Virginia. Blue Ridge rocks are quarried for quartzite as crushed stone and, in the past, mining occurred for copper, iron, & manganese.

Valley & Ridge  Part of the Appalachian Mountain Range  Includes the Great Valley of Virginia  West of Blue Ridge Mountains  Resources currently extracted from this province are limestone, dolomite, sandstone, gypsum, iron oxides, clay, oil, natural gas, and shale.

Appalachian Plateau  Smallest province (only 3 counties)  A Plateau is elevated like a mountain, but flat on top. In addition to COAL, this province contains methane (CH 4 ) or natural gas.

West to east Appalachian Plateau  Valley & Ridge  Blue Ridge  Piedmont  Coastal Plain.

East to west Coastal Plain  Piedmont  Blue Ridge  Valley & Ridge  Appalachian Plateau.