VA Provinces

The Earth is a dynamic system The earth is constantly moving. The earth is solid. Inner core - iron Outer core – liquid, iron Mantle – rocky, plastic Crust – rocky, brittle

What are the effects of the moving earth? The constantly moving earth causes different areas of geography. This occurs through plate tectonics and geologic activity. This causes the 5 provinces of Virginia.

Coastal Plain Flat area comprised of young unconsolidated sediments Sediments are underlain by a crystalline basement rock These sediments were produced from erosion of the Appalachian mountains and Piedmont The eroded sediments were then deposited on the coastal plain

Piedmont Means foot hills An area of rolling hills underlain by igneous and metamorphic rocks The largest province Formed before the Appalachian Mountains

Blue Ridge Has the oldest metamorphic and igneous rocks in the state (over 1 billion years old) Narrow region Separates the valley and ridge from the piedmont

Valley and Ridge Long parallel valleys and ridges Comprised of faulted and folded sedimentary rock Occurred when the plates from Africa and North America collided producing the a Appalachian Mountains Karst topography Acid rain eats away at limestone and forms caves and sinkholes. Luray caverns

Appalachian Plateau Comprised of flat sedimentary rocks The area consists of plateaus separated by faults Rugged and irregular Most of VA’s coal resources are found here