A Resource for Information on the Commonwealth's Geology
Photomicrograph of fault breccia in the Cambrian Antietam Formation, Blue Ridge province. Breccias form when rocks are extensively fractured in fault zones and are cemented together when minerals precipitate in the cracks and fractures. Note the angular fragments (fr) of quartz sandstone in a matrix of fine-grained iron oxide cement (ic). Field of view 4 x 2.7 mm, cross polarized light.
Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia, with its summit 1,746 meters above sea level (5,729 ft). The peak is located in the Blue Ridge province in southwestern Virginia on the border between Grayson and Smyth counties. Mount Rogers is underlain by Neoproterozoic rhyolite. The upper reaches of the mountain are cloaked in alpine forests of red […]
On July 1, 2016, Governor Terry McCauliffe signed a bill into law that made nelsonite the first official state rock of Virginia. The initiative for this project was led by students from Piedmont Virginia Community College. Michelle Stanislaus and her classmates from their Historical Geology class and Government class ran the petition for this law starting […]