A Resource for Information on the Commonwealth's Geology
Layers of sandstone, shale, and coal in Pennsylvanian Wise Formation, near the Virginia- Kentucky border, Wise County. Note the strata are nearly horizontal, typical of the Appalachian Plateau. Photo by C.M. Bailey
Annotated image.
The Rappahannock River forms a broad estuary as it flows to towards the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia’s Coastal Plain province. To the south the Piankatank River is also visible. The Rappahannock and Piankatank rivers are tidal estuaries.
Many of the highest peaks in Shenandoah National Park (including Hawksbill, Stony Man, and Hightop Mountain, just to name a few) are underlain by distinctive bluish-green rocks that were once ancient lava flows (Virginia is for Lavas!), and are part of a geologic unit known as the Catoctin Formation. From the presidential retreat at Camp David to Jefferson’s […]