The Geology of Virginia

A Resource for Information on the Commonwealth's Geology

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Coal Strata in the Appalachian Plateau

August 14, 2016 by Chuck Bailey ·
Layers of sandstone, shale, and coal in the Appalachian Plateau, Wise County.
Filed Under: featured image · Tagged: Appalachian Plateau, coal, Wise County, Wise Formation

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Mt Rogers

Mount Rogers

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 […]

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What’s New in Virginia Geology

pluton contact

At the Pluton’s Edge

When large quantities of magma intrude and solidify in the Earth’s crust they form bodies of intrusive igneous rock known as plutons. The featured image nicely illustrates the edge (geologic contact) of a granitic pluton in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. The granite is part of the 706 ± 4 million year old […]

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