The Geology of Virginia

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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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Micrograph of Deformed Quartz Sandstone

This micrograph colorfully illustrates deformed quartz grains in a well-cemented quartz sandstone from the Cambrian Antietam Formation, a prominent geologic unit in the Blue Ridge geologic province.  Many of the individual sand grains are elongated (~horizontal orientation), but not recrystallized.  Photo taken in cross polarized light with the gypsum plate inserted.

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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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