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

Featured Image

APlateauDEM

The Appalachian Plateau’s rugged terrain

In Virginia the Appalachian Plateau province is not particularly ‘plateau-like’, rather the region is characterized by rugged topography and steep slopes.  It is a well-dissected upland, and streams draining the region have a classic dendritic drainage pattern.  The featured image of Buchanan County (and the surrounding areas of Kentucky and West Virginia) is a shaded relief map […]

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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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