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

Aerial view (to the southeast) towards the mouth of the Rappahannock River

Mouth of the Rappahannock River

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.

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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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