Chapter 4

Georgia’s Features

Regions of Georgia

• Appalachian Plateau• Valley and Ridge region• Blue Ridge region• Piedmont region• Coastal Plain

• http://georgiamagazine.com/default.asp

Regions of Georgia

• The Appalachian plateau region of Georgia is the northwest corner of Georgia. This region contains flat-topped mountains.

• The Cumberland Plateau marks the gradual change from flat lands in the north to the faults and folds of the Valley and Ridge Plateau of Sand and Lookout Mountain.

Differences

Cumberland PlateauLarge, flat-topped

Lookout MountainSteep, rising more to a point

Differences

http://www.nps.gov/cuga/index.htmhttp://www.lookoutmountain.com/

Differences

http://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htmBlue Ridge, Mountains in the clouds

Piedmont areaFlat, low hills

Differences

Coastal Plains

Appalachian Mountains

• Landforms were formed over millions of years.

• During that time multiple tectonic plates collided to build mountains and caused volcanic eruptions.

• At certain times, much of what is now Georgia was covered by shallow seas

Appalachian Mountains

• Sediments were deposited in these waters, which would later form the sedimentary rock found in the Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateau regions.

• A total of three collisions involving North America occurred.

• The last formed the Appalachian Mountains, as well as the folds and faults of the Valley and Ridge regions.

Appalachian Mountains

• Separating the Valley and Ridge region from the Piedmont region is the Cartersville Fault.

• This fault, actually runs from Alabama to Pennsylvania.

Blue Ridge and Piedmont region

• This area was affected by the same geologic activities as the Valley and Ridge, but with different results.

• Many of the rocks found in the Blue Ridge are metamorphic, which is rock that changes in form.

• These rocks formed from the heat and pressure caused by plate tectonics.

Blue Ridge and Piedmont region

• The Blue Ridge is also made up of igneous rocks-rocks that were once liquid.

• When Pangaea broke up about 220 million years ago, the Appalachians were torn apart.

• The rolling hills of the Piedmont region are the remains of heavily eroded mountain peaks.

Stone Mountain

• Stone mountain, the world’s largest mass of granite, was uncovered as the softer rock that covered it was eroded.

What is the Coastal Plain

• During the breakup, the Coastal Plains region was formed.

• The coastal plain is generally wet, including many rivers, marsh, and swampland.