Cumberland Plateau
Information about Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama. The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the dissected plateau lands lying west of the main Appalachian Mountains. The terms stem from historical usage rather than geological difference, so there is no strict dividing line between the two. Two major rivers share the names of the plateaus, with the Allegheny River rising in the Allegheny Plateau and the Cumberland River rising in the Cumberland Plateau.
The Cumberland Plateau is a deeply dissected plateau, with topographic relief commonly of about four hundred feet (120 meters), and frequent sandstone outcroppings and bluffs. Many coal seams are present in the area, and the Cumberland Plateau has for many years been heavily mined.
At Kentucky's Pottsville Escarpment, which is the transition from the Cumberland Plateau to the Bluegrass in the north and the Pennyrile in the south, there are many spectacular cliffs, gorges, rockhouses, natural bridges, and waterfalls. In Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau's western border is the Highland Rim east of the Nashville Basin, and its eastern edge is marked by Walden Ridge, which continues south into Alabama as Sand Mountain. Walden Ridge and Sand Mountain are separated from the main portion of the Cumberland Plateau by the Sequatchie Valley, which extends into central Alabama under other names.
In Kentucky, the height of the plateau's hills increases from northwest to southeast, with the westernmost areas of the plateau having a relief of around 200 feet and an appearance similar to the knobs region, whereas areas near Black Mountain have a relief exceeding 2,500 feet.
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam.
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Geography
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Map showing the Cumberland Plateau as defined by Bailey's ecoregions.
At Kentucky's Pottsville Escarpment, which is the transition from the Cumberland Plateau to the Bluegrass in the north and the Pennyrile in the south, there are many spectacular cliffs, gorges, rockhouses, natural bridges, and waterfalls. In Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau's western border is the Highland Rim east of the Nashville Basin, and its eastern edge is marked by Walden Ridge, which continues south into Alabama as Sand Mountain. Walden Ridge and Sand Mountain are separated from the main portion of the Cumberland Plateau by the Sequatchie Valley, which extends into central Alabama under other names.
In Kentucky, the height of the plateau's hills increases from northwest to southeast, with the westernmost areas of the plateau having a relief of around 200 feet and an appearance similar to the knobs region, whereas areas near Black Mountain have a relief exceeding 2,500 feet.
Geology
The Cumberland Plateau is contiguous with the Allegheny Plateau on the northern side, the only real difference being local naming. The sedimentary rocks that compose both plateaus are of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian geological age, composed of near shore sediments washed westward from the old Appalachian Mountains. Some rock layers were laid down in shallow coastal waters, some, including bituminous coal seams were laid onshore in swampy environments. These are interlaced with delta formations of cross-bedded sandstones and occasionally conglomerate. There are numerous discontinuities in the beds, where they were raised high enough to be eroded, then lowered to have more sediments added on top.Natural history
The plateau contains some of the largest stretches of contiguous forest in the eastern United States; however, the rich, native deciduous forests are increasingly being converted to monoculture pine plantations. Ecologically, it is a part of the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests ecoregion.See also
Further reading
- Caudill, Harry M., Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1963). ISBN 0-316-13212-8
References
- Physiographic Regions of Tennessee
- Peakbagger Cumberland Plateau
- The Columbia Gazetteer of North America, Cumberland Plateau
External links
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The Appalachian Plateau is the western part of the Appalachian mountains, stretching from New York to Alabama. The plateau is a second level United States physiographic region.
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Commonwealth of Kentucky
Flag of Kentucky Seal
Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Official language(s) English[1]
Capital Frankfort
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Flag of Kentucky Seal
Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Official language(s) English[1]
Capital Frankfort
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State of West Virginia
Flag of West Virginia Seal
Nickname(s): Mountain State
Motto(s): Montani semper liberi
Official language(s) English
Capital Charleston
Largest city
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Flag of West Virginia Seal
Nickname(s): Mountain State
Motto(s): Montani semper liberi
Official language(s) English
Capital Charleston
Largest city
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State of Tennessee
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Volunteer State
Motto(s): Agriculture and commerce
Official language(s) English
Capital Nashville
Largest city Memphis
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Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Volunteer State
Motto(s): Agriculture and commerce
Official language(s) English
Capital Nashville
Largest city Memphis
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State of Alabama
Flag of Alabama Seal
Nickname(s): Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie
Motto(s): Audemus jura nostra defendere
Official language(s) English
Spoken language(s) English 96.
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Flag of Alabama Seal
Nickname(s): Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie
Motto(s): Audemus jura nostra defendere
Official language(s) English
Spoken language(s) English 96.
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Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau and the glaciated Allegheny Plateau.
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The Appalachian Mountains
Countries | United States,Canada
Regions |
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Appalachians in North Carolina
Countries | United States,Canada
Regions |
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Origin Raymond, PA
Mouth Ohio River
Basin countries USA
Length 325 miles (523 km)
Source elevation ~2,490 feet (759 m)
Avg.
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Mouth Ohio River
Basin countries USA
Length 325 miles (523 km)
Source elevation ~2,490 feet (759 m)
Avg.
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Origin Oven Fork, Letcher County,Kentucky
Mouth Ohio River
Basin countries United States
Length 687 mi (1,106 km)
Source elevation 1,575 ft (480 m)
Avg.
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Mouth Ohio River
Basin countries United States
Length 687 mi (1,106 km)
Source elevation 1,575 ft (480 m)
Avg.
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dissected plateau is an area that has been uplifted, then severely eroded so that the relief is sharp. Such an area may be referred to as mountainous, but dissected plateaus are distinguishable from orogenic mountain belts by the lack of folding, metamorphism, extensive faulting,
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Topography (Greek topos, "place", and graphia, "writing") is the study of Earth's surface features or those of planets, moons, and asteroids.
In a broader sense, topography is concerned with local detail in general, including not only relief but also
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In a broader sense, topography is concerned with local detail in general, including not only relief but also
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Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust.
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Outcrop is a geological term referring to the appearance of bedrock or superficial deposits exposed at the surface of the Earth. In most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be seen or examined closely.
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Coal (IPA: /ˈkəʊl/) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation.
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Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam.
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The Pottsville Escarpment is a resistant sandstone belt of cliffs and steep sided, narrow crested valleys in eastern Kentucky, USA. It features not only spectacular cliffs, but also rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges.
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Bluegrass region is a region of the United States, mostly in northern Kentucky, containing a majority of the state's population. The region is centered on Lexington, Kentucky, with other major metropolitan areas including, Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio and extends into
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Pennyroyal Plateau, or, as it is more commonly called in Kentucky, the Pennyrile, is a large area of the state that features rolling hills, caves, and karst topography in general.
The Pennyrile is bordered by the Pottsville Escarpment in the east.
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The Pennyrile is bordered by the Pottsville Escarpment in the east.
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cliff or bluff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are categorized as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers.
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canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level.
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Creelsboro Natural Bridge (more commonly referred to as Rock House or Rockhouse or Rockhouse Bottom) is a natural bridge in Western Russell County, Kentucky, USA ( 36°53'5.97"N 85°14'11.13"W ).
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natural arch or natural bridge is a natural formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the
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A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation or nickpoint.
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The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions.
Geologicially, the Central Basin is actually opposite, being a dome.
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Geologicially, the Central Basin is actually opposite, being a dome.
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Central Basin was caused by an uplifting known as the Nashville Dome. The Nashville Dome is evidenced by the underlying rock strata that all dip downwards away from Nashville.
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Walden Ridge is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee, in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about 74 miles long (119 km), running generally north-south.
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Sand Mountain is a large plateau in Northeastern Alabama and Northwestern Georgia which is a part of the southern tip of the Appalachian mountain chain. Geologically a continuation of Walden Ridge, Sand Mountain is part of the Cumberland Plateau, separated from the main portion of
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Sequatchie Valley is a relatively long and narrow valley in the U.S. state of Tennessee and, in some definitions, Alabama. It is generally considered to be part of the Cumberland Plateau region of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Commonwealth of Kentucky
Flag of Kentucky Seal
Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Official language(s) English[1]
Capital Frankfort
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Flag of Kentucky Seal
Nickname(s): Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Official language(s) English[1]
Capital Frankfort
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The Knobs region is in the United States of America in Kentucky. It is a narrow, horseshoe shaped region consisting of hundreds of isolated hills. The region wraps around the bluegrass region in the center of the state.
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