Resources & VA Geology

resources are ———— weather they are non-renewable or renewable

There are ——————- and —————— to using any energy source

limited

advantages and disadvantages

Renewable

Replaced by nature at a rate close to the rate they are used
Renewable resources include..

Nature: vegetation &

Energy: sun, wind, water, geothermal

Nonrenewable

nonrenewable resources include...

Nature: minerals &

Energy: fossil fuels (coal, petroleum/oil, natural
gas)

Fossil Fuels

Nonrenewable & may cause pollution
Relatively cheap & easy to use once they are extracted

Virginia’s resources

Energy: COAL, Construction materials: gravel, sand, crushed stone (all provinces),

Concrete: limestone (V &R),

Electronics: silica,

Heat Resistant: kyanite (Willis Mountain, Piedmont),

Metallurgy:
zirconium (Blue Ridge), titanium

Environment

Modern living standards are supported by extensive use of both renewable & nonrenewable resources

Extraction & use of any resource carries an environmental cost that must be weighed against economic
benefit

Clear Water Resources

while renewable, are directly impacted by human activity through extraction
& pollution

VA History

Virginia has a varied and lengthy geologic history (Billion year history)

Geologic processes produce features like mountains, extinct volcanoes, faults, and folds

Virginia has 5 physiographic provinces

VA Provinces

From WEST TO EAST:

Appalachian Plateau, Valley
& Ridge (our home), Blue Ridge, Piedmont, &Coastal Plain

Appalachian Plateau

Rugged, irregular topo; Ancient, flat-lying sedimentary rocks; Series of plateaus separated by faults
(break in rock) & erosional down-cut valleys (material removed down to valley floor)

Resources: coal deposits and some petroleum and natural gas

Valley and Ridge

Parallel ridges of weathering-resistant sandstone and valleys of limestone (not resistant)

Ancient folded and faulted sedimentary rocks caused by North America & Africa colliding

Resources: rock aggregate (gravel used in construction)

Karst Topography

caves, caverns, sinkholes formed when limestone is chemically weathered

Stalactite

an icicle-shaped cave formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave

Stalagmite

a mound formed on the ground from dripping water

(Valley and Ridge)

Mineral:

Rock:

Calcite CaCO3

Limestone

Blue Ridge

Billion year old rock; oldest rock in Virginia; Formed from volcanic island arc and subduction

Resources: lumber

What is the tallest extinct volcano

Mt. Rogers (5729 ft)

Piedmont

Pied-foot; mont-mountains; means foothills of the mountains

Dinosaur footprints found in sedimentary rocks; Roots of volcanoes formed during an ancient episode
of subduction
(one plate goes under another one)

Resources: slate, kyanite

Fall Line

Boundary between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain; Formed by igneous rocks that lie in many rivers
creating waterfalls and rapids

Coastal Plain

Known as ”Tidewater”

Flat area composed of young, unconsolidated (not cemented) sediments underlain by crystalline rocks
beneath; Sediments are produced by erosion of the Appalachian Mountains

Resources: agriculture

Chesapeake Bay:

Four major rivers in Virginia empty into the Chesapeake Bay (Potomac, Rappahannock, York, James) and its an important estuary

Estuary:

mix of freshwater and saltwater; Provides resources like seafood and wind power

What are all the provinces (West to East) and where is the fall line located

Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain

Between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain

(What’s one resource from each province)

Appalachian Plateau:

Valley and Ridge:

Blue Ridge:

Piedmont:

Coastal Plain

Coal

Karst

Lumber

Tobacco

Fishing

What’s a fun fact

Mt. Rodgers is located in the Blue Ridge province

Which province has VA’s most valuable resource

Appalachian Plateau

What province do we live in

Valley and Ridge