Physiographic Provinces

Virginia Geology

What?

What can the presence of fossils of different ages tell us about an area?

What can the large amounts of sand and gravel in Virginia tell us?

What are the characteristics of the:Coastal Plain

PiedmontBlue Ridge

Valley and RidgeAppalachian Plateau

?????

The folding and faulting found in the rocks of the

Blue Ridge Mountains ofVirginia were created by —

Quick Review

• Folded and faulted mountains are created by continental plates colliding.

Characteristics of theCoastal Plain – • erosion and

deposition• Wetlands• Runs from the Fall

Line west to the Atlantic Ocean

• The landscape is terraced

• Flat area covered with sediments

Piedmont

• Largest province• Evidence of dinosaur

footprints (trace fossils)

Blue Ridge

• High ridge separating the Piedmont from the Valley and Ridge (in the middle of the two provinces)

• Folded mountains

Valley and Ridge • Caves underlined

with limestone • Ancient folded and

faulted sedimentary rock

• Karst – layers of rock• Underground

streams, caverns, sinkholes

Appalachian Plateau

• Flat-lying sedimentary rock

• Oldest• Coal and natural gas • Coal is the most

abundant fossil fuel found in Virginia

Review

Q: What can the presence of fossils of different ages tell us about an area?

A: The many different geologic time periods are represented

Q: What can the large amounts of sand and gravel in Virginia tell us?

A: That water once flowed in the area.

Chesapeake Bay Quick Facts

• Susquehanna River adds largest amount of water into the bay.

• Animal manure, fertilizer runoff, and sewage treatment plants are all sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay

• New York, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Know the rivers of the Chesapeake Bay

S – SmartP - people

R - ride

Y – yachts

J - James

S – SmartP – PeopleR – RideY – YachtsOn the J – James

Say What?

• Loss of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay means which of the following will occur?

• What are some sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay?

• The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes land in six different states, what are those states?

Smart People Ride Yachts on the James

Susquehanna River

Potomac River

Rappahannock River

York River

James River

Five major tributaries add water to the Chesapeake Bay. Which tributary adds the largest amount of water to the bay?

Loss of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay means following will occur:

• There will be a loss of food for animals• There will be a loss of shelter for animals• There will be a decrease in oxygen due to a

decrease in photosynthesis.

What are some sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay?

• Fertilizer runoff• Sewage treatment plants• Animal manure

• Are power plants a source of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay???

NO to power plantsThe Chesapeake Bay watershed includes land in

six different states. Which of the following states does not drain into the Chesapeake Bay??

• Virginia• New York• Maryland• New Jersey

New Jersey

Resources and the Environment Questions

• Limestone is a valuable resource in Virginia because it can be used to make?

• What will requiring the landscape and vegetation be restored of mined lands do?

• What is the greatest problem caused by the use of wood-burning stoves?

• What is a point source?

Renewable Resources

• Renewable Resources: • Solar (sun)• geothermal• hydroelectric• wind

What do you think?

• What factors affect the cost of a mineral?? • How can you conserve nonrenewable

resources? • Why are some fossil fuels considered to be

nonrenewable?

Fossil Fuels

Non renewable Resources

• Fossil fuels – coal, petroleum, natural gas

Facts

• Recycling materials, developing substitute materials, and reducing waste are all methods of conserving nonrenewable resources.

• The demand for the mineral by consumers, the supply of the mineral, and the cost of recovering the mineral from the ground all affect the cost of a mineral.

• Some fossil fuels are considered nonrenewable because they take a long period of time to form.

Limestone is a valuable resource in Virginia because it can be used to make?

Concrete

What will requiring the landscape and vegetation be restored of mined lands do?

• It will lessen the environmental impact of strip mining.

What is the greatest problem caused by the use of wood-burning stoves?

• The smoke from the stove contributes to air pollution.

What is a point source?

• A water pollutant that can be traced to a specific source.

A sewage spill

Remember the Facts

• Some fuels are classified as nonrenewable because they?

• Factors that affect the cost of a mineral are?• What are some ways of conserving or

protecting resources?

Facts again…

• Some fossil fuels are considered nonrenewable because they take a long period of time to form.

• The demand for the mineral by consumers, the supply of the mineral, and the cost of recovering the mineral from the ground all affect the cost of a mineral.

• Recycling materials, developing substitute materials, and reducing waste are all methods of conserving nonrenewable resources.

The energy source that depends on Earth’s internal heat is

Geothermal energy

Windmills

• Windmills depend on:– The speed of the wind– The length of the windmill’s

blades– The efficiency of the windmill

• The windmill is an inconsistent source of energy

Solar (sun)

• What is the major disadvantage of using solar panels to generate electricity?

• Does solar energy have the least harmful effects on the environment?

Carbon Dioxide

• Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be connected to all of the following:– Power plant emissions– Automobile emissions– deforestation

Advantage/Disadvantage

• What is the main advantage of using dams to produce electrical energy?

• What is the greatest environmental disadvantage of hydroelectric power?

Solar Answers

• The major disadvantage of using solar panels to generate electricity is that solar panels are affected by cloud coverage and day length.

• Which of these energy sources produces the least harmful environmental effects?– Nuclear– Solar– Fossil fuels– Hydroelectric

Carbon Dioxide, you answer!

• Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be connected to all of the following except?– Power plant emissions– Automobile emissions– Deforestation– Loss of the ozone layer

Were you right about hydro?

• What is the greatest environmental disadvantage of hydroelectric power? – Destruction of free-running rivers and their

ecosystems

What is the main advantage of using dams to produce electrical energy?

– They do not produce much pollution

• Fossil fuels make up over three-quarters of our energy consumption

Acid Rain

• By increasing the height of smokestacks, industries in the Midwest reduced the local concentration of air pollutants. However, the pollution was carried by wind to the Northeast where it contributed significantly to ACID RAIN.