Physiographic Provinces

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Physiographic Provinces: Maryland has six different physiographic provinces. Each physiographic province represents an area with distinctly different landforms and landscapes that has experienced a unified geomorphic history. The six provinces include: (1) the Atlantic Continental Shelf Province, (2) the Coastal Plain Province, (3) the Piedmont Plateau Province, (4) the Blue Ridge Province, (5) the Ridge and Valley Province, and (6) the Appalachian Plateaus Province.
Geologic Map: This is a generalized geologic map of Maryland. Each color represents a different rock type of a given age range, often referred to as a geologic unit. This map is used throughout the presentation so please refer to the key to identify associated rock types or formations within each physiographic province.
Atlantic Coastal Plain: The Atlantic Coastal Plain Province is underlain by unconsolidated sediments including gravel, sand, silt, and clay. These sediments lack the carbonates or other cements needed to form sedimentary rock. The sediment bed has been shaped by changing sea levels and erosion from rivers and streams. The presence of silt with marine shells and diatoms show that sediments were deposited beneath seawater in some areas. Exposed sediments have also been eroded and deposited in
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The beach of Assateague Island moves naturally with currents and storms. As sea levels rise the island is pushed towards the mainland by waves and currents. The average elevation of the barrier island is 2 meters above sea level, however, some sand dunes reach up to 10 meters high. Overwash from a large hurricane in the 1930’s formed an inlet separating Assateague Island and what is now Fenwick Island. The new inlet has changed the patterns of sediment transport causing the island to migrate in more of a westward