Cumberland-Plateau

As Cumberland Plateau is called the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. The plateau covers vast tracts of land in eastern Kentucky, western West Virginia, Tennessee, northern Alabama and in the northwest corner of Georgia. Together with the adjoining northeast Allegheny Plateau forms the Cumberland Plateau the rugged plateau landscape on the western edge of the main ridge of the Appalachians. The distinction between the Cumberland Plateau and Allegheny Plateau has more historical than geological reasons, and between the two there is no strict limit. Their names both owe their respective plateaus largest rivers, the Cumberland River and the Allegheny River.

Geography

The Cumberland Plateau is a heavily eroded plateau with a topographical relief, which is for the most part at an altitude of about 120 meters, and frequently occurring sandstone outcrops and cliffs. The plateau, which is rich in coal seams, has long been an important mining region.

At Pottsville Escarpment, one located in Kentucky escarpment, which forms the transition from the Cumberland Plateau to the Bluegrass Region and the Pennyroyal Plateau, there are numerous spectacular cliffs, canyons, rock shelters, rock arches and waterfalls. In Tennessee, the Highland Rim to the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau is east of the Nashville Basin. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Walden Ridge, which extends as far as Sand Mountain Alabama. Separately, the Cumberland Plateau is both through the Sequatchie Valley, which also continues under other names up to Alabama.

In Kentucky, the plateau of north-west rises to the southeast, where it in the far west a height of about 60 m and reached a similar shape as the hills of neighboring Knobs region; further southeast, below the Black Mountain, the plateau reaches a height of over 750 meters.

Geology and physical geography

The Cumberland Plateau is part of the Appalachian Plateau, which in turn is part of the Appalachian Mountains. It is the Allegheny Plateau adjacent, from which it differs only by the de facto name. The sedimentary rock from which both plateaus are formed, are from the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian and consist of coastal sediments that have been purged from the ancient Appalachian Mountains westward. Some rock layers have been deposited in shallow coastal waters, others, including coal layers in swampy regions of the island. They are interwoven with sandstone. The deposition layers are frequently interrupted. In these places, they reached as much height to be eroded, but then fell off and were covered by additional sediments.

Flora

The plateau is home to one of the largest contiguous forest areas in the eastern United States. Predominant trees are oak and hickory, in the dry highlands and pine are common. In some protected areas mesophytes occur.