Alabama Landscapes

The Cumberland Plateau

Table of Contents

UPCumberland GeologyCumberand Soils and VegetationCumberland Phys DistrictsCumberland Rivers

UPHR GeologyHR Soils and VegetationHR VegetationHR Phys DistrictsHR Tennessee River
 

Geology

Sedimentary rocks from Cambrian to Pennsylvanian age (~550-290 millions of years) occur in the Cumberland Plateau (Figure CG1 and Table 1).  Most of the plateau is underlain by sandstone of the Pottsville Formation and the older rocks occur in the narrow valleys.

 

 

Figure  CG2. Geologic Map of the Cumberland Plateau. (Geological Survey of Alabama)

The rocks have been thrust faulted and gently folded  at the end of the Paleozoic.   Plate collision pushed slabs of rock northwestwards along the thrust faults, also causing the rocks to fold (Figure CG3).  Both the fault planes and axes trend northeast-southwest. 

Figure CG3.  Map showing the trace of major thrust faults (red), anticlines (green broken) and synclines (green solid) in the Cumberland Plateau.  1 and 2: locations of topographic profiles.

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UPHR GeologyHR SoilsHR VegetationHR Phys DistrictsHR Tennessee River

UPCumberland GeologyCumberand Soils and VegetationCumberland Phys DistrictsCumberland Rivers