Alabama Landscapes
Highland Rim
Physiographic Districts
The landscape consists of a prominent east-west trending ridge separating two valleys. Elevations are about 900 feet along the Alabama/Tennessee border, and drop to about 420 feet where the Tennessee River leaves the state
Three district occur in this section (See Figure HRD1)
Figure HRD1. Physiographic districts of the Highland Rim. LM: Little Mountain, MV: Moulton Valley, TV: Tennessee Valley. Black circle: Huntsville. (National Map Viewer, USGS and Geological Survey of Alabama)
Relationship of Physiographic Districts to Geology
As in the Cumberland Plateau and Valley and Ridge, the relationship between geology (rock types and the distribution) and the physiographic districts of the Highland Rim is striking. The ridge-forming rock is the Hartselle Sandstone, the uplands along the Tennessee border is the Fort Payne Chert, whereas the valleys are formed in Bangor and Tuscumbia Limestones (Figure HRD2).
Figure HRD2. Topographic profile (see Figure HR1 for location) showing the physiographic districts in the Highland Rim and their relationship to the underlying geology. Relief and dip of rocks are exaggerated.