Cumberland Plateau

, broken by a fault. Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee]]

It is a deeply Dissected Plateau , with Topographic relief commonly of about four hundred feet (120 meters), and frequent Sandstone Outcrop pings and bluffs. Many Coal seams are present in the area, and the Cumberland Plateau has for many years been heavily Mined . At the Pottsville Escarpment , which is the transition from the Cumberland Plateau to the Bluegrass in the north and the Pennyrile in the south, there are many spectacular Cliff s, Gorge s, Rockhouse s, Natural Bridge s, and Waterfall s. In Tennessee it borders the Highland Rim east of the Nashville Basin . In Kentucky , the appearance and height of the resulting hills increases dramatically from northwest to southeast, with the hills in the westernmost areas of the plateau having a relief of around 200 feet and an appearance very similar to the Knobs Region , whereas areas near Cumberland Mountain
have a spectatular relief that can exceed 1500 feet.

It is contiguous with the Allegheny Plateau on the northern side, the only real difference being local naming. The Sedimentary Rock s that compose both plateaus are of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Geological age, composed of near shore sediments washed westward from the original Appalachian Mountains . Some Rock layers were laid down in shallow coastal waters, some, including Bituminous Coal seams were laid onshore in swampy environments. These are interlaced with delta formations of cross-bedded sandstones and occasionally conglomerate. There are numerous Discontinuities in the beds, where they were raised high enough to be eroded, then lowered to have more sediments added on top.

Though the plateau is not composed of true Mountain s (although that is the local name for them), and nowhere is very high, it has some of the most rugged terrain in the eastern United States . Inhabitants of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia mostly live in very narrow V-shaped valleys with little bottom land. Building s and Road s built along the bottom of the valley are susceptible to Flood s, while any structures on the steep slopes are subject to slumping. Roads are serious Engineering challenges, and expensive to maintain. There are few locations available for Agriculture ; most people make their livelihoods from mining, Timber ing, or services.

The plateau contains some of the largest stretches of contiguous forest in the eastern United States; however, the rich, native deciduous forests are increasingly being converted to monoculture pine plantations.

''See also:'' Geology Of The Appalachians

EXTERNAL LINKS

The Kentucky Highlands Project

Information About

Cumberland Plateau