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Highland Rim
These rocks make up the second oldest in the state. The rock types
are mostly limestone and chert. This area is referred to as a cedar
glade. A glade is made of flat limestone outcroppings and shallow
soils that are interspersed with islands of cedar trees and other hardwoods. |
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Cumberland Plateau
This is an upland region that is best known as Alabama's coal mining
region. The rocks are Paleozoic in age. It is the westernmost
extension of the Appalachian Highlands and the elevation in this area ranges
from 500 to 1900 feet. The steep canyons found in this region
provide a cooler habitat that allows for trees that usually are found more
northward to grow here. Some examples are eastern hemlock and sweet
birch. |
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Valley and Ridge
This is an area of folded and fractured rocks. The folding exposes
many rock layers that would typically lie far beneath the earth surface.
Oak, hickory and pine are the most common type of trees in this area.
Major rocks in the area include , dolomite, shale, siltstone, sandstone,
chert, mudstone and marble. Karst limestone and fractured rock aquifers
are found in this area. The cougar was the largest predator
prior to 1940. It needed 35 deer each year to survive. The
cougar is no larger found in Alabama. The deer population is controlled
by humans. |
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Piedmont
The oldest rocks at the surface are found in this region. Many of
the exposed rocks are igneous and metamorphic therefore fossils in this
area are not common. Cheaha Mountain with an elevation of 2,407 feet is
the highest point in Alabama. The fall line separates the Piedmont
from the coastal plain. Alabama has more mussel species than any
other state. Because mussels are filter feeders and sensitive to
pollution they are good water quality indicators. Currently 71% of
the 300 species of mussels are now extinct. Why
is this so? |
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Coastal Plain
The is the area south of the fall line. The region is made up mostly
of sand and clays. The upper coastal plain also includes an
arc shaped area called the black belt. This area is underlain with
chalk. The coastal plain is the youngest area of the state.
The most south east portion of the coastal plain it made up of an exotic
rock types called the Suwannee Terrane. It is thought to be part
of Africa that was sutured on during the collision that made Pangaea. |
