Maryland Geology
From the Atlantic coast on the east to the Appalachian Plateau on the west, Maryland has a great variety of geology and landforms. Maryland is part of six physiographic provinces (shown in the figure below). A physiographic province is a geographic area in which the geology (including lithology and structure) and climate history have resulted in landforms that are distinctly different from adjacent areas. An overview of the geology by physiographic province is provided below.
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic Coastal Plain Province is underlain by a
wedge of unconsolidated sediments including gravel, sand, silt, and clay, which
overlaps the rocks of the eastern Piedmont along an irregular line of contact
known as the Fall Zone. Eastward, this wedge of sediments thickens to
more than 8,000 feet at the Atlantic coast line. Beyond this line is
the Atlantic Continental Shelf Province, the submerged continuation of the
Coastal Plain, which extends eastward for at least another 75 miles where the
sediments attain a maximum thickness of about 40,000 feet.
Mineral resources of the Coastal Plain are chiefly sand and gravel, and are
used as aggregate materials by the construction industry. Clay for
brick and other ceramic uses is also important. Small deposits of iron
ore are of historical interest. Plentiful supplies of ground water are available
from a number of aquifers throughout much of this region. The Atlantic Continental
Shelf contains abundant sand deposits, useful for beach restoration.
More on the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province
The sediments of the Coastal Plain dip eastward at a low angle, generally less than one degree, and range in age from Triassic to Quaternary. The younger formations crop out successively to the southeast across Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. A thin layer of Quaternary gravel and sand covers the older formations throughout much of the area.
Piedmont
The Piedmont Plateau Province is composed of hard, crystalline igneous and
metamorphic rocks and extends from the inner edge of the Coastal Plain westward
to Catoctin Mountain, the eastern boundary of the Blue Ridge Province.
The Piedmont Plateau Province contains a variety of mineral resources. Formerly,
building stone, slate, and small deposits of nonmetallic minerals, base-metal
sulfides, gold, chromite, and iron ore were mined. Currently, crushed
stone is important for aggregate, cement, and lime. Small to moderate
supplies of ground water are available throughout the region, but favorable
geological conditions locally may provide larger amounts.
More on the Piedmont Province
Bedrock in the eastern part of the Piedmont consists of schist, gneiss, gabbro, and other highly metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks of probable volcanic origin. In several places these rocks have been intruded by granitic plutons and pegmatites. Deep drilling has revealed that similar metamorphic and igneous rocks underlie the sedimentary rocks of the Coastal Plain. Several domal uplifts of Precambrian gneiss mantled with quartzite, marble, and schist are present in Baltimore County and in parts of adjacent counties. Differential erosion of these contrasting rock types has produced a distinctive topography in this part of the Piedmont.The rocks of the western part of the Piedmont are diverse and include phyllite, slate, marble, and moderately to slightly metamorphosed volcanic rocks. In central Frederick County the relatively flat Frederick Valley is developed on Cambrian and Ordovician limestone and dolomite. Gently undulating plains underlain by unmetamorphosed bedrock of Triassic red shale, siltstone, and sandstone occur in three areas in the western Piedmont.
Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateaus
Unlike the Coastal Plain and Piedmont Plateau Provinces, the Blue Ridge,
Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateaus Provinces are underlain mainly
by folded and faulted sedimentary rocks.
The sedimentary rocks of the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian
Plateaus Provinces yield small to moderate supplies of ground water. Under
favorable conditions large amounts may occur.
About the Blue Ridge Province
Blue Ridge
The rocks of the Blue Ridge Province in western Frederick County are exposed in a large anticlinal fold whose limbs are represented by Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain. These two ridges are formed by Lower Cambrian quartzite, a rock which is very resistant to the attack of weathering and erosion. A broad valley floored by Precambrian gneiss and volcanic rock lies in the core of the anticline between the two ridges.
About the Ridge and Valley Province
Ridge and Valley
The Ridge and Valley Province between South Mountain in Washington County
and Dans Mountain in western Allegany County contains strongly folded and
faulted sedimentary rocks. In the eastern part of the region, a wide,
open valley called the Great Valley, or in Maryland, the Hagerstown Valley,
is formed on Cambrian and Ordovician limestone and dolomite. West of Powell
Mountain, a more rugged terrain has developed upon shale and sandstone bedrock
which ranges in age from Silurian to Mississippian. Some of the valleys
in this region are underlain by Silurian and Devonian limestones.
For many years the limestone formations have been used as local sources
of agricultural lime and building stone. Modern uses include crushed
stone for aggregate and cement. A pure, white sandstone in the western
region of the province is suitable for glass manufacturing.
About the Appalachian Plateaus Province
Appalachian Plateaus
The Appalachian Plateaus Province includes that part of Allegany County west of Dans Mountain and all of Garrett County, the westernmost county in Maryland. The bedrock of this region consists principally of gently folded shale, siltstone, and sandstone. Folding has produced elongated arches across the region which expose Devonian rocks at the surface. Most of the natural gas fields in Maryland are associated with these anticlinal folds in the Appalachian Plateau. In the intervening synclinal basins, coal-bearing strata of Pennsylvanian and Permian ages are preserved.
