Physiographic Map of Maryland

Maryland is part of six distinct physiographic provinces: (1) the Atlantic Continental Shelf Province, (2) the Coastal Plain Province, (3) the Piedmont Plateau Province, (4) the Blue Ridge Province, (5) the Ridge and Valley Province, and (6) the Appalachian Plateaus Provinces. These extend in belts of varying width along the eastern edge of the North American continent from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Physiographic Map of Maryland consists of 2 sections. The first section is Explanatory Text for the Physiographic Map of Maryland (Open File Report 08-03-1 ). This publication has detailed information on the physiographic provinces and subdivisions, 6-digit code used on the map, a summary of topography and geology of ridges in the Ridge & Valley Province and much more. The second section is "Plate 1. Physiographic Map of Maryland (scale 1:250,000)", the PDF map file. This publication is available for download in PDF format. The current version, MDPHYS2003.2, is published September 2008.

Acknowledgements:This physiographic map was funded in part by the Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake and Coastal Watershed Service. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Physiographic field mapping was completed in 1999 at a scale of 1:62,500 or, in some cases, 1:24,000. The physiographic map was compiled at 1:100,000 by the lead author and in digital form at 1:250,000 by Catherine Garcia, Jaime Alvarez, and Mary Valentino of Towson University, Center for Geographic Information Sciences. The authors are solely responsible for the map’s content.

PLEASE NOTE: These maps are for illustration purposes only and not intended for navigation or legal purposes.