Fall line Totally Explained

Everything about Fall Line totally explained

In geomorphology, a fall line (at times referred to as a fall zone) marks the area where an upland region (continental bedrock) and a coastal plain (coastal alluvia) meet. Technically, a fall line is an unconformity. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls. Many times a fall line will recede upstream as the river cuts out the uphill dense material, many times forming “c” shaped waterfalls. Because of these features river boats typically can't travel any farther inland without portaging unless locks are built. On the other hand, the rapid change in elevation of the water, and the resulting energy release, makes the fall line a good location for a water mill. Because of the need for a port and a ready supply of water power, settlements often develop where rivers cross a fall line.

The fall line in the United States

Along the eastern coast of the United States, the east-facing escarpment where the Piedmont of the Appalachians descends steeply to the coastal plain forms a fall line over 1500 kilometers long. This long fall line (also referred to as the Fall Zone) played a major role in settlement patterns along rivers, back into prehistoric times. It is often referred to simply as "the fall line" or "the fall zone". In some places the fall line may be abrupt, while in others it's a zone that may be many miles wide. Geologically the fall line marks the boundary of hard metamorphosed terrain—the product of the Taconic orogeny—and the sandy, relatively flat outwash plain of the upper continental shelf, formed of unconsolidated Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments. Examples of the Fall Zone include the rapids in Richmond, Virginia, where the James River falls across a series of rapids down to the tidal estuary of the James River.
   There are a few different theories as to how a Fall Line is formed or why they exist, and one in particular, brought forward by American Physiographer W.J. McGee states that a Fall Line is created through monoclinal faulting/flexing experienced in the region. While this theory is accepted by many geomorphologists much of the fall line along the east coast of the United States passes through areas where no evidence of faulting is present.
   In the 19th Century, the fall line often represented the head of navigation on rivers at points like Little Falls or the Great Falls, on the Potomac River. However, since the advent of flumes for water supply and canals for shipping in the early 20th Century, the most prominent feature of fall line settlement was the establishment of the cities along it. As the cities were linked by the early highways, U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 95 came to pass through many of these cities, roughly tracing the fall line.
   Cities along the Piedmont – Coastal Plain fall line include, from north to south:

New Brunswick, New Jersey on the Raritan River
Trenton, New Jersey on the Delaware River
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the Schuylkill River
Wilmington, Delaware on the Brandywine Creek
Conowingo, Maryland on the Susquehanna River
Baltimore, Maryland on the Patapsco River
Laurel, Maryland on the Patuxent River
Washington, D.C./Georgetown/Alexandria on the Potomac River (Great Falls National Park)
Occoquan, Virginia on the Occoquan River
Fredericksburg, Virginia on the Rappahannock River
Richmond, Virginia on the James River
Petersburg, Virginia on the Appomattox River
Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina on the Roanoke River
Smithfield, North Carolina on the Neuse River
Cheraw, South Carolina on the Pee Dee River
Camden, South Carolina on the Wateree River
Columbia, South Carolina on the Congaree River
Augusta, Georgia on the Savannah River
Milledgeville, Georgia on the Oconee River
Macon, Georgia on the Ocmulgee River
Columbus, Georgia on the Chattahoochee River
Wetumpka, Alabama on the Coosa River
Tuscaloosa, Alabama on the Black Warrior River

Cities along other fall lines include:

Lowell, Massachusetts on the Merrimack River

Hartford, Connecticut on the Connecticut River

Albany, New York on the Hudson RiverFurther Information

Get more info on 'Fall Line'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://fall_line.totallyexplained.com">Fall line Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.