THE LAND OF GEORGIA

Georgia’s Physical Regions: Coastal Plain Piedmont Blue Ridge Ridge and Valley Plateau

The Coastal Plain Georgia’s largest region is the Coastal Plain, which covers 60% of the state. In prehistoric time, this area was completely covered by ocean. Erosion from the mountains deposited large amounts of soil, clay and rock, that covered the ocean floor. Eventually, the ocean retreated, leaving a vast area of limestone, clay sand and other sedimentary deposits. This area, known as the Coastal Plain, extends along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to Mexico.

The Coastal Plain’s interior boundary is marked by the Fall Line, a region several miles across that marks the prehistoric ocean’s shoreline. Land north of the line is higher in elevation and causes rivers to pick up speed as they travel- or fall-through this zone. South of the Fall Line, the ground is soft and sandy, where the rivers widen and move more slowly. This, in turn, makes navigation by large boats possible. The Coastal Plain is relatively flat, with low relief, no steep hills or rock. This causes rivers entering from the north to flow slowly, develop wider banks, and take a widening path.

Along Georgia’s coast, and 75 miles inland, the soil consists of sand and clay, and is not very fertile. In general, the land is poorly drained, and swampy areas are common. Little grows here except pine and brush and was given the name, “Pine Barrons” by the early settlers. It is poorly suited for agriculture and the land is used mainly for pasture and growing pine trees for timber, pulp, and turpentine. Further inland the Coastal Plain slowly rises, but not more than 500 feet above sea level. The soil is well drained, and consists of sand and clay. This area is well suited for agriculture.

Georgia’s Coast Georgia’s coast was the area first settled by the British colonists in the late 1730’s. It is a popular place to find vacation spots along the Atlantic such as Tybee Island, St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Georgia’s coast is less than 100 miles and consists of many regions including, 1).swamps 2).rivers and streams 3).estuaries (the area around a river’s mouth where fresh and salt water mix) 4).numerous small islands 5).a large chain of coastal islands facing the ocean

During low tide, sea levels are down &Georgia rivers are free to flow out to sea. At high tide, seawater now rushes in, forcing rivers and streams to reverse their flow and carry a mixture of salt and fresh water inland for a distance of 10 miles or more. Coastal Rivers spill over their banks and flood low-lying areas, thus creating saltwater marshes. These marshes are one of the most important features of the coast.

Coastal Wetlands A wetland is an area of low-lying land covered by water all or part of the time containing special plant and animal life. Georgia has large areas of wetland-ranking fourth in the nation in total number of acres. Many freshwater wetlands are south of the Fall Line- Particularly along rivers and streams and near the coast. The largest freshwater wetland in the state is the Okefenokee Swamp, located along the Florida border.

Twice each day, Atlantic tides flood coastal rivers, streams and estuaries, and for several hours muddy land is covered with slat water. As a result, little vegetation can survive except for salt marsh grass, cord grass and other plants. However, it is a complex and rich ecosystem that is supported by the marshes. The salt marshes teem with life. Minerals and other nutrients are deposited there by the freshwater rivers, which creates an abundant food chain. A variety of wildlife is attracted, including insects, birds, wildlife, and most important-fish shrimp and crabs. This supply has created an important seafood industry along Georgia’s coast.

This supply has created an important seafood industry along Georgia’s coast. Coastal marshes serve other valuable functions such as serving as buffers for storms, and they filter out pollutants from the Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha and other rivers before discharging into the Atlantic. In these marshes one would find egrets and other large wading birds, fiddler crabs, and other wildlife. More than 100 years ago, poet Sidney Lanier was impressed with the marshes in Glynn county, and wrote, “The Marshes of Glynn”.