South Carolina Landform Regions

(and facts about Landforms)

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Where is South Carolina?

Here we are! South Carolina borders the Atlantic Ocean.

North America

United States of America

Earth

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South Carolina Landform Regions Map

Our state is divided into regions, starting at the mountains and going down to the coast.

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Blue Ridge MountainsLandform Regions

The Blue Ridge Mountain Region is only 2% of the South Carolina land mass.

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Facts About the Blue Ridge Mountains . . .

1, The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range.

2. Many streams begin in the mountains.

3. These are the oldest mountains in America.

4. The Blue Ridge Mountains are Folding Mountains.

5. The Blue Ridge Region takes up only 2% of South Carolina’s land mass.

Folded Mountains

Folded mountains form when rock layers squeezed from opposite sides buckle and fold. The Appalachians, or Blue Ridge Mountains are Folded mountains.

Types of Mountains

Blue Ridge Mountains, SC

PiedmontLandform Regions

If you could see the Piedmont Region from space and without the foliage, you would notice it is sort of a huge plateau.

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Greenville Spartanburg Union Greenwood Rock Hill Abbeville

Facts About the Piedmont Region . . .

1.The Piedmont is the largest region of South Carolina.

2. The Piedmont is thought to be a large plateau (raised high land that is usually flat on the top).

3. The Piedmont is NOT flat, but is hilly.4. The Piedmont contains many of our

largest cities in South Carolina.5. The Piedmont is often called The

Upstate.

What do we know about the Piedmont of the Southeastern Atlantic States?

Let’s watch a three minute video showing us about the Piedmont.

You will look for information about the “fall line” that divides the higher Piedmont region from the lower, softer, Coastal Plain (Inner and Outer) regions.

You will find out how early pioneers used the rivers and waterfalls to their advantage.

What do we know about the Piedmont Region of our Southeastern States?

The Piedmont of the Southeastern States, StreamlineSC

Sandhills Landform Regions

Do you wonder why the Sandhills are so sandy? They used to be the coastline of North America millions of years ago.

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Columbia, Our State Capitol

Four Facts About the Sandhills Region . . .

1. The Sandhills are covered with the left over sand dunes when it was SC’s coastline millions of years ago.

2. The Sandhills are next to the fall line where the land slopes down and the rivers become waterfalls.

3. The Sandhills are hilly.4. The Sandhills has softer ground than

the Piedmont.

How are sand dunes formed?All sand dunes are formed the same way.

Every single one is a pile of sand built up by the wind. Once the sand has been picked up by the wind, it will go wherever the wind carries it. Even though most sand dunes are made of the same material and formed in the same way, they vary widely in appearance.

Coastal PlainLandform Regions

There is an Inner and Outer Coastal Plain. Can you see the dividing line? This area was once in the ocean millions of years ago.

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Aiken Orangeburg Sumter Florence

Facts About The Coastal Plains

1. The Coastal Plains are very wet.2. The Coastal Plains used to be under the ocean

millions of years ago.3. The Coastal Plains have savannahs, which are

wild grass prairies.4. The Coastal Plains have a lot of swamps and

marshlands.5. Because of sediment that settled in the ocean

millions of years ago over the Coastal Plains, there is a lot of Sedimentary Rock in this area.

6. The Coastal Plains are flat in most areas.

Coastal Zone Landform Regions

Take a look at the map of South Carolina. You can name a city in the Coastal Zone.

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Hilton Head Beaufort Charleston Georgetown Myrtle Beach

Facts About the Coastal Area

1. It borders the Atlantic Ocean.2. It has sand dunes.3. It has marshlands, inlets, bays, barrier

islands.4. It had Palmetto and Palm trees.5. It has beaches. 6. It is often battered by hurricanes.

South Carolina Cities Map

SC Rivers: Where is Cherokee County?

Remember . . .

There are five landform regions in South Carolina:

Blue Ridge Mountains Piedmont Sandhills Inner Coastal Plain Outer Coastal Plain Coastal Zone