Pleistocene to present - About 2.6 million years ago to the present · Countywide
Rivers and streams continue shaping Preston’s landscape
Long after the region’s rock layers formed and folded, rivers and streams have continued to erode them. The Cheat River, Preston County’s largest river, has carved a deep canyon and exposed soluble rocks, including limestone of the Greenbrier Formation. Groundwater has developed caves in these rocks, and sediments deposited within the caves preserve evidence that helps geologists reconstruct the river’s downward cutting. This period represents one chapter in an ongoing process, rather than a precise starting date for the canyon. The landscape visible today is one stage in a continuing history of change.
Research status: Verified to source
- Citation / research lead
Springer, Kite, and Schmidt (1997), Cave sedimentation, genesis, and erosional history in the Cheat River Canyon, West Virginia — GSA Bulletin 109, 524–532; university record and abstract
Visit source ↗ (digitalcommons.usf.edu)