The Amature Paleontolgist"s Guide to
Fossils in and around Maryland
Maryland's Valley & Ridge Province
The Valley and Ridge Province between South Mountain in Washington County and Dans Mountain in western Allegany County contains strongly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks. In the eastern part of the region, a wide, open valley called the Great Valley, or in Maryland, the Hagerstown Valley, is formed on Cambrian and Ordovician limestone and dolemite. West of Powell Mountain, a more rugged terrain has developed upon shale and sandstone bedrock which ranges in age from Silurian to Mississippian. Some of the valleys in this region are underlain by Silurian and Devonian limestones. For many years the limestone formations have been used as local sources of agricultural lime and building stone. Modern uses include crushed stone for aggregate and cement. A pure, white sandstone in the western region of the province is suitable for glass manufacturing. The sedimentary rocks of the Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau Provinces yield small to moderate supplies of ground water. Under favorable conditions large amounts may occur.
