Physical Geography of Tennessee

Physical Geography of Tennessee

Introduction

Tennessee is a state in the United States of America, located in the southeastern part of the country. As for the physical features, Tennessee appears to differ physically from other regions in the USA. As such, it seems steep in some instances that make navigation difficult, whereas some parts are flat. Also, rivers dominate most parts and form the physical terrain that gives the State its aesthesis. The paper is going to discuss the physical geography of Tennessee State.

Geological Conditions

Over the decades, Tennessee held geological surveys with the first survey commencing in 1831. The purpose of geological surveys within the State entails offering advises concerning different geological conditions surrounding the country. Geology constitutes the various types of rocks contained in the landscape. Contemporary Tennessee has diversified in its geology landscapes (Laity, 2016). The landscapes are categorized into three distinctive landforms that include plain valley, highlands and mountains. They constitute the physical make up of Tennessee State.

Sedimentary rocks dominate most parts of Tennessee and remain in being critical geological aspects within the region (Laity, 2016). Similarly, other geological conditions, i.e., the formation of `different kind of rocks exists within the State. The ages of the rocks advance from the west to east with alteration based on the land’s topography. The land in the western part of Tennessee is flat, and the landforms available constitutes limestone. Limestone landscape renowned as Karst exhibits depressions and sinkholes. The geological conditions in the East part of Tennessee contain a stratum of limestone bedrock. The thick layer of rock emanated from ancient shells of sea creatures. The limestone in the region withers with acid, unlike in the other neighbourhood that changed with rainwater. Also, ancient fossils constitute the geology of Tennessee with stromatolite features of ancient fossils exhibited.

Landforms

Landforms like Mississippi river alluvial plain and gulf coastal plain exists in the flat regions of west Tennessee. As you get to the Tennessee River, the inclines start to the east of the river. The mountains in the east part drop to the central basin, and then to the cedars glade found in miles from Nashville city. The soil in the cedars glade is thin and fictional in some other places, supporting several rare types of flowers like the fame flower (Forvague et al., 2019). Limestone boulders and caves located in the cedar valley formed by the corrosion brought about by slightly acid rain. Several parts of the State filled with caves formed by the corrosion that results in Karst. This is a limestone landscape which may be having sinkholes and depressions. In Tennessee west Knox county, Cherokee caves, you’ll catch a glimpse of a big rock, stromatolite. This type of `rock is formed by algae called cyanobacteria. The stickiness of the algae made sand and other sediments to cement forming the rock.

Landforms are the topography of an area, and they include rivers, lakes forests parks, mountains. The Appalachian mountain ranges which cover almost a third of the eastern parts of Tennessee including the Clingmans Dome which is the highest point in the State. Apart from the mountains, Tennessee has the Appalachian valleys which have vibrant soils with minerals. The west part of the State exhibits small hills and lower ridges. The Cumberland Plateau stretches from the north the Kentucky border runs on valleys and top mountains

On the east of the plateau, the flat highlands extend to the Nashville Basin, which forms the fertile grounds in Tennessee (Forvague et al., 2019). Then spreads to the coastal gulf which starts as a hilly ground west of the Tennessee River and then gets flattened as it moves to the swampy lowland flood plain of the Mississippi delta. The State has rivers, Cumberland, Tennessee and the Mississippi which feeds significant basins and lakes.

Weather and Climate

Notably, Tennessee has a moderate climate, experiencing mild winters with warm summers. This is due to the diverse landforms in the State.  Average annual precipitation in Tennessee varies; for example, In Nashville, it is 48 in (122 cm). The western part of Tennessee experiences snowfall but at a lower amount that the eastern region. In winter and early spring, this State experiences rainfall, this is the highest rainfall and occurs in March. The place experiences little or no rain in the early fall months, especially September and the month of October.

Lithosphere and Hydrosphere

In essence, the earth consists of its environmental spheres that include but is not limited to lithosphere and hydrosphere. Hydrosphere constitutes a discontinuous layer of water contained near the surface of the earth. Hydrosphere constitutes all liquids inclusive of groundwater held in the soils and rocks. The earth’s approximate percentage of water constituents in liquid form is 1.3 cubic meters. The concept of the water cycle dominates the hydrosphere and consists of water reservoirs that undergo different transformations. The transformation paths penetrate up the earth’s atmosphere and down into the earth’s crust (Siska et al., 2016). Usually, waters trapped by the sediments and ocean waters constitute the hydrosphere. The groundwaters that are the deep and shallow waters form the water locked in the sedimentary rocks in Tennessee. The earth’s water plays a fundamental role in the water cycle. Tennessee state water storage represents of river, lakes and other human-made storage systems. Besides, the rate of water circulation in the atmosphere of being high. Therefore, a significant amount of water is not stored in the primary sources.

The interaction of the earth and the sun form significant sources of heat that power of the dynamic systems, i.e., lithosphere and hydrosphere. The heat transferred by conduction among other forms entails spread of salicylates and iron in the liquid outer core. Often, the top most mantle and the crust of the earth are the constituents that form the lithosphere. The lithosphere can be segmented into plates and plate boundaries (Siska et al., 2016). Plates often navigate owing to heat redistribution on the earth’s surface. Besides, the separate plates move in opposite directions at the divergent and convergent plate boundaries. In Tennessee State, both volcanoes and earthquakes dominate the plate boundaries and in some instances at hot spots. The volcanoes are renowned for emitting smoke into the sky, and sulfur oxides act as aerosols which play a role in water condensation and rain formation.

Land Usage

Land usage constitutes human activities that utilize the land for different purposes. In Tennessee, the land is divided based on its productivity and the planned activities. To boost its food security, Tennessee has a food security act established in 1985. The law enabled farmers to put barren land into production to benefit both individuals and the State. As for cultivation of crops, the parts of Tennessee such as the plains and valleys facilitates the growth of row crops, haylands and pasture. The non-cultivated parts of the Tennessee land are made to be Permanent hay land and also growing of horticultural crops. Between the years 1982 to, 2007, Tennessee State converted 85% of cropland acres to develop (Fovargue et al., 2019). The percentage differs from one county to another, according to the usage and planning. Physical attributes and practical uses of land constitutes of forests, farm, urban structures and also land covered by water bodies. Urban structures may include buildings, commercial, residential, infrastructure and roads, industrial construction and banking. To determine the land usage, the Tennessee department of economic development designed a system based on taxation of property, to measure land usage trends.

Environmental Conditions

Tennessee State’s land, air, and water quality are the critical utility concern that plays a role in the successful existence of the State. According to Siska (2016), environmental conditions such as heavy rains, earthquakes, among others, threatens Tennessee’s resources. Besides, diverse pollutions from non-point sources such as pesticides among other agricultural effluents interfere with the purity of land and water. The State remains on the forefront in limiting pollutants to protect lands productivity and that of the future generations.

Often, ozone pollutions cannot be evaded due to the existence of industries that ensure the productivity of the State. Ozone pollution results in reduced air qualities and also increases the intensity of the sun, which threatens not only human existence but also the survival of plants. The long-distance travels through a car on Tennessee highways contribute to ozone air pollution. As such, Tennessee public health programs advocates for the preservation of clean and also a healthy environment to aid in reducing illnesses associated with environmental conditions (Forvague et al., 2019). Often, Tennessee designates rivers, streams among other water sources to provide clean and safe water for human consumption. Also, the water ought to accommodate aquatic animals and plants, which is often not the case. It is because the water sources are polluted; hence often they are not up to standard to support the uses as instituted by the State.

LandScape

The physical features in The Blue Ridge, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region covers a third of Eastern Tennessee, the Appalachian Plateau, the Highland Rim, the Nashville Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plain. The Blue Ridge is mountainous with hills and mountains. The Ridge has the highest point in the State, the Clingmans Dome, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Chilhowie mountains. The fertile valleys of Appalachian are covered by wooden ridges which broaden from the Blue Ridge to the Great valley. The Highland Rim which borders the Nashville surrounding it is an elevated ground, which has steep slopes and its soil abundant with minerals. To the west of Nashville, lies the coastal plain, which extends to the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River in the west. To the immediate north, lies the Cumberland Plateau, which is characterized by round top hills and valleys

Conclusion

In summary, the physical geography of Tennessee State exhibits a culture rich terrain with vast resources. The geological conditions influence the features and functioning of not only biota but also humanity within the eco-geological framework. The landscape constitutes of rivers and the mountains in Tennessee. Land usage in different versions even prevails among the inhabitants of Tennessee State. The State works to ensure that environmental pollution significant in the region is minimized. It serves to protect the vast resources and productivity of the State for future generations.

References

Laity, C. (2016). Eco-Geologies of Queer Desire: Elizabeth Bishop’s Love Poetry and Charles Darwin’s Beagle Geology Travel Narratives. Contemporary Women’s Writing, vpw036.

Fovargue, R., Fisher, M., Harris, J., & Armsworth, P. R. (2019). A landscape of conservation philanthropy for US land trusts. Conservation biology, 33(1), 176-184.

Siska, P. P., Goovaerts, P., & Hung, I. K. (2016). Evaluating susceptibility of karst dolines (sinkholes) for collapse in Sango, Tennessee, USA. Progress in physical geography, 40(4), 579-597.