310 
HUBBARD AND CRONEIS 
TOPOGRAPHY 
Physiographic Location 
The State of Virginia is divided into three physiographic pro- 
vinces,* which are named, from east to west, the Coastal Plain, 
the Piedmont Plateau, and the Appalachian Mountain divisions. 
The last named province is again divided into the Blue Ridge, 
Great Valley, and Alleghany Ridge regions. Giles County is in- 
cluded in the last named, or westernmost, of these divisions. The 
irregular valleys and ridges of Flat Top Mountain area are, how- 
ever, more characteristic of the Cumberland Plateau region than 
of the Alleghany subdivision. On the other hand. East River, 
Wolf Creek, Sugar Run, Little and Big Walker mountains are 
typical zigzag or parallel eminences of the true Alleghany Ridges, 
defended by a strong sandstone. 
Peters and East River mountains are the first westernmost 
ridges and mark the initial sharp upturning of the strata. 
To the northwest from these ranges is the much dissected, 
mature Alleghany Plateau region whose strata are nearly hori- 
zontal or very slightly flexed, but contain no true folds. How- 
ever, a little south of the point where the New River enters West 
Virginia, the pronounced folding begins and, in a short distance, 
indeed in one formation (the Hinton) , the dip increases from the 
horizontal to past the vertical. 
Relief and Drainage 
The central portion of Giles County is a broad lowland, wherein 
flows New River, the master stream of the area. The western 
portion of the county is made up of irregular ridges and inter- 
montane valleys. The eastern portion is much the same, except 
for the fact that the mountains here are consistently some 500 
feet higher than those on the west. On the north, except where 
* Hayes, C. W., The Southern Appalachians. Nat. Geog. Mon. 1895, 
pp. 305-36. 
Willis, Bailey, The Northern Appalachians. Nat. Geog. Mon. 1895, pp. 
169-202. 
Hayes, C. W. and Campbell, M. R., Geomorphology of S. Appalachians. 
Nat. Geog. Mon. 1894. pp. 63-126. 
Bascom, F., Cycles of Erosion in Piedmont Province of Pennsylvania. 
Jour. Geol. vol. 29, pp, 540-559. 
Campbell, R., Clapp, F. G. and Butts, Chas. U. S. G. S. Folio 189. 
Shaw, E. W., Bull. G. S. A. vol. 28. p. 128. 
