Rappahannock River Fall Line ~ Fredericksburg, VA - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com

In geomorphology, a fall line (at times referred to as a fall zone) marks the area where an upland region (continental bedrock) and a coastal plain (coastal alluvia) meet. Technically, a fall line is an unconformity. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls. Many times a fall line will recede upstream as the river cuts out the uphill dense material, often forming “c”-shaped waterfalls. Because of these features riverboats typically cannot travel any farther inland without portaging, unless locks are built there. On the other hand, the rapid change in elevation of the water, and the resulting energy release, makes the fall line a good location for water mills, grist mills, and sawmills. Because of the need for a river port leading to the ocean, and a ready supply of water power, settlements often develop where rivers cross a fall line.

With the advent of electric power, some places along the Fall Line acquired dams and hydroelectric generators. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_line)
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The Rappahannock rises in the mountains at Chester Gap in Rappahannock County, Virginia.It flows southeast past Remington and through Fredericksburg. Southeast of Fredericksburg it widens into a brackish tidal estuary approximately 50 mi (80 km) long, flowing past Tappahannock on the southern shore. It enters Chesapeake Bay approximately 15 mi (24 km) south of the mouth of the Potomac between Windmill Point and Stingray Point, approximately 50 mi (80 km) east of Richmond. The estuary of the river south of the Northern Neck peninsula provides for oyster and crab fishing.

It is joined by the Rapidan River from the west approximately 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Fredericksburg.

Above the fall line in Fredericksburg the Rappahannock provides fine opportunities for canoeing and kayaking. Most of the rapids are class I and II, but near Remington there are some rapids that are considered class III. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rappahannock_River)

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/19/2010 La de Boheme visited it