Coastal Plain

The Coastal Plain stretches from the Piney Woods of East Texas to the Atlantic shore. This area encompasses the West Gulf Coastal Plain, Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain, East Gulf Coastal Plain, Florida Peninsula, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain (Walker and Oswald 2000).

Coastal Plain

The East Gulf Coastal Plain is characterized by terraces that run almost parallel to the Gulf of Mexico, while the West Gulf Coastal Plain includes low ridges and valleys runing parallel to the current coastline. These plains areas are home to the most productive pine forests in the South (Walker and Oswald 2000).

Interrupting these patterns are the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the Florida Peninsula. The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain, or Delta, runs north to south along the river and contains distinctive lowland hardwood forests. In contrast, the northern area of the Florida Peninsula rises abruptly from the sea floor. This area consists of marine terrace lowlands that are generally less than 100 feet in elevation. The central part of the peninsula, south of Tampa Bay, consists of broad plains less than 20 feet in elevation. At one time, this area was 80-85% swampland. Pines cover the higher areas of this part of the peninsula. The southern area of the peninsula consists mainly of non-forested lands (Walker and Oswald 2000).

The southern Atlantic Coastal Plain begins at the Delaware River and runs south to the Georgia coastline. This area is marked by a series of fluvial step-like and marine terraces that run parallel to the ocean. The northern area of the Atlantic Coastal Plain begins in central North Carolina and covers the northern part of the southern forest. Bays and estuaries divide the area into a series of peninsula-like extensions (Walker and Oswald 2000).

More information about the Coastal Plain can be found at the Wikipedia Free Encylopedia site.