FactSheets, Pamphlets and Brochures

Maryland's diverse landscape is an expression of her geology. The mountains, valleys, waterfalls, rivers, and dunes, islands and cliffs you see are produced by erosion. Bedrock, soil and sand are sculpted by water, ice and wind over thousands or millions of years to present us with breathtaking vistas throughout the state. Mountains, cliffs and highlands are formed of hard rocks where erosion removes softer surrounding rocks and sediments. Gorges, valleys and caves are the result of water grinding or dissolving away softer types of bedrock and sediments.

Here we present a virtual tour of some of Maryland's most notable landscapes and geologic features. The feature map shows the approximate location of these features. To view a feature, you can click on a number in the map or on a link to the right of the map.

We will add to the gallery as time permits. Please let us know if you would like to see a specific location or feature added to the gallery. Do you have good pictures of Maryland geologic features, such as cliffs, overlooks, waterfalls, outcrops, valleys, caves or other interesting features? If you have some photos that you think we could use, please let us know. If you have pictures in digital format such as jpeg, gif or bmp files, you can email them to Bob Conkwright (bconkwright@mgs.md.gov) along with a description of the site and statement that gives us permission to use the picture on our web site. The MGS web site gets more than 2 million visitors a year, so your picture could get a lot of exposure.