Piedmont Province

Southern Piedmont Section

Upland Georgia Subsection

Gainesville Ridges District

A series of northeast-rending, low, linear, parallel ridges separated by narrow valleys characterizes the Gainesville Ridges district. The ridges are composed of quartzite and gneiss, while the valleys are underlain by phyllonite and schist. These ridges vary in elevation from 1500-1600 feet in the northeast and decrease gradually to 700 feet in the southwest. Relief varies from 100-200 feet in the northeast to 70-100 feet in the southwest. The courses of the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries are strongly controlled by the ridges in this district and exhibit a good example of rectangular drainage. the southern boundary follows a ridge that is continuous throughout most of its extent, decreasing in elevation from 1100 feet in the northeast to 700 feet in the southwest. This ridge crest is the drainage divide between southwest flowing streams and those streams draining to the south.

Source: William Z. Clark, Jr. and Arnold C. Zisa, Physiographic Map of Georgia (Atlanta: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 1976).

Map scan and annotated text keystroking by Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia

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