Allegheny Plateau

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The Allegheny Plateau is a large, dissected plateau area in southern New York, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau and the glaciated Allegheny Plateau.

The plateau extends southward into southwestern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, where it is instead called the Cumberland Plateau.

Major fault at the dividing line between the Allegheny Plateau and the true Appalachian Mountains Williamsport, Pennsylvania

The plateau terminates in the east at the Allegheny Mountains, which are the highest ridges just west of the Allegheny Front. The front extends from central Pennsylvania into eastern West Virginia.

The plateau is bordered on the west by glacial till plains in the north, generally north of the Ohio River, and the Bluegrass region in the south, generally south of the Ohio River.

Elevations vary greatly. In the glaciated Allegheny Plateau, relief may only reach one hundred feet or less. In the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in southeastern Ohio and westernmost West Virginia, relief is typically in the range of two hundred to four hundred feet. Absolute highest elevations in this area are often in the range of 900 to 1500 feet. By the Allegheny Front, however, elevations may reach well over 4000 feet, with relief of up to 2000 feet.

One of the more notable geologic areas within the Allegheny Plateau is the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio.

Canisteo River Valley from Pinnacle State Park. Glaciation in this area of the plateau removed the sharp relief that is seen in unglaciated areas of the plateau. The line of the distant peaks approximates the level of a peneplain that was uplifted to form the plateau.

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