About South Carolina's Piedmont Region

     The Piedmont Region is called a plateau by some geologic experts. Plateaus are relatively flat, raised areas of land. They are usually horizontal rises of rock, which were raised by forces of Earth. Piedmont literally means "foot of the mountain". In South Carolina the Piedmont region comprises one third of the area of SC and is typically hilly country containing many monadnocks. The Piedmont is underlain by metamorphic rocks of various origins that were folded during the Paleozoic as the North American and African plates converged. Later, in the Mesozoic, it was affected by rifting as Pangaea broke apart and the Atlantic Ocean formed.

What are Monadnocks?

     A monadnock is an isolated hill of bedrock rising conspicuously above the general level of the surrounding area. Monadnocks are "lone mountains", left as erosional remnants of mountain chains because of their more resistant rock composition (usually quartzite or less jointed massive volcanic rocks like granite). In contrast to inselbergs (island mountains), a similar tropical landform, monadnocks are formed in humid, temperate regions. They take their name from Mt. Monadnock, in Monadnock State Park, New Hampshire. Some of South Carolina's monadnocks include: Little Mountain, Table Rock, Caesar's Head, Glassy Mountain, and Paris Mountain.

Links to Other Sites on the Piedmont of S.C.

The Team Journal

     Come along with our web team on our visit to Caesar's Head State Park.

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