> Earth Changes Archives > Florida....cool facts! << Prev Topic | Author Comment SAR01 ezOP Posts: 2044 (2/22/01 3:32:51 pm) Reply | Edit | Del All Florida....cool facts! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- didn't know where to put this:

Which U.S. state has the least elevation difference?

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You might expect that the flattest state in the United States would be one of the Great Plains states, like Kansas. Actually, the state with the least elevation difference is Florida, which ranges from sea level to only 345 feet (105 meters).

Part of the reason for Florida's flatness is its geology. Florida is mostly made of sedimentary layers that built up when the sea level was slightly higher than it is today. If global warming raises the planet's sea level over the next century, much of Florida will be submerged.

The second flattest state is Delaware, at 442 feet of difference (135 m). Like Florida, much of the state is recent sediments. In the western part of the state there are low, eroded hills, part of an ancient range that once towered as high as the Alps.

Relief map of Florida: http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/maps1/fl.gif

Geological map of Florida: http://www.luddist.com/karst.htm

Notes on Florida geology: http://www.fiu.edu/~whitmand/Courses/Fl_geo_notes.html

A Cool Fact about one of Florida's ancient residents: http://features.learningkingdom.com/fact/archive/1998/09/15.html

-- Kona (konaal2000@yahoo.com), July 11, 2001