View source for Allegheny Plateau

{{Short description|Dissected plateau in the eastern United States}}
[[Image:Alleghenyplateaumap.png|thumb|upright=1|Map of the Allegheny Plateau with the gray line differentiating the glaciated (northern) and unglaciated (southern) sections of the plateau.]]
[[Image:Junction fault 0112.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Major fault at the dividing line between the Allegheny Plateau and the [[Appalachian Mountains]] along [[U.S. Route 15]] near [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]]]]

The '''Allegheny Plateau''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|l|ᵻ|ˈ|g|eɪ|n|i}} {{respell|AL|ig|AY|nee}}) is a large [[dissected plateau]] area of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] in western and central [[New York (state)|New York]], northern and western [[Pennsylvania]], northern and western [[West Virginia]], and eastern [[Ohio]].  It is divided into the [[unglaciated Allegheny Plateau]] and the [[glaciated Allegheny Plateau]].

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

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 through Maryland and 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|Bluegrass Region]] 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 {{convert|900|to|1500|ft|m}}. By the Allegheny Front, however, elevations may reach well over {{convert|4000|ft}}, with relief of up to {{convert|2000|ft}}.

==Geology and physiography==
[[Image:Canisteo valley 1453.JPG|thumb|upright=1|Canisteo River Valley from [[Pinnacle State Park and Golf Course|Pinnacle State Park]] in [[Steuben County, New York]]. [[Wisconsin glaciation|Glaciation]] in this area of the plateau removed the sharp relief that is seen in the plateau's unglaciated areas. The line of the distant peaks approximates the level of a [[peneplain]] that was uplifted to form the plateau.]]
[[File:Weston WV aerial 2021.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Aerial view of Allegheny Plateau terrain surrounding [[Weston, West Virginia]]]]
The Allegheny Plateau is a [[Physiographic regions of the world|physiographic section]] of the larger [[Appalachian Plateau]] province, which in turn is part of the larger [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] physiographic division.<ref name="USGS-Water">{{cite web |title=Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml |access-date=2007-12-06 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071205095639/http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml| archive-date= 5 December 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Allegheny Front]], the transition escarpment from the Allegheny Plateau to the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
*[[List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains]]
*[[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]]

==References==
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==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal |last=Faill |first=Rodger T. |date=June 1997 |title=A Geologic History of the North-Central Appalachians, Part 1: Orogenesis from the Mesoproterozoic through the Taconic Orogeny |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=297 |issue=6 |pages=551–619 |doi=10.2475/ajs.297.6.551|bibcode=1997AmJS..297..551F |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |last=Faill |first=Rodger T. |date=September 1997 |title=A Geologic History of the North-Central Appalachians, Part 2: The Appalachian Basin from the Silurian through the Carboniferous |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=297 |issue=7 |pages=729–761 |doi=10.2475/ajs.297.7.729|bibcode=1997AmJS..297..729F |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |last=Faill |first=Rodger T. |date=February 1998 |title=A Geologic History of the North-Central Appalachians, Part 3: The Alleghany Orogeny |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=298 |issue=2 |pages=131–179 |doi=10.2475/ajs.298.2.131|bibcode=1998AmJS..298..131F }}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://www.theallegheny.com Photographs of the Allegheny Plateau and the Allegheny River watershed region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002063159/http://www.theallegheny.com/ |date=2017-10-02 }}

{{Coord|41|||N|80|||W|display=title}}

{{Mountains of Pennsylvania}}
{{Physical geography topics}}
{{New York}}
{{Pennsylvania}}
{{Ohio}}
{{West Virginia}}
{{Kentucky}}
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[[Category:Allegheny Plateau| ]]
[[Category:Appalachian Mountains]]
[[Category:Appalachian Ohio]]
[[Category:Geography of Appalachia]]
[[Category:Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Physiographic regions of the United States]]
[[Category:Plateaus of the United States]]