The Precambrian in Virginia, US

Paleontology and geology

The oldest rocks in Virginia are 1.2 to 1 billion years old and are exposed in the Blue Ridge Province and in small portions of the Piedmont Province. These granites and gneisses were formed deep within the crust and, as a result, do not contain fossils. Both marine and terrestrial environments are represented in younger Precambrian sedimentary rocks in the Blue Ridge Province. These rocks were later metamorphosed slightly. Body or trace fossils have yet to be positively identified from them.