Metro Atlanta

===Topography and geology===
The area sprawls across the low [[foothills]] of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] to the north and the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] to the south. The northern and some western suburbs tend to be higher and significantly more [[hill]]y than the southern and eastern suburbs. The average elevation is around {{convert|1000|ft|m|-1}}.

The highest point in the immediate area is [[Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1808|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, followed by [[Stone Mountain]] at {{convert|1686|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, [[Sweat Mountain]] at {{convert|1640|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, and [[Little Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1600|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. Others include [[Blackjack Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Blackjack Mountain]], [[Lost Mountain]], [[Brushy Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Brushy Mountain]], [[Pine Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Pine Mountain]], and [[Mount Wilkinson]] ([[Vinings Mountain]]). Many of these play prominently in the various [[battle]]s of the [[Atlanta Campaign]] during the [[American Civil War]]. If the further-north counties are included, [[Bear Mountain (Georgia)|Bear Mountain]] is highest, followed by [[Pine Log Mountain]], [[Sawnee Mountain]], and [[Hanging Mountain]], followed by the others listed above. Stone, Sweat, Bear, and Sawnee are all home to some of [[list of Atlanta broadcast stations by location#Mountains|the area's broadcast stations]].

The area's [[subsoil]] is a dense clay soil, colored [[rust]]y by the [[iron oxide]] present in it. It becomes very [[mud]]dy and sticky when wet, and hard when dry, and [[stain]]s light-colored [[carpet]]s and [[clothing]] easily. It also tends to have a low [[pH]], further aggravating gardeners. The fineness of it also means it is easily deposited into streams during heavy rains, creating [[silt]] problems where it is exposed due to construction. This transported red soil can be seen downstream on the [[Bank (geography)|riverbanks]] of south Georgia (where the native clay is white), and down to the [[Florida panhandle]] (where the native [[sand]] is also white). [[Topsoil]] is present only in natural forest areas, created by the [[decomposition]] of [[leaf litter]].

====Earthquakes and fault lines====
An extinct [[fault line]] called the Brevard Fault runs roughly parallel to the [[Chattahoochee River]], but as its last movements were apparently [[prehistoric]], it is considered extinct and not a threat to the region. Still, minor [[earthquake]]s do rattle the area (and all of Georgia) occasionally. [[2003 Alabama earthquake|One notable one was in April 2003]] (magnitude&nbsp;4.6) coming from the northwest, its [[epicenter]] just across the state line in northeastern Alabama. While many people slept through the 5<small>A.M.</small> quake, it caused a minor panic in others completely unaware of what was happening. Similar earthquakes occur in this region called the [[Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone]], often felt much more widely across the stronger [[Earth's crust|crust]] of eastern North America as compared to the west. 

Thus, the [[1886 Charleston earthquake|1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake]] was also felt in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. It caused damage as far as central Alabama and West Virginia. Two small earthquakes were also felt on the southeast side near [[Eatonton, Georgia|Eatonton]] in early April 2009. The [[New Madrid Seismic Zone]] (near the Missouri-Tennessee borders) and the [[seismic zone]] producing the 1886 magnitude 7.3 earthquake are still capable of producing moderate or major earthquakes, which the entire Atlanta area will feel moderately or even strongly.