The Coastal Plain extends eastward from the Fall Zone to the Atlantic Ocean. Large rivers like the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James flow southeast across the Coastal Plain and through the Fall Zone, where the rivers cascade over resistant igneous and metamorphic rocks, to empty into the Chesapeake Bay, which then empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The topography of the Coastal Plain forms a terraced landscape that slopes down to the coast and major rivers, with scarps marking former shorelines and terraces representing emergent lands. This landscape was shaped over millions of years as sea levels rose and fell due to glacial cycles.