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Why is the East European Plain mostly lower than 1,500 feet in elevation?
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European Plain
Rolling expanse of the European Plain in southern Poland.
The East European Plain remains below 1,500 feet (450 meters) in elevation because it is underlain by a relatively rigid platform of ancient rocks. Throughout its history, this area has periodically slipped beneath the sea, resulting in the deposition of sedimentary layers. While these rocks have experienced mild bending and warping over time, they have never been subjected to the sharp, intense deformation associated with major mountain-building orogenies. Consequently, the region remains an uninterrupted, low-lying plain.1