Today we come with a quite curious and striking geology topic. Let's talk about the Appalachian Mountains. It is a very important mountain range that is located between North Carolina and the United States. Its name in English is Appalachian Mountains and it is a mountain range with great geological and geomorphological value. It has several systems with peaks that exceed 1000 meters above sea level.
Do you want to know all the most important features and secrets about the Appalachian Mountains? In this post you can find out everything. Just keep reading
Key features
Although all of its peaks are about 1.000 meters above sea level, there is one peak that stands out above all others. It's about Mount Mitchell and is located in North Carolina. It measures 2037 meters and is the highest point in all of North America.
Its origin took place at the end of the Paleozoic era during the formation of the Pangea. Pangea is nothing more than the supercontinent that was formed on planet Earth and that was until then almost the entire Earth's surface existing at that time. This is known thanks to the continental drift theory of.
Since North America was then joined to Europe and North Africa, the mountain range that had the Appalachians were part of the same mountain range as what nowadays in Spain it is known as las Villuercas and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. This geological relationship can be compared to the history of other major mountains, such as the Rocky Mountains and Carpathian Mountains.
As time progressed and the continents shifted after the breakup of Pangea, it also fractured and thus also formed the current mountain range. It seems incredible that on three different continents there is currently a mountain range with the same characteristics, having formed when the supercontinent Pangea united the entire earth's surface.
Economy in Appalachia
This mountain range is the protagonist of great natural resources and, therefore, of economic resources for society. These are large deposits of anthracite coal and bituminous coal. The citizens of Pennsylvania are in charge of the extraction and exploitation of coal. The fields are located to the west between Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia. All of these sites are full of coal deposits.
There is a method of coal extraction that it is endangering the tops of the Appalachian Mountains. And it is that there is a method of elimination top of the mountain in coal mining that is causing the destruction of large areas and important ecosystems of the mountain region. What this method does is eliminate the top of that mountain with a high carbon content to minimize the risk of mining and improve the conditions of the workers.
The discovery of these coal deposits took place in 1859, and it was then that modern industry and sales began to arrive in these areas. Commercial natural gas deposits have also recently been discovered, so the oil industry has once again turned its attention to the Appalachians. This has led to a situation similar to that suffered by other ecosystems affected by mining, such as the Lake Michigan.
The truth is that it is a shame that a site with so much natural and historical value for the Earth is so damaged by the hand of man. It must be remembered that this type of mountain range holds a very important part of the study of the Earth, including its orogenesis.
More than 500 razed mountains are taken to place quarries and exploit coal to the fullest. These works are causing the original landscape to be unrecoverable. The large number of demolitions that have taken place in these areas have released large amounts of toxic elements such as ions and heavy metals that have caused serious damage to animal diversity in rivers and mountain valleys.
Geology, flora and fauna
The Appalachian Mountains are divided into two: the Southern and Northern Appalachians. Each mountain has a distinct climate and geological processes. The former, being at a lower elevation, has a large number of rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean and form numerous streams. The climate is typical of the coast and humid. There are three types of erosion: wind, glacial, and fluvial.
On the other hand, we have the Northern Appalachians in which we also there is fluvial, glacial and wind erosion, although the climate is humid and mountainous. This variability in erosion is interesting and could be compared with other geological periods such as the Silurian or Devonian.
The rivers found in the Appalachian Mountains have special characteristics. And it is that they flow at great speed and produce beautiful waterfalls. The most important They are the Hudson, Delaware and the PotomacThese rivers are not very long, but they have a large flow rate that leads to the formation of waterfalls. There is a central plain where many rivers contribute, and it also has deeper valleys that look like canyons. We find the Tennessee and the Ohio. These two tributaries are important river contributions to the Mississippi, a river that also has a connection with the Appalachian Mountains. In addition, its waters are of high quality and capable of fertilizing all the lands in the region.
As for the flora we have trees such as fir, beech, birch, cypress, cedar, larch, redwood, white and yellow pine, oak, chestnut, ash, maple, elm, poplar, linden, etc. In the northern Appalachian area there are different widespread species that develop in nurseries such as they are the foxes, the marten and the mink. The north has species in abundance such as elk, reindeer, elk, bear, antelope, lynx, wolf, etc.
Featured Places
Even though the Appalachian Mountains are entirely a natural monument, they stand out for some perfect places to visit. The first is the Appalachian Museum. In this museum you can learn more about weapons, toys, pottery manufacturing, etc. What was there at the time.
Then we have other places like:
- ShakerVillage. It is an area with 3000 hectares of land and consists of a museum, hotels to stay, picnic areas and shops.
- Luay Caverns. These are beautiful calcite formations in which pools have also been placed inside the caves.
As you can see, the Appalachian Mountains are a natural wonder worth seeing. Have you ever been or would you like to go?
Mount Mitchel is NOT the highest peak in North America, the highest peaks in the subcontinent exceed 5000 meters, while Mitchel barely exceeds 2000….
When they say that it is located between North Carolina and the United States, it is something very ambiguous and even absurd since North Carolina is within the United States….