Geology of Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains

Abstract

        The Great Smoky Mountains are located between Tennessee and North Carolina.  They are the oldest mountains in the United States and the highest in the Appalachian Mountain region. For years, geologists have studied these mountains because of the unusual formation that occurred millions of years ago.  The many different geologic processes such as weather erosion, faulting, and earthquakes have shaped this area to make it the beautiful place it is today. However, with the tourism, comes negative consequences that we need to control.  Some of these include air pollution, soil toxicity, and water p[pic 1]ollution.  

        The Smoky Mountains have a long, rich history that is seen even today.  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a place where you can see old churches, farms, mills, bridges, and schools.  Millions of tourists enjoy seeing the magnificent mountains, deep valleys, rushing waterfalls, running streams, and calm lakes.  By understanding how we can prevent the continuous erosion and changes, we will allow future generations to admire nature's work of art.  Humans need to take responsibility to protect the thousands of species that make the Smoky Mountains their home and preserve the area and its beauty.

Introduction

        In this paper I discuss how the Smoky Mountains came about when Africa and North America collided, their unusual rock formation, and the many different types of rocks that we can see today.  There are three main types of rocks within the Smoky Mountains: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic.  In places like Cades Cove, bedrock is sometimes seen above younger rock due to overlapping during collisions.  Also discussed is the impact that humans have on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Although seismic activity is low, there are four major thrust faults that dominate the Smokies, I will include the details below.

Location

        The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest mountains in th[pic 2]e United States.  The highest peaks in this range are the Great Smoky Mountains ("Field guide to rocks, minerals and fossils," 2007).  The Great Smoky Mountains are a part of the Unaka Range, which is a sub-range in the Appalachian Mountain chain.  They are a geologically distinct subdivision that combines several aspects of the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Valley and Ridge Provinces ("Smoky Mountains visitors guide - Geology," 2006).

        The crest of the Smoky Mountains forms the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina.  This boundary bisects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from northeast to southwest in an unbroken chain that rises more than 5,000 feet for more than 36 miles.  The park contains 521,495 acres, it is the largest upland landmass under federal protection east of the Mississippi River.  

        The elevations in the park range from 875 feet to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome (Natural Resource Program Center, 2008).  There are sixteen peaks rising more than 5,000 feet.  Mount LeConte is more than 5,300 feet, it is the tallest single mountain, but not the highest maximum elevation in the eastern United States.