Plateaus In The Appalachian Mountains

When one thinks of the Appalachians, one generally thinks of the mountains of the southeastern region of the United States. However the Mountain range itself actually begins in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, extending from there for almost 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to central Alabama in the United States. Thus the region also forms the eastern counterpart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

The Appalachian region is one of the most valuable areas of the United States. It is rich in many natural aspects and is home to some of the hardest working citizens in this country. Unfortunately, Appalachia is also home to a variety of harsh social problems including severe drug abuse and a gripping poverty facing a large portion of Appalachian citizens. The two of these issues seem to go hand in hand in many cases, so the solution of one could also lead to the solution of the other. Appalachians have always had a history of handling their own problems, these drastic social problems are no different.

The Ozark Mountains are characterized by eroded plateaus caused by the collision of the super continent of Gondwana, which compressed the present continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica and other land masses. These forces uplifted Arkansas with limestone and calcareous rocks such as sandstone and chert. Erosion lowered the surface creating a level plateaus which included: The Boston Plateau, the Springfield Plateau, and the Salem Plateaus. Rivers, over time, cut valleys into the plateaus. Present day Fayetteville-Springdale-Rodgers, Harrison, Mountain Home, Batesville, and Clinton are all cities which are within the Ozark Mountains boundaries.

estled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Allegheny Mountains, Rockingham County is located within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Originally founded in 1778, Rockingham County has become a historical community committed to implementing an economic strategy of attracting new business and industry that are compatible with the way of life in the Shenandoah Valley and assisting in the retention and expansion of existing companies (Rockingham County). Most commonly known for its beauty, Rockingham County is comprised of six metropolitan cities, of which Harrisonburg holds the county seat (Rockingham County).

In Uneven Ground, the author Ronald D. Eller narrates the economic, political, and social change of Appalachia after World War II. He writes “persistent unemployment and poverty set Appalachia off as a social and economic problem area long before social critic Michael Harrington drew attention to the region as part of the “other America” in 1962.”(pp.2) Some of the structural problems stated by Eller include problems of land abuse, political corruption, economic shortsightedness, and the loss of community and culture; personally view the economic myopia as being the most daunting.

The Earth's crust has been undergoing complex chemical, physical, and biological reactions over more than 4 billion years now. In this relentless tardiness of geologic instance, the convection of the Earth's mantle gave form to the planet (Cronon, 1993). The Middle Atlantic region of North American was shaped by the tectonic plate movements and climatic changes shaping the ancient oceans into lands. Water streams gave form to hills and deep valleys and rainwater broke big rocks into fine soil. It is interesting to note that while all this was taking place, Maryland's mountains were comparable to the size of the Himalayas (Flannery, 2001). Their rock gradually created the mountain that we see in Maryland in the present day. Eventually, Maryland's rock layer turned into fertile soils, mineral deposits, and composite water elements.

The quadrangle is considered to be a part of the Allegheny Plateau, so the rocks in this region are mostly of Carboniferous age. Carboniferous rocks are subdivided into two series: the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian. The rocks of both series mainly consist of alternating beds of shale and sandstone, but Mississippian rocks on southern parts of the plateau include thick limestones (Phalen 1). Both series are represented in the Johnstown quadrangle. The Pennsylvanian series, however, covers most of the region, while Mississippian rocks appear only at the surface along deeply eroded anticlines.

The Appalachian Region stretches from the northern part of New York, through Pennsylvanyia, all of West Virginia, the West side of Kentucky, Mississippi, and the southern parts of Maryland, S.Carolina, N. Carolina, and Alabama. The immigrants who settled in the Appalachian Region were made-up of three main ethinic backgrounds; Scot-Irish, English, and German. “Appalachian people are considered a separate culture, made up of many unique backgrounds—Native Americans, Irish, English and Scotch, and then a third descendants of German and Polish immigrants—all blended together across the region”(“Appalachian Culture”, 2015). The immigrants came to the Appalachian Region either in search of land at cheaper prices or to get away from the Quacker Leaders. The Appalachian Region has proven to create a hard way of life for those who settled the region. “The people who settled in the Appalachian region were known as hearty people who lived in an often difficult environment”(“What is Unique”, 2015). Those who live in the Appalachian Region today may not face the same challenges as his or her ancestors who settled the region, but there is no doubt the Appalachians still brings a set of challenges. However, no matter the challenges there is one thing those who live in Appalachia share, tradition. It is these traditions that assisted the first settlers, our ancestors, in living life and are still getting present day Appalachians through.

If you look at early Appalachian history, many of the earliest settlers in the mountains were of Irish decent. Their ancestors had originally migrated to northeastern America to escape religious persecution and eventually made their way south to the Appalachian Mountains, which they preferred because the area was similar in climate and geographic features to Ireland. Early settlers in the mountains had a Paganistic belief system and because of the geographic location of their settlements, were isolated from the outside world. In the early 1900s there weren’t roads, railroads, paths, etc. to travel into the mountains, which socially isolated groups living in those areas.

Pennsylvania is a state situated in the middle-Atlantic regions and north eastern part of United States. The Appalachian Mountains passes in the middle of Pennsylvania. It is the sixth densely populated, 33rd largest and 6th known state from 50 united states. It is one of original 13 colonies, William Penn was the one founded Pennsylvania as a haven for his associated Quakers. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania capital, was the location of the both first and the second Continental Congresses in the year 1774 and 1775, the end of which brought the Announcement of Independence, leading to the American Revolution. Pennsylvania became the second state after the war, where Delaware was the first, to approve the United States Constitution. Pennsylvania

It consists of the state’s most unique landscapes – strangely long, tapered and almost parallel ridges and valleys, all mingling over water gap formations. The province extends from the center towards New Jersey (north-eastward) and into Maryland (south-westward). The province’s ridges and valleys are made up of Sedimentary rocks from the Paleozoic Era. Metamorphosed Proterozoic volcanic rock (~575 million years old) is also found in some ridges of the South Mountain sector of the province. The sediments were originally deposited in a horizontal manner, but then these rocks were subjected to a high amount of heat and pressure during the Alleghanian orogeny, which resulted in them being folded and angular. The erosion of sediments over the years have formed a very distinct landform – valleys have been formed over areas of shale and limestone (softer rocks) and ridges have been formed in the areas of sandstone (harder rock). This Province is divided into 7 sectors: South Mountain, Great Valley, Blue Mountain, Anthracite Upland, Anthracite Valley, Susquehanna Lowland and Appalachian

The Appalachian region lies in the Humid Continental Climate region, located between 35 and 55 N in North America. In continental air masses, westerlies dominate the climate, bringing cold continental winters and warm summers from the interior of continents. Also, the westerly wind belt brings frequent weather changes, migratory pressure systems, especially in winter. Therefore, Appalachia has four distinct seasons, including a long cold winter, a short warm/hot summer, and transitional periods in spring and fall. The average summer temperatures are warm (around mid 70’s average) while the average winter temperatures are below freezing (around 25 degrees). Summer is the wettest time of year (convective rains,) and the average precipitation

Valley Region of the Appalachian Mountains and Subsequent Karst Regions in the State of Virginia

The purpose of this assessment is to understand all topographic factors concerning the past, present, and future of Taylor Mountain Regional Park. The site is 4 acres in size and is located in Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. The coordinates of the site, according to the USGS 1954 Santa Rosa Quadrangle Map, are N 38 degrees 24 minutes and 30 seconds, W 122 degrees 41 minutes and 25 seconds (Figure 2). The entrance to the site is located at the 1900 section of Kawana Terrace, adjacent to the private continuation of Kawana Terrace in  Santa Rosa California 95407 in the United States. The site is located in the NE 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of section 36, T7N, R8W on the Mount

The Appalachian Mountains region is roughly 360,000 km squared, taking up about 3.6 percent of Canada's land surface. This region locates itself on the islands of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and a bit of Quebec, with Moncton and Halifax as some of its major cities.The rocks, most of which are mostly sedimentary, were changed drastically when Europe and North America collided, causing its geography to be uneven, with many jagged peaks. Forestry, agriculture, fishing, tourism, coal mining, logging, and manufacturing are their main industries.Their overall population lands at a bit more than 25 million. Some interesting facts are that they have the oldest mountains and the richest fishing.