Appalachian, << `ap` uh LAY chuhn or `ap` uh LACH uhn, >> Mountains are the second largest mountain system of North America. Only the Rocky Mountain system is larger. The Appalachians extend about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) between the Gaspe Peninsula in the Canadian province of Quebec and Birmingham, in central Alabama. The valleys of these mountains include important agricultural and recreational regions. The Appalachians are also a major source of mineral deposits.
The Appalachian Mountains were formed between about 435 million and 250 million years ago. The Appalachians are the oldest mountains in North America. The name Appalachian comes from the Apalachee Indians.
Physical features.
The chief ranges of the northern Appalachians include the Notre Dame Mountains in Quebec, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Green Mountains in Vermont, and the Catskill Mountains in New York.
Southwest of the Hudson River, the Appalachians are divided into three main sections—the Blue Ridge, the Great Valley, and the Ridge-and-Valley Province. The Blue Ridge has most of the Appalachians’ tallest mountains, including the tallest, Mount Mitchell. This peak rises 6,684 feet (2,037 meters) near Asheville, N.C.
North of Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains are separated into small sections by major valleys called water gaps and wind gaps. A water gap, such as the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a valley that has a river flowing through it. A wind gap is a dry valley. An example of a wind gap is the Cumberland Gap on the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Immediately west of the Blue Ridge is the Great Valley, which extends from the Hudson River Valley to Alabama. The Great Valley includes the Cumberland, Lebanon, and Lehigh valleys in Pennsylvania; the Cumberland Valley in Maryland; the Shenandoah Valley and the Valley of Virginia in Virginia; the Valley of East Tennessee; and the Coosa River Valley in Alabama.
West of the Great Valley is the Ridge-and-Valley Province, which consists of long, sharp ridges separated by narrow valleys. It is bordered on the west by the Cumberland and Allegheny mountains. North of central Virginia, the Alleghenies in the north and the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains in the south make the Appalachians one of the great divides of North America. This region separates rivers that empty into the Atlantic Ocean from those flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Economic importance.
Thousands of people in the Appalachians make their living in farming or mining. Farmers in the southern sections grow corn and tobacco and raise poultry. In the northern part of the Appalachians, the chief valley products are apples, barley, dairy foods, hay, potatoes, and wheat. Trees from the region, including hickories, maples, and oaks, are shipped to furniture makers in Hickory and High Point, N.C. Coal deposits cover tens of thousands of square miles in the Appalachians in Alabama, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Recreation and wildlife.
Rivers, lakes, and state and national parks provide a wide range of recreational opportunities in the Appalachians. During the winter, skiers from many states come to the northern Appalachians. Throughout the summer and fall, hikers walk along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the nation’s longest marked footpath. This trail extends about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) between Mount Katahdin in Maine and Springer Mountain in Georgia.
Many large mammals, including bears, bobcats, and deer, live in the Appalachians. Smaller mammals, such as raccoons and skunks, and reptiles are also plentiful.
A type of pollution called acid rain threatens wildlife in the region. Appalachian soils and lakes are naturally highly acidic because of the kinds of vegetation and bedrock (solid rock beneath the soil) found there. This acidic environment has been compounded by rain carrying sulfuric and nitric acid, which can harm plants and fish. The region is more seriously affected by acid rain than any other area in North America.
History.
The Appalachians were formed between about 435 million and 250 million years ago by a folding in the earth’s crust. During the late 1700’s, pioneers followed the Great Valley southward through the Appalachians to the Cumberland Gap and the Wilderness Road. Railroads began to transport settlers across the mountains in the 1840’s. In 1933, Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to control flooding and provide electric power to the southern Appalachians. The TVA has built dams and power plants and has planted forests to halt soil erosion.
