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Geology. Blue Ridge Mountains, viewed from Chimney Rock Mountain Overlook in North Carolina. Most of the rocks that form the Blue Ridge Mountains are ancient granitic charnockites, metamorphosed volcanic formations, and sedimentary limestone.
- United States
- Appalachian Mountains
- 6,684 ft (2,037 m)
- Mount Mitchell
The Blue Ridge, part of the Appalachian range, was created by the uplifting of the Earth’s tectonic plates 1.1 billion to 250 million years ago. At over 1 billion years of age, the Blue Ridge Mountains are among the oldest in the world, second only to South Africa’s Barberton greenstone belt.
Also called: Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge, segment of the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. The mountains extend southwestward for 615 miles (990 km) from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, through parts of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, to Mount Oglethorpe, Georgia.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Appalachian Culture Guide
- A Brief Appalachian History
- Appalachian People
- Poverty in Appalachia
- Appalachian Culture
Appalachian HistoryAppalachian PeoplePoverty in AppalachiaAppalachian CultureNative Americans first began to gather in the Appalachian Mountains some 16,000 years ago. Cherokee Indians were the main Native American group of the Southern Appalachian and Blue Ridge region, but there were also Iroquois, Powhatan, and Shawnee people. The arrival of enslaved Africans in the area dates back to the 16th century. These two groups b...
Appalachia was comprised of a complex mix of ethnic groups. The one common trait that bound them all together is that they were used to working hard and being self-reliant. So they had the intestinal fortitude it took to rough it out in the backcountry of the rugged Blue Ridge mountains.
History of Poverty in Appalachia
The prevalence of Appalachian poverty came to broader attention in 1940, when James Still’s novel River of Earth(which documented Appalachia during the Great Depression) was published. But by that point, the people of Appalachia had already been suffering for decades. In retrospect, it seemed that the original settlers’ core values of freedom, self-reliance, and a unique inidividual identity eventually put Appalachian people at odds with the advancements of modern life. Isolation, and a fear...
Appalachian Stereotypes
We all know the stereotypes of Appalachian people as “poor white trash.” Inbreds, yokels, hicks, and rednecks are just a few of the common slurs that have been used over the last century (though some country folk reclaimed the last one as a point of pride, seeing it as a reflection of their humble lifestyle and hard work ethic). These stereotypes are not only largely incorrect, but they’re also highly offensive to the people of Appalachia. Especially when the region has been such a rich melti...
Appalachian Art & Crafts
We’ve reiterated multiple times throughout this story how important self-sufficiency has always been to Appalachian people. So perhaps it’s no surprise that arts and crafts in Appalachia originally came out of necessity. Handmade quilts, coverlets, pottery, wood carvings, and woven baskets were beautiful and often displayed in the home. But they also served a more functional purpose than mere décor. The use of natural dyes and natural materials (as well as whatever scraps of fabric they had o...
Appalachian Folklore
Christianity has been the predominant religion in Appalachia ever since European immigration to the area began in the 1700s. These Christian influences blended with traditional European (i.e. pagan) and Native American spiritual beliefs, creating a unique blend of folklore and mythologyin Appalachia. The Cherokee brought their reverence for nature and knowledge of native plants, herbs, and animals, influencing local practices for centuries. Cherokee folklore influenced Appalachian storytellin...
Appalachian Literature
Storytelling plays an essential role in Appalachian culture, which was historically passed down orally. These oral traditions no doubt influenced later literature. Early literature on the region included observations by famous icons, like Thomas Jefferson and Davy Crockett. But for many years it was primarily outsiders giving their perspectives on the wilderness of Appalachia. Then in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more and more Appalachian authors started giving their perspectives o...
Nov 3, 2006 · The geology and topography of the Blue Ridge are the results of mountain-building processes that began more than 500 million years ago.
European settlers began to arrive in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the early 18th century, drawn by the promise of fertile land and abundant resources. As the settlers moved in, tensions between the Native Americans and Europeans increased, culminating in a series of conflicts and forced relocations of the indigenous tribes.
Jan 31, 2019 · The Blue Ridge Mountains as we see them today are a result of several major geologic events. Initially, tectonic plates drifting together over time caused continental collisions during the Grenville orogeny and produced the supercontinent Rodinia around 1 billion years ago.