Transcript North-Carolina

North Carolina Geology
NC FACTS
 Largest Emerald ever found was from
Rite Mine in NC, it was 13.14 carats
 Mt. Mitchell, found in the Black
Mountains of NC is the highest peak
East of the Mississippi (6,684 feet)
 The first GOLD rush was in NC prior to
the 1849 California gold rush
 NC was the first state to complete a
geological survey
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Carolina Queen
Emerald
3 parts to our state
NC is divided into 3 parts
• Blue Ridge
• Piedmont (we live here)
• Coastal Plains
– Each part of the state is distinctive and
has different mineral content as well as
land formation
The Appalachian
Mountains
• This mountain chain stretches from Maine to
Alabama and was formed over 480 million years
ago.
• Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina,
New Jersey, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West
Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New
Hampshire and Maine, as well as and several
Canadian territories. The mountain range is
approximately 2,000 miles long
Appalachian Mountains
• These mountains are formed from folded marine
sediments
• Geologically, these areas are very distinct. The northern
Appalachians and the African side of the Appalachians
are known as the Crystalline Appalachians due to the
large quantity of crystalline igneous and metamorphic
rock found in these regions, The west side of the
Appalachians is composed of sedimentary rock rich in
coal and fossil fuels formed when that region was an
ancient shallow ocean.
The beginning of a Mountain
• 750 Million years ago the
supercontinent Pangaea begin to break
apart.
• As Pangaea started breaking apart, a
deep basin formed along present day
Western Carolina, Northern Georgia
and Eastern Tennessee
• This basin known as Ocoee filled with
sea water creating a shallow ocean.
Appalachian Mountains
• Roughly 480 million years ago the
United States in present day Virginia
and the Carolinas Volcanic eruptions
helped to erode and place the sediment
for what would be the base of the
Appalachians
The North America and African
plates pushed towards each other
roughly 470 million years ago.
When they collided the marine
sediment covered crust was
pushed up and folded mountains
were created
After the collision the
North American plate
and African plate
moved away from each
other, they continue
this movement based
on the mid-Atlantic
Ocean Ridge
The Foothills
• As erosion worked on the
Appalachian mountain chain
to create the foothills of NC.
• The Appalachians were once
the size of the Rockies
Erosion
• Erosion is the removal of weathered
material from one location to another
• What are the four main agents of erosion?
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Water
Wind
Ice/Glaciers
Gravity
Glaciers in NC
• While glaciers from the North Pole
moved down the North American
continent they did not actually change
the landscape of North Carolina, but
glaciers did trigger climate changes
that can be seen in the rocks and
animals that live in our state today,
based on the geological record.
Geo- Hazards
Geo – Hazards
• A geo – hazard is defined as a
geological state that represents or
has the potential to develop further
into a situation leading to damage
or uncontrolled risk
Avalanche
• is a sudden, drastic flow of snow down
a slope, occurring when either natural
triggers, such as loading from new
snow or rain, or artificial triggers, such
as snowmobilers, explosives or
backcountry skiers, overload the
snowpack
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0RWLxOFGLY
Land slide
• A landslide or landslip is a geological
phenomenon which includes a wide range
of ground movement, such as rock falls,
deep failure of slopes and shallow debris
flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal
and onshore environments. land slide
Mud Slide
• A mudslide is the most rapid (up
to 80 km/h, or 50 mph) and fluid
type of downhill mass wasting. It
is a rapid movement of a large
mass of mud formed from loose
soil and water.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nONIiOgJcok
Rock slide
• A rockslide is a type of landslide
caused by rock failure in which
part of the plane of failure passes
through intact rock and where
material collapses en masse and
not in individual blocks
Flash Flood
• A flash flood is a rapid flooding of
geomorphic low-lying areas—washes,
rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be
caused by heavy rain associated with a
storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or
meltwater from ice or snow flowing over
ice sheets or snowfields.
Earth Quakes
• An earthquake (also known as a quake,
tremor or temblor) is the result of a
sudden release of energy in the Earth's
crust that creates seismic waves. The
seismicity or seismic activity of an area
refers to the frequency, type and size of
earthquakes experienced over a period of
time.
Volcanic Eruptions
• During a volcanic eruption, lava,
tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic
bombs and blocks), and various
gases are expelled from a
volcanic vent or fissure
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