Blue Ridge Mountains facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue Ridge Mountains |
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Mitchell |
| Elevation | 6,684 ft (2,037 m) |
| Geography | |
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| Country | United States |
| Parent range | Appalachian Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Grenville orogeny |
| Type of rock | granite, gneiss and limestone |
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a famous mountain range in the Eastern United States. They are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains. This range stretches about 550 miles (885 km) from southern Pennsylvania all the way down to Georgia.
These mountains get their name because they often look bluish from a distance. This blue color comes from tiny particles released by the trees into the air. These particles create a special haze that makes the mountains appear blue.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to two major national parks: Shenandoah National Park in the north and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the south. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful road that connects these two parks. It winds for 469 miles (755 km) along the mountain tops. The famous Appalachian Trail also follows these ridges.
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Exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a big part of the Appalachian Mountains. They stretch from Georgia in the south to Pennsylvania in the north. Even though they are called "Blue Ridge," this area includes many other mountain ranges. Some of these are the Great Smoky Mountains and the Black Mountains.
In some areas, like North Carolina, there are also lower hills called "foothills." These are like smaller parts of the Blue Ridge.
The Blue Ridge Mountains have some of the tallest peaks in eastern North America. About 125 mountains here are taller than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). The highest peak in the entire Appalachian chain is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. It stands tall at 6,684 feet (2,037 meters).
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a popular scenic road. It runs for 469 miles (755 km) along the southern Appalachian peaks. Along this road, you can see ancient rocks that look like swirled marble cake. These rocks have been folded and changed over millions of years.
How the Mountains Were Formed
The rocks that make up the Blue Ridge Mountains are incredibly old. Most of them are types of granite and gneiss. These rocks were formed deep inside the Earth a very long time ago.
Scientists have studied these rocks to learn about their history. They found that the Blue Ridge Mountains were formed during a huge event called the Grenville orogeny. This was a time when continents collided, pushing up massive mountain ranges.
When the Blue Ridge Mountains first formed, they were among the tallest mountains in the world. They might have been as high as the Alps are today! But over hundreds of millions of years, wind, rain, and ice have worn them down. This process, called erosion, has made them much shorter than they once were.
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, Native American tribes lived at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Groups like the Siouan Manahoacs, the Iroquois, and the Shawnee hunted and fished in these lands.
In the late 1600s, a German explorer named John Lederer was one of the first Europeans to reach the top of the Blue Ridge. He even wrote down the Native American name for the mountains, which was Ahkonshuck.
Later, in the early 1700s, there were agreements between the colonists and the Iroquois. These agreements, like the Treaty of Albany, set the Blue Ridge Mountains as a boundary. However, colonists soon began to move across the mountains. This led to new agreements, like the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744, which changed the land boundaries.
Plants and Animals of the Blue Ridge
Plants
The Blue Ridge Mountains are covered in forests. Most of these are oak and hickory forests. You can also find different kinds of grass, shrubs, and pine trees.
Even though these mountains are tall, the weather is not cold enough for an "alpine zone." This is a special area above the tree line where no trees can grow. In the Blue Ridge, trees grow all the way to the top of the highest peaks. The highest parts of the mountains have thick forests of spruce and fir trees.
Animals
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to many different animals. Here are some of them:
- Many kinds of amphibians and reptiles
- The Ocoee salamander
- Lots of different fish species, some found only here
- American black bear
- Songbirds and other birds
- Bobcat
- Coyote
- Red fox
- Gray fox
- Grouse
- North American River Otter
- Whitetail deer
- Wild boar
- Wild turkey
Cities in the Blue Ridge
Many towns and cities are located in or near the Blue Ridge Mountains. The largest city directly in the mountains is Roanoke, in Southwest Virginia. The biggest metropolitan area is the Greenville area in Upstate South Carolina.
Other important cities in the Blue Ridge Mountains include:
See also
In Spanish: Cordillera Azul (Estados Unidos) para niños
- Appalachian balds
- Appalachian bogs
- Appalachian temperate rainforest
- Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
- Cove (Appalachian Mountains)
- Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains
- Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition by John R. Finger
- Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
