What Next

Today, the age-old processes continue. Long after we have lived our lives, these sediments will become layers of rock that might again be uplifted into new mountains. At some time in the far future, they may become the host rock for new mineral deposits, or they may be invaded by molten rock. Processes acting upon these materials may move them great distances from their place of origin.

While we don't know the fate of rocks not yet formed, we do know that on this dynamic Earth, the one characteristic that we can count on, even though we may not perceive it in our lifetime, is change.

Our brief summary of the geologic history of the southern Appalachian Mountains should be viewed as only a starting point. We have included a list of published books and papers for further reading to guide those readers interested in delving deeper.

General

Carpenter, P.A., III, 1989, A geologic guide to North Carolina’s State Parks: North Carolina Geological Survey Bulletin 91, 69 p.

Carter, M. W., Merschat, C. E., and Wilson, W. F. 1999. A geologic adventure along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. North Carolina Geological Survey Bulletin 98, 60 p.

Cox, W.E., 1998, Great Smoky Mountains: The story behind the scenery (6th printing): Las Vegas, Nev., K.C. Publications, 48 p.

Daniels, Karen, 1992, Tennessee’s historic Copper Basin area: An overview: Benton, Tenn., Polk County Publishing, 20 p.

DeLaughter, Jerry, 1986, Mountain roads and quiet places—A complete guide to the roads of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Gatlinburg, Tenn., Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 96 p.

Ehle, John, 1988, Trail of Tears—The rise and fall of the Cherokee Nation: New York, Anchor Books, Doubleday, 420 p.

Logue, Frank, Louge, Victoria, and Blouin, Nicole, 1997, A guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway: Birmingham, Ala., Menasha Ridge Press, 154 p.

Moore, H.L., 1992, A roadside guide to the geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Knoxville, Tenn., University of Tennessee Press, 178 p.

King, D.H., comp., 1988, Cherokee heritage: Cherokee, N.C., Cherokee Communications, 128 p.

Perdue, Theda, 1989, The Cherokee: New York/Philadelphia, Chelsea House Publishers, 111 p.

Rona, P.A., 1992, Deep-sea geysers: National Geographic, v. 182, no. 4, p. 104-109.

Rouse, Parke, Jr., 1995, The great wagon road from Philadelphia to the South: Richmond, Va., The Dietz Press, 292 p.

Schultz, A.P., 1998, Geologic map of the Mount Le Conte 7.5-minute quadrangle, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-32, 10 p. and map, scale 1:24,000.

Schultz, A.P., and Seal, R.R., II, 1997, Geology and geologic history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park—A simple guide for the interpretive program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-510, 5 p.

Schultz, Art, and Southworth, Scott, 2000, Geology, Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, geologic map and text.

Shelton, Napier, 1981, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee: National Park Service Handbook 112, 125 p.

Walker, S.L., 1991, Great Smoky Mountains: The splendor of the Southern Appalachians: Charlottesville, Va., Elan Publishing, 63 p.

Williams, David, 1993, The Georgia gold rush: Columbia, S.C., University of South Carolina Press, 178 p.

Technical

Clark, S.H.B., Spanski, G.T., Hadley, D.G., and Hofstra, A.H., 1993, Geology and mineral resource potential of the Chattanooga 1° x 2° quadrangle, Tennessee and North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2005, 35 p.

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Merschat, C.E., Milici, R.C., and Wiener, L.S., 1978, A structural transect in the Southern Appalachians, Tennessee and North Carolina, in Milici, R.C., chairman, Field trips in the Southern Appalachians: Tennessee Division of Geology Report of Investigations. No. 37, p. 6-51.

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Thomas, W.A., and Viele, G.W., eds., 1989, The Appalachian-Ouachita Orogen in the United States; The geology of North America, v. F-2: Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America, 767 p.

Horton, J.W., Jr., and Zullo, V.A., eds., 1991, The geology of the Carolinas: Knoxville, Tenn., The University of Tennessee Press, 406 p.

King, P.B., Neuman, R.B., and Hadley, J.B., 1968, Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 587, 23 p.

Koschmann, A.H., and Bergendahl, M.H., 1968, Principal gold-producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.

Rankin, D.W., Drake, A.A., Jr., and Ratcliffe, N.M., 1989, Geologic map of the U.S. Appalachians showing the Laurentian Margin and the Taconic Orogen, in Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Thomas, W.A., and Viele, G.W., eds., The Appalachian-Ouachita Orogen in the United States; The geology of North America, v. F-2: Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America, pl. 2.

Rast, Nicholas, 1989, The evolution of the Appalachian chain, in Bally, A.W., and Palmer, A.R., eds., The geology of North America—An overview; The geology of North America, v. A: Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America, p. 323-348.

Robinson, G.R., Jr., Lesure, F.G., Marlow, J.I., Foley, N.K., and Clark, S.H.B., 1991, Bedrock geology and mineral resources of the Knoxville 1° x 2° quadrangle, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1979, 73 p.

Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Cooperative, 1996, The Southern Appalachian assessment, summary report: U.S. Department of Agriculture, v. 1, 118 p.

Southworth, Scott, 1995, Preliminary geologic map of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park within the Fontana Dam and Tuskeegee quadrangles, Swain County, North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-264, 33 p.

Speed, R.C., ed., 1994, Phanerozoic evolution of North American continent-ocean transitions: Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America, 504 p.

U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1968, Mineral resources of the Appalachian region: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 580, 492 p.

Wooten, R. M., Carter, M. W., and Merschat, C. E. 2003. Geology of Gorges State Park. North Carolina Geological Survey, Information Circular 31, 60 p.