The Time Before at a Glance:
Over a billion years ago, the Earth's landmass consisted of one continent known as Rodina. Rodina was fractured as the continental crust pulled apart approximately 750 million years ago. The processes of the continental crust being pulled apart generated enormous amounts of heat, melting rock and causing volcanic eruptions.
The crust being pulled apart also created the Ocoee Basin. The Ocoee Basin made up what is today Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Northern Georgia. The Ocoee Basin was the mother of all sinkholes and a major collection point of sediments from many ancient rivers for about 200 million years. Roughly around the time the basin quit sinking, the Lapetus Ocean was formed to the east of the basin.
The Lapetus Ocean ceased to exist about 270 million years ago, as portions of modern-day Africa, then Gondwana crashed into North America in the making of the continent Pangea. Pangea had been a long time in the making as the continental crust switched direction again about 470 million years ago. In Pangea's formation, violent crashes between the previous continents pushed older rocks over newer rock layers forming the Appalachian Mountains. Before millions of years of erosion, the Appalachians in their youth were thought to be as tall as the Rockies, maybe even the Himalayan Mountains. Like Rodina and the continents that followed, Pangea was torn apart when the crust shifted direction eventually forming the continents as they are for now.
During the Pleistocene Era, the glaciers did not push this far south, but the glaciers' close proximity had a profound effect on the Southern Appalachians' climate. The Ice Age pushed a variety of flora and fauna species from what is today Canada into the region. Many of these species continue to survive and have become a part of the many micro-ecosystems that form the mountains. Among the best examples is the eerie red spruce forest the AT travels through near Carver's Gap on Roan Mountain.
*Please Note: I am not a professional historian or subject-matter expert, esp. in regards to geological time, I am an enthusiast. The above work is not properly cited and is not an academic work (best to read it here, than in red ink from a professor or teacher). The time periods described by this site were researched from a variety of sources linked below and on the additional resources page. I think the information is accurate as a general history and a good starting point in understanding the region and providing a bit of context to the area's hikes.
Further Links:
Birth of the Mountains PDF
Appalachian Geology PPT PDF
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Geology
USGS: Mt LeConte
Movement of Continental Plates PDF
Over a billion years ago, the Earth's landmass consisted of one continent known as Rodina. Rodina was fractured as the continental crust pulled apart approximately 750 million years ago. The processes of the continental crust being pulled apart generated enormous amounts of heat, melting rock and causing volcanic eruptions.
The crust being pulled apart also created the Ocoee Basin. The Ocoee Basin made up what is today Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Northern Georgia. The Ocoee Basin was the mother of all sinkholes and a major collection point of sediments from many ancient rivers for about 200 million years. Roughly around the time the basin quit sinking, the Lapetus Ocean was formed to the east of the basin.
The Lapetus Ocean ceased to exist about 270 million years ago, as portions of modern-day Africa, then Gondwana crashed into North America in the making of the continent Pangea. Pangea had been a long time in the making as the continental crust switched direction again about 470 million years ago. In Pangea's formation, violent crashes between the previous continents pushed older rocks over newer rock layers forming the Appalachian Mountains. Before millions of years of erosion, the Appalachians in their youth were thought to be as tall as the Rockies, maybe even the Himalayan Mountains. Like Rodina and the continents that followed, Pangea was torn apart when the crust shifted direction eventually forming the continents as they are for now.
During the Pleistocene Era, the glaciers did not push this far south, but the glaciers' close proximity had a profound effect on the Southern Appalachians' climate. The Ice Age pushed a variety of flora and fauna species from what is today Canada into the region. Many of these species continue to survive and have become a part of the many micro-ecosystems that form the mountains. Among the best examples is the eerie red spruce forest the AT travels through near Carver's Gap on Roan Mountain.
*Please Note: I am not a professional historian or subject-matter expert, esp. in regards to geological time, I am an enthusiast. The above work is not properly cited and is not an academic work (best to read it here, than in red ink from a professor or teacher). The time periods described by this site were researched from a variety of sources linked below and on the additional resources page. I think the information is accurate as a general history and a good starting point in understanding the region and providing a bit of context to the area's hikes.
Further Links:
Birth of the Mountains PDF
Appalachian Geology PPT PDF
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Geology
USGS: Mt LeConte
Movement of Continental Plates PDF
Gray Fossil Site
Miocene Era Fossil Site- circa 5 million years ago
A large fossil site was discovered near Daniel Boone High School on the outskirts of Gray, TN in 2000 during a road construction project. Early in the discovery, the site was thought to be an Ice Age site until the remains of an alligator was discovered. With the discovery of the alligator and through relative dating techniques, the Gray Fossil Site has been determined to be from the Miocene Era and is approximately five million years old. Evidence strongly confirms the area was a wetland and also a sink hole which explains why the site is so rich with bones. The Gray Fossil Site speaks to a time long before humans entered the American Continent and well after the age of Dinosaurs. Besides the alligator, rhinos, red Pandas, smilodon are among the ancient mammals discovered at the site. Gray has the largest amount of tapir finds in the world. The Natural History Museum also brings in other exhibits. When I visited the Fossil Site, the museum had an exhibit on dinosaur eggs. When my friend took his daughter sometime ago, the museum had an exhibit simulating the excavation of a dinosaur. The Site does have a fee for admission. Further information including prices can be found by clicking the link below. Further Links: Gray Fossil Site & Natural History Museum TN Division of Geology: Gray Fossil Site |
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The Lost Sea
Pleistocene Era: circa 20,000 years ago
In 1939, fossilized bones and tracks of a prehistoric jaguar from the Pleistocene era were found in Craighead Caverns (aka The Lost Sea). Some of the bones are on display in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Further Links: The Lost Sea Adventure |
Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park
1 - 500 CE (approximate)
The Pinson Mounds were discovered in the 1820s by a surveying crew. The mounds are named after Joel Pinson, one of the surveyors who discovered the mounds. The Archaeological Park is the largest mound site discovered for the Middle Woodland Period (200 BCE - 400 CE) and dates from approximately 001 - 500 CE. The Native American society who built these mounds disappeared long before Europeans discovered the continent. The large mounds are believed to have been used for religious ceremonies. The smaller mounds were used for burials. I discuss the Pinson Mounds further in the Tennessee State Parks located here. Further Links: Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park Link Tennessee Encyclopedia: Pinson Mounds by Robert Mainfort Jr and Mary Kwas |
Long Island of the Holston
Further information on the Long Island of the Holston can be found in The First Frontier. Human interaction with the Long Island of the Holston reaches back to a time before European Explorers and European Settlers, even before the Cherokee. The Cherokee considered Long Island a sacred place and they used the island for negotiations with other peoples.
Further Links: NPS.gov: Long Island of Holston Discover Kingsport: Cherokee - Long Island - Kingsport Tennessee Encyclopedia: Long Island of Holston by Patricia Bernard Ezzell |