Essay Example on Exploring the Appalachian Mountains: An Ancient Landscape

The Appalachian Mountains are famous in the history and geography of the United States of America. The primary reason why they are this famous is that they are the oldest mountains in America. These mountains are located on the eastern part of the North American coastline (Sandra 15). It is said that the region where these mountains fall was created during the Paleozoic Period. Nevertheless, the current landform was created in the Cenozoic Period (Sandra 15). The mountains have an exciting characteristic as they form a strip of high plateaus and low lying areas. The reason behind this is denudation, which occurs due to erosion of the soil and weathering of the rocks for many years. The process of the denudation process moves several kilometers of the stones, which uncovers other sculptures of cliffs that deep underground (Sandra 15). As a result, the general appearance of this landform is high plateaus due to hard cliffs, and the soft boulder crumbled, which made them form low lying areas.

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The Appalachian Mountains have a variety of rocks. Some of the stones available here include sedimentary rocks that form the foundation and which are responsible for it slowly becoming smaller and breaking up. There are metamorphic rocks, a typical rock found as a result of tectonic plates moving, which leads to heat and pressure on the rocks. Another exciting feature of these mountains is the type of minerals that present here. They include salt, gypsum, and potash (Sandra 19). These minerals are distributed unevenly around the landform. I have not had any experience in this place; all I have is a reading experience from books and other sources such as the internet.

Some of the natural resources that one is likely to find here include water bodies such as river sources and forests, among others. These mountains create an excellent site for tourism where people visit to see these rocks and the hills, noting that they have rich geographical information. They also have a fascinating history of the eras they were formed and making them the oldest mountains in America (Sandra 15). To the people living near them, they enjoy the benefits of tourism that are associated with these mountains. There are other benefits that the people enjoy, such as a conducive climate for agriculture as well as fertile soil for farming.

The slopes of these mountains have fertile soils which attract farmers as their agriculture is well favored here. The climate around the mountains is cold and with adequate rains that are also necessary for agriculture (Sandra 20). Therefore the people around here benefit from these mountains in such ways. Additionally, some rivers have their source from the mountains, which makes the area to have an adequate water supply for their farms and other domestic uses. There are forests in the region, the people from these areas benefit from clean air, a good source of energy as well as a steady source of timber for construction and other activities.

However, the people living around these areas do not only enjoy the benefits, but they also suffer from specific problems ranging from health problems to environmental issues. Many diseases are affecting the trees. An example of these diseases is the Birch Bark disease. Additionally, the people around them are also suffering from conditions such as respiratory diseases that result from cold weather that is associated with the mountain climate. There are valleys as well that surround the mountains, which mainly consist of siltstones and shale. The top of these valleys are softer with eroded layers of rocks that crisscross several rivers (Sandra 15).

Work Cited

Clark, Sandra HB. Birth of the mountains: the geologic story of the southern Appalachian Mountains. US Government Printing Office, 2001.