Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to CharlestonHow were the Appalachian Mountains formed? Are the barrier islands moving? Is there gold in the Carolinas? The answers to these questions and many more appear in this reader-friendly guide to the geology of North Carolina and South Carolina. Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas pairs a brief geological history of the region with 31 field trips to easily accessible, often familiar sites in both states where readers can observe firsthand the evidence of geologic change found in rocks, river basins, mountains, waterfalls, and coastal land formations. Geologist Kevin Stewart and science writer Mary-Russell Roberson begin by explaining techniques geologists use to "read" rocks, the science of plate tectonics, and the formation of the Carolinas. The field trips that follow are arranged geographically by region, from the Blue Ridge to the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain. Richly illustrated and accompanied by a helpful glossary of geologic terms, this field guide is a handy and informative carry-along for hikers, tourists, teachers, and families--anyone interested in the science behind the sights at their favorite Carolina spots. Includes field trips to: Grandfather Mountain, N.C. Linville Falls, N.C. Caesars Head State Park, S.C. Reed Gold Mine, N.C. Pilot Mountain State Park, N.C. Raven Rock State Park, N.C. Sugarloaf Mountain, S.C. Santee State Park, S.C. Jockey's Ridge State Park, N.C. Carolina Beach State Park, N.C. and 21 more sites in the Carolinas! Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press |
Contents
The Changing Face of the Carolinas over Geologic Time | 1 |
How to Read Rocks | 6 |
Adding to the Body of Geologic Knowledge | 18 |
Copyright | |
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accretionary wedge barrier islands basalt bedrock Black Mountains Blue Ridge escarpment Caesars Head called Cape Fear Caro Carolina Beach Chapter cliffs Coastal Plain collided with Laurentia continent County cracks Crowders Mountain crystals deposited dune earth earthquake edge eroded erosion feet feldspar FIGURE folds foliation forest Forty Acre Rock fossils geologic geologists gneiss gold Gondwana Gondwanan terranes grains Grandfather Mountain granite igneous rock Inlet Jockey's Ridge kyanite Lake Laurentia layers Linville Falls Location and Access longleaf look magma Medoc Mountain metamorphic rock metamorphosed meteorite mica miles miles/8 kilometers million years ago minerals Morrow Mountain Mount Mitchell Mountain State Park Neuse North America North Carolina oceanic crust outcrop Pangea peaks Piedmont Piedmont terrane Pilot Mountain plate boundary quartz quartzite rhyolite river Roanoke Rodinia sand schist sea level sedimentary rocks sediments South Stone Mountain stream subduction surface Taconic orogeny tectonic thrust fault trail volcanoes weathering wind