Exploring the geology of the Carolinas : a field guide to favorite places from Chimney Rock to Charleston

cover image

Where to find it

Davis Library (8th floor)

Call Number
QE627.5.N8 S74 2007 c. 5
Status
Checked Out (Due 3/24/2024)
Call Number
QE627.5.N8 S74 2007 c. 4
Status
Available

North Carolina Botanical Garden Library

Call Number
QE627.5.N8 S74 2007
Status
In-Library Use Only

North Carolina Collection (Wilson Library)

Call Number
C550 S851e
Status
In-Library Use Only
Call Number
C550 S851e c. 2
Status
Available

Kenan Science Library — Remote Storage

Call Number
QE627.5.N8 S74 2007 c. 3
Status
Checked Out (Due 3/21/2024)

Undergrad Library

Call Number
QE627.5.N8 S74 2007 c. 6
Status
Available

Summary

How 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

  • Preface p. ix
  • Acknowledgments p. xi
  • How to Use this Book p. xiii
  • 1 The Changing Face of the Carolinas over Geologic Time p. 1
  • 2 How to Read Rocks p. 6
  • 3 Adding to the Body of Geologic Knowledge p. 18
  • 4 Geologic Time p. 27
  • 5 The Geologic History of the Carolinas p. 31
  • Field Trips: Map of the field-trip locations p. 46
  • The Blue Ridge
  • 6 Chimney Rock Park: Stretched, Folded, Cracked, and Faulted p. 49
  • 7 DuPont State Forest: Waterfalls Galore p. 56
  • 8 Whiteside Mountain: A Geologic Puzzle p. 62
  • 9 Grandfather Mountain: From Valley to Peak in 750 Million Years p. 68
  • 10 Linville Falls: Falls, Faults, and Geologic Windows p. 75
  • 11 Mount Mitchell State Park: Which Peak Is the Tallest and Why p. 81
  • 12 Stone Mountain State Park: A Beautiful Bare Mountain p. 90
  • 13 Woodall Shoals: Beautiful Rocks That Have Been Through a Lot p. 97
  • 14 Caesars Head and Table Rock State Parks: The View from the Blue Ridge Escarpment p. 102
  • The Piedmont
  • 15 South Mountains State Park: Stuck between a Continent and a Hard Place p. 113
  • 16 Crowders Mountain State Park: A Mountain of Quartz and Blue Daggers p. 121
  • 17 Reed Gold Mine: The Glory Days of Gold p. 127
  • 18 Pilot Mountain State Park: Beach Sands in a Mountain p. 135
  • 19 Morrow Mountain State Park: A Beautiful Quarry p. 143
  • 20 Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area: A Mine with a View p. 151
  • 21 The Museum of Life and Science and Penny's Bend: Diabase Sills in the Durham Triassic Basin p. 156
  • 22 Landsford Canal State Park: Transportation and Geology p. 164
  • 23 The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: Gems and Meteorites p. 170
  • 24 Raven Rock State Park: Everything's Happening at the Fall Zone p. 178
  • 25 Medoc Mountain State Park: Granite and Grapes p. 185
  • 26 Forty Acre Rock: The Battle between Rock and the Forces of Erosion p. 190
  • The Coastal Plain
  • 27 The Roanoke River: From the Mountains to the Sea p. 199
  • 28 Sugarloaf Mountain in Sand Hills State Forest: Sand and Longleaf p. 208
  • 29 Cliffs of the Neuse State Park: Under the Sea p. 215
  • 30 Santee State Park: Mule-Eating Sinkholes p. 220
  • 31 Jones Lake State Park: The Mystery of the Carolina Bays p. 224
  • 32 Flanner Beach: The Rise and Fall of Sea Level p. 232
  • 33 Jockey's Ridge State Park: A Mountain of Sand p. 238
  • 34 Oregon Inlet: The Fickle Nature of Barrier Islands and Inlets p. 247
  • 35 Carolina Beach State Park: Sugarloaf, Shells, and Sinkholes p. 254
  • 36 Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site: The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 p. 260
  • Glossary p. 267
  • Additional Resources p. 281
  • Index p. 285

Other details