TheAppalachian Plateau is a series of ruggeddissected plateaus located on the western side of theAppalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains are a range that run from Nova Scotia in Canada to Alabama in the United States.
The Appalachian Plateau is the northwestern part of theAppalachian Highlands physiographic division of the United States,[1] stretching fromNew York state toAlabama. The plateau is a second levelUnited States physiographic region, covering parts of the states of New York,Pennsylvania,Ohio,Maryland,West Virginia,Virginia,Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama, andGeorgia.
The formation of the plateau began during thePaleozoic Era. Regional uplift during this time caused the area to rise altogether without changing the topography of the land. The eastern side of the plateau appears as a mountain range. This false appearance is due to a very steep slope on the eastern side known as theAllegheny Front. The eastern edge is the highest part of the Appalachian Plateau. InPennsylvania, the elevation ranges from 1,750 to 3,000 feet and continues to rise towardWest Virginia, where the elevation is around 4,800 feet. From West Virginia toTennessee, the elevation lowers to 3,000 feet and continues slanting downward to 1,000 feet inAlabama. On the western side of the plateau, the elevation is 1500 feet inOhio, increasing to about 4000 feet inKentucky. From Kentucky the elevation drops down to 2000 feet in northwestern Alabama. The plateau has a slight slant towards the northwest, making it higher on the eastern side.[2]
A large portion of the plateau is a coalfield, which was formed approximately 320 million years ago during thePennsylvanian Age.[3] The plateau was subjected to glaciation during thePleistocene ice age. As a result, the topography of this section of the plateau is relatively flat in comparison to the rest of the physiographic province. This portion of the plateau is marked with evidence of a glaciated past includingbogs, lakes, and small hills of sand and gravel. The topography of the rest of the plateau was created mainly from streamerosion. The result is a rugged landscape, unlike many other plateaus, that includes many narrow stream valleys surrounded by steep ridges.[4]
The region in Kentucky is known as theEastern Kentucky Coalfield. It includes 35 counties and covers around 30% of Kentucky's land. Major sections include theAllegheny Plateau, theCumberland Plateau and theCumberland Mountains, with the highest peaks located in the Cumberland Mountains.[5]
Aphysiographic region is a large portion of land that is grouped by several factors. Each region has similar geology,topography, and groups of plants and animals. There are eight physiographic regions in theUnited States. Each region is divided into provinces, there are 25 provinces in the United States. Each region is then divided into sections, creating 85 different physiographic sections in the United States. The Appalachian Plateau is a province of the physiographic region of theAppalachian Highlands. The Appalachian Plateau province is divided into seven physiographic sections: Mohawk,Catskill, SouthernNew York,Allegheny Mountains,Kanawha,Cumberland Plateau, and theCumberland Mountains. Each section is classified under the Appalachian Plateau province because of its similarities in geologic makeup, topography, and wildlife. Likewise, the Appalachian Plateau falls under the classification of Appalachian Highlands because of those similar characteristics.[6]
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The rock underlying the Appalachian Plateau consists of a base ofPrecambrian rock, overlain bysedimentary rock from thePaleozoic Era. On top of the basement is a thick layer, approximately 20,000 feet, of a mixture ofCambrian,Ordovician, and MiddleSilurian rock. This rock consists ofshale,siltstone, andsandstone. Above this layer is theUpper Silurianevaporatebasin, or basin of chemically formed sedimentary rocks. The Plateau fold belt consists of structurally complex Paleozoic strata which werethrust faulted over the younger evaporates.[7]
When the Appalachian mountains were formed, the plateau was lifted. Ridges and valleys all die down underneath the plateau. There are multiple valleys throughout the region which consist of exposed areas of limestone and shale.[7]
Archaeologists have evidence thatNative Americans in the United States lived in the Appalachian region more than 12,000 years ago; however, it is hard to say exactly when the occupants first inhabited the land. Human artifacts were collected near theMeadowcroft Rockshelter in southernPennsylvania that were at least 16,000 years old. Because the early Native Americans were hunter-gatherers living off the land, they left little material traces of their lives behind them. This is why it is so hard for researchers to determine when they settled in this area. Much like many historic Native American tribes, the early Appalachian inhabitants survived as nomads, following their food on a seasonal basis.[8]
Around this period, North America was still recuperating from itslast glacial period, and the climate was very different from the present. The climate and habitat more closely resembled atundra, with lower temperatures, numerous conifer trees, and large mammals, such as mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. Eventually, the climate began to warm up again, the large mammals started to disappear, and the vegetation seen more often today began to flourish. These climatic changes made life more sustainable for the Native Americans. They continued to invent new weapons and made advancements in agriculture until the Europeans arrived in North America.[8]
Europeans settled in North America beginning in the seventeenth century. In 1749, Jacob Martin and Steven Sewell were the first Europeans known to settle the Appalachian Plateau, specifically in what is nowPocahontas County, West Virginia. European colonization and competition with the Native Americans resulted in high mortality due to new diseases, as well as more deaths and social disruption due to warfare. After pushing out the Native Americans, the European American settlers developed much of this land for agriculture.[8]
From 1861 to 1865, the Appalachian Plateau suffered from theAmerican Civil War, but in comparison to many other parts of the country, little damage was done. During the war, Union forces gained control over a majority of the plateau, and afterwards that possession was not challenged. Only three noteworthy battles occurred in the plateau region during the war, so not much of the land was destroyed.[8]
After the war, thecoal industry boomed. Many counties in the Appalachian Plateau region, such asMcDowell County, West Virginia, became dominated by coal mining. Coal mining towns were created, and many immigrants were attracted to the region for work. Although mining was good for the economy, deaths were high in the harsh work of the mines. Among the terrible coal incidents was theMonongah mining disaster of 1907.[8]
Protecting the Appalachian Region from damage of human influence has been important in the modern era. Conservationists have been fighting to preserve the wildlife in theAppalachia region. The region has proved that with good care, the flora and fauna can be very resilient. However, back in 1890, the destruction of the Appalachian region's forest was at full-scale with the invention of the railroad, saw-mills, and clear-cutting of trees. This caused major flooding and wildfires to the region and destroyed keystone species across the region. Realizing that the destruction of the forest was becoming a major issue, the government passed theWeeks Act of 1911, which allowed the federal government to purchase private land in order to protect rivers and watersheds in the eastern United States.
The first purchase under this act was thePisgah National Forest. In 1964, theWilderness Act expanded protections for millions of acres of federal land, such as theShining Rock andLinville Gorge. The 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act created expanded protected areas in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Today, close to 21% of the region is protected. Conservation groups that are dedicated to preserving the Appalachian Plateau region include the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition and the Northern Forest Alliance. Ultimately, experts and researchers say the best way to continue protecting the Appalachian region is to incorporate conservation into public education so that people understand and support the benefits of conserving the lands.[9]
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The Appalachian region is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life due to its vast array of climate and conditions giving the Appalachian Plateau region great biodiversity. To the north are many conifers, such asred spruce andbalsam fir which can be seen growing at the northernmost latitudes of the Appalachian region. In the northern sections of the plateau at lower elevations you can findnorthern hardwoods, such assugar maple andwhite oak. In southern Appalachia, growth ofsycamore,walnut, andhickory trees are common. It is estimated that there is around 2,000 species of flora within the Appalachia region. Flowers vary due to elevation and climate of the area of Appalachia region. Different types of flowers in the northern and southern sections of the Appalachia. Flowers such asrhododendron,azalea andmountain laurel can be found in southern regions while up north trees will bearserviceberry,redbud,sourwood, and many others.[10]
Fauna such asbison andwolves used to be native to the Appalachian region but have vanished.Elk have been reintroduced in some regions, having died out due to overhunting andhabitat destruction previously. Throughout all of the Appalachian Plateau region there is an abundance of fox, raccoon, wild boar, black bears, white-tailed deer, and beaver. Researchers also found there to be over 200 species of game and songbirds including wild turkey, heron, geese, hawks, ducks and many more.[11]
Fungi are also prominent in the Appalachia region. Abundantmushroom andlichen can be found includingchanterelle,oyster mushroom androck tripe.[11]
The Appalachian Plateau has a vast array of natural resources throughout its rugged landscape. Within these resources, there are many sedimentary substances. In the valleys of the Appalachian Plateau there is an abundance oflimestone. This limestone is still mined for cement and aggregate. Due to excessive mining over time, limestone fields are depleted in many areas but some are still relatively plentiful.Ironstone andcoal are also among the plentiful natural resources found. In different regions of the Appalachian Plateau, enough plant debris accumulated to form peat, which upon burial, compaction and heating was made into the coal of the Appalachian coalfields. Due to the abundant coal in the Appalachian Plateau,coal mining has been a staple of the area and has proved to be a very successful mining hub.Iron ore was once an extremely abundant natural resource but due to the thin layer of iron, over time it was mostly depleted. A very well-known natural resource of the Appalachian Plateau is its land and soil. The soil is rich and it is ideal for farmland. Within the limestone found throughout the Appalachian Plateau there are many fossilized substances such as old plant and stems, which may help to explain why the plateau also has a rich amount of natural gases and petroleum.[12][13]
The Appalachian Plateau has many landmarks and public spaces to camp out, go hiking, and sight see.Allegany State Park in New York,Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania,Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio,Cooper's Rock State Forest in West Virginia, andCloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia are notable state parks on or along the edge of the plateau; there are many more state parks and state forests throughout the region, andWayne National Forest andAllegheny National Forest lie on the Appalachian plateau as well.
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