The Appalachians comprise four northeast-southwest-tending physiographic provinces. The easternmost province is the Piedmont, a plateau. Next is the Blue Ridge, a high-relief alignment of Precambrian- and Paleozoic-age rocks, some as old as 1 billion years. Folding and faulting have displaced bedrock of this province as much as 10 miles to the northwest from its original location. Then comes the Valley and Ridge, a roller-coaster landscape of anticlines and synclines dominated by thick sequences of sedimentary rock. And the westernmost of the provinces is the Appalachian Plateau, a region of gently folded columns of Paleozoic sedimentary rock that decrease in thickness to the west and contain vast resources of coal, crude oil, and natural gas.
What we visited today is a place where two of these provinces abut each other along a high-land ridge known as the Allegheny Front. Seneca Rocks was affected by mountain building forces as recently as 260 million years ago. 300-foot-thick Silurian-age Tuscarora quartzite was compressed into a tight, convex-upward fold several miles in width. The geology immediately to the west changes abruptly to the gently folded landscape of the Appalachian Plateau.
Over time, erosion exposed Seneca Rocks, composed of tough, erosion-resistant Tuscarora quartzite, resulting in the development of a classic example of fin-and-crag topography -- narrow, steeply tilted plates of rock. Gunsight Notch, a deeply eroded vertical fracture, accentuates the center of this outcrop. This fin, crag, and gap "gemstone" is the most spectacular rock exposure in West Virginia.
Heading east into the mountains of West Virginia. It was cold but the roads were clear and dry.
Hilly countryside where farming must be a challenge.
We saw a lot of these signs today.
When we arrived at Seneca Rocks we were surprised to find a large Seneca Rocks Discovery Center at the Monongahela National Forest. It was closed (on October 15) which is too bad because when we peered into the windows it looked like it has some interesting information.
The U.S. Army used three of the large regional ridges to train for assault climbing in 1943 and '44 in preparation for action in the Apennines of Italy.
The first settlers arrived in the early 1760's. Originally constructed around 1839 by Jacob Sites, this homestead started as a single room log cabin. William Sites, one of his two sons, expanded it into a two story frame structure in the 1860's using locally available materials and skilled craftsmen. The fine hand crafted architectural details are typical of the period. William Sites fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. He was Captured in 1862 and died here shortly after his release.
Mr. Spock appreciating Seneca Rocks.
Named for the nine hundred foot Tuscarora quartzite razorback ridge, Seneca Rocks is just one of the many exposed crags visible this geographic location.
Native Americans of the Archaic Period were frequent campers at the base of Seneca Rocks on the Seneca Creek. Two Native villages thrived there about 600 years ago and archeological digs have produced wonderful evidence of their lifestyles.
We travelled only as far as the first, and only, parking lot. Not too inviting a sign.
Seneca Rocks attracts amateur and expert rock climbers from around the world to this landmark.
As we left Seneca Rocks and drove to the east we saw other outcrops beginning to form in the mountains.
We think this is the South Branch River which the road paralleled.
Pictures of more outcropping follow.
As we were driving out of the Valley and Ridge and into the Blue Ridge Mountains we came upon a short stretch of 4-land divided highway. There was a viewpoint where we stopped and hiked up a small hill to get this overview.
This is a picture of the parking lot at the overview. Why is it so large? That's our white car in the center right.
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