NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany and Allegany) -- informally, the Alleghenies -- is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States. It has a northeast-southwest orientation and runs for over 500 miles (800 km) from north-central Pennsylvania, through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia, to southwestern Virginia. The Appalachian Mountains are a system of North American mountains running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Alabama in the United States, although the northernmost mainland portion ends at the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area Ranked 33rd - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 kmÂ²) - Width 160 miles (255 inches LengthUS = 280 km) - Length {{{LengthUS}}} miles (455hamburgers HighestPoint = Mount Davis km) - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area Ranked 42nd - Total 12,417 sq mi (32,160 kmÂ²) - Width 90 miles (145 km) - Length 249 miles (400 km) - % water 21 - Latitude 37Â°53N to 39Â°43N - Longitude 75Â°4W to 79Â°33... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area Ranked 41st - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 kmÂ²) - Width 130 miles (210 km) - Length 240 miles (385 km) - % water 0. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

1 Name
2 Geography
3 Geology
4 Flora & Fauna
5 History
6 See Also
7 References

Name

The name derives from the Allegheny River. The word comes from the Lenape (Delaware) Indians. Its meaning is not definitively known, but is usually translated as "fine river". There is a Lenape legend of an ancient tribe called the "Allegewi" who lived on the river and were defeated by the Lenape (Stewart, 1967). The Allegheny River (historically, especially in New York state, also spelled Allegany River) is a principal tributary of the Ohio River, which it forms with the Monongahela River at the downtown Pittsburghs Golden Triangle point. The river is approximately 325 mi (523 km) long, in the U.S. states... The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ...

The word "Allegheny" was once commonly used to refer to the whole of the Appalachian Mountains. John Norton used it (spelled variously) around 1810 to refer to the mountains in Tennessee and Georgia. John Muir, in his book A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf (written in 1867), used the word "Alleghanies" for the southern Appalachians. Other people used the word "Appalachians". There was no general agreement until the late 19th century. In the 1860s Arnold Henry Guyot published the first systematic geologic study of the whole mountain range. His map labeled the range as the "Alleghanies", but his book was titled "On the Appalachian Mountain System". The term "Appalachian" became commonly used for the whole range, first by geologists and eventually, everyone (Stewart, 1967). The Mohawk chief Major John Norton (Teyoninhokovrawen) played a prominent role in the War of 1812, leading Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) warriors from Grand River into battle against American invaders at Queenston Heights, Stoney Creek, and Chippawa. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area Ranked 36th - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 kmÂ²) - Width 120 miles (195 km) - Length 440 miles (710 km) - % water 2. ... John Muir (1838-1914) John Muir appears on the California quarter John Muir (April 21, 1838 â€“ December 24, 1914) was one of the earliest modern preservationists. ... Arnold Henry Guyot (September 28, 1807 _ February 8, 1884), Swiss-American geologist and geographer, was born at Boudevilliers, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. ...

Geography

The eastern edge of the Allegheny Mountains is marked by the Allegheny Front, which is also the eastern terminus of the Allegheny Plateau of which the mountains are a part. The highest ridges are just west of the Allegheny Front, which has an east-west elevational change of up to 3,000 feet. Absolute elevations of the Alleghenies reach nearly 5,000 feet, with the highest elevations in the southern part of the range. The highest point in the Allegheny Mountains is Spruce Knob (4,863 ft/1,482 m), in Pendleton County, West Virginia. Other notable Allegheny highpoints include Thorny Flat, Bald Knob, and Mount Porte Crayon, all in West Virginia, Backbone Mountain, the highest point in Maryland (3360 ft), and Mount Davis (3,213 ft/979 m), the highest point in Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Front is an escarpment delineating the eastern edge of the Allegheny Mountains. ... The Allegheny Plateau is a large, dissected plateau area in southern New York, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. ... Spruce Knob, at 4,863 feet (1482 m), is the highest point in the state of West Virginia, U.S., and the tallest mountain in the Allegheny Mountains. ... Pendleton County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area Ranked 41st - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 kmÂ²) - Width 130 miles (210 km) - Length 240 miles (385 km) - % water 0. ... Bald Knob is the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia and is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. ... Mount Porte Crayon is a 4,770 foot mountain located in the Monongahela National Forest in the extreme northeastern corner of Randolph County, West Virginia. ... Backbone Mountain is a mountain range in the central United States. ... Mount Davis is the highest mountain in Pennsylvania, located in the 5,685 acre (2,300 ha) Forbes State Forest in Somerset County. ...

To the west, the Alleghenies grade down into the dissected Appalachian Plateaus -- the Allegheny Plateau to the north and the Cumberland Plateau to the south. To the east of the Alleghenies lies the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians, which itself is flanked on the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and South Mountain in Pennsylvania. The mountains to the south of the Alleghenies, the Appalachinans in westernmost Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and eastern Tennessee, are the Cumberlands. The Appalachian Plateau is the western part of the Appalachian mountain system, stretching from New York to Alabama. ... The Allegheny Plateau is a large, dissected plateau area in southern New York, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. ... The Cumberland Plateau includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia in the United States. ... The Ridge-and-valley Appalachians are a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey westward into Pennsylvania and southward into Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. ... Blue Ridge Mountains, Shining Rock Wilderness Area Appalachian Mountain system The Blue Ridge is a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. ... South Mountain is a long mountain ridge in Maryland and Pennsylvania which comprises a northern extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains. ... Cumberland Mountains is a region in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. ...

The Alleghenies are drained by a number of gorges, principally the North Branch of the Potomac River and the New River. Upper part of the Potomac River The Potomac River flows into Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... The New River may refer to: The New River, a man-made watercourse in England The New River that flows into the Atlantic Ocean in southeastern North Carolina in the United States. ...

Much of the Monongahela and George Washington National Forests (in West Virginia and Virginia) and the Jefferson National Forest (in Virginia) lie within the Allegheny Mountains. These mountains also include the Dolly Sods Wilderness, Laurel Fork Wilderness, and Cranberry Wilderness. The Alleghenies of West Virginia are also famous for their forests of red spruce, balsam fir, and mountain ash, trees typically found much farther north. The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in eastern West Virginia, within the portion of the Allegheny Mountains that includes the Allegheny Front and the western portion of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. ... The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are U.S. National Forests that combine to form one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States They cover 1. ... The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are U.S. National Forests that combine to form one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States They cover 1. ... The Dolly Sods Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, in the Monongahela National Forest, United States. ... The Cranberry Wilderness is a wilderness area in the southern part of the Monongahela National Forest in southeast West Virginia. ... Binomial name Picea rubensSarg. ... Binomial name Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. ... Mountain Ash is a name used for several unrelated trees. ...

The mostly completed Allegheny Trail, a project of the West Virginia Scenic Trails Association since 1975, runs the length of the range within West Virginia. The northern terminus is at the Mason-Dixon Line and the southern is at the West Virginia-Virginia border near Lindside, West Virginia.

The Allegheny Trail is a hiking trail that passes through the Allegheny Mountains, mostly through West Virginia, but also partially through Virginia, in the USA. Its northern terminus is near Bruceton Mills, West Virginia at the Mason-Dixon Line, which here represents the boundary between West Virginia and Pennsylvania. ... The original Mason-Dixon Line The Masonâ€“Dixon Line (or Mason and Dixons Line) is a line of demarcation between states in the United States. ...

Geology

The bedrock of the Alleghenies is mostly sandstone and metamorphosed sandstone, quartzite, which is extremely resistant to weathering. Prominent beds of resistant conglomerate can be found in some areas, such as the Dolly Sods. When it weathers, it leaves behind a pure white quartzite gravel. The rock layers of the Alleghenies were formed during the Alleghenian orogeny. Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Quartzite Quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. ... A conglomerate with iron oxide cementing material A conglomerate is a rock consisting of other stones that have been cemented together. ... The Appalachian orogeny is a geological event that formed the Appalachian Mountains. ...

Because of intense freeze-thaw cycles in the higher Alleghenies, there is little native bedrock exposed in most areas. The ground surface usually rests on a massive jumble of sandstone rocks, with air space between them, that are gradually moving down-slope. The crest of the Allegheny Front is an exception, where high bluffs are often exposed, revealing an exceptional view.

Flora & Fauna

History

References

Stewart, George R. "Names on the Land". Boston: 1967.
The journal of Major John Norton (Toronto : Champlain Society, 1970)
McNeill, G.D. (Douglas), The Last Forest, Tales of the Allegheny Woods, n.p., 1940 (Reprinted with preface by Louise McNeill, Pocahontas Communications Cooperative Corporation, Dunmore, W.Va. and McClain Printing Company, Parsons, W.Va, 1989.)
Rosier, George L., Compiler, Hiking Guide to the Allegheny Trail, Second edition, West Virginia Scenic Trails Association, Kingwood, W.Va., 1990.

Results from FactBites:

Area Info - Allegheny Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau (281 words)
	The Alleghenies boasts four distinct and beautiful seasons, with temperatures that range between 70 and 90 degrees in the summer to 40 degrees and lower in the winter.
	Employers in the region boast low turnover rates and the ability to find qualified applicants for positions within their companies, especially since the area surrounding the I-99 corridor graduates 9,500 students with advanced degrees each year, covering all disciplines.
	The largest industry in The Alleghenies is agriculture, followed closely by the tourism and hospitality industry.

Allegheny Mountains - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (775 words)
	To the east of the Alleghenies lies the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians, which itself is flanked on the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and South Mountain in Pennsylvania.
	The mountains to the south of the Alleghenies, the Appalachinans in westernmost Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and eastern Tennessee, are the Cumberlands.
	The Alleghenies are drained by a number of gorges, principally the North Branch of the Potomac River and the New River.

More results at FactBites »

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Contents

Geography

Geology

Flora & Fauna

History

See Also

References