End of day one in the Shenandoah’s. There are so many overlooks with gorgeous views. We stayed for 3 days in one of the old rustic cabins at the Skyland Hotel in the Park. There was only a trickled of water in the shower and it was off the grid. The Wi-Fi was out the whole week. The food at their “fancy” restaurant was awful. The best thing was the scenery.

The Blue Ridge Mountains get their distinctive blue appearance from a blue haze…
Vegetation and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs):
The trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains release fine mists of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. Trees release a hydrocarbon called isoprene as a way to protect themselves from excess heat. When isoprene is released into the atmosphere, it interacts with other molecules, creating the characteristic haze that gives the Blue Ridge Mountains their bluish hue.
Scattering of Blue Light:
The VOCs released by trees, including isoprene, react with natural ozone molecules already present in the air. These reactions lead to the formation of new particles, which scatter blue light waves from the sun. As a result, when you look at the distant Blue Ridge Mountains on a clear day, they appear covered in a “soft dreamy blue haze” due to this scattering effect.

I stitched the panoramas.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, located in the southeastern United States, are a stunning range known for their rugged beauty and rich geological history. Let’s delve into the fascinating rocks that form this majestic mountain system:

Metamorphic Rocks:

• The Blue Ridge Mountains are primarily composed of highly deformed metamorphic rocks. These rocks have undergone significant changes due to heat, pressure, and tectonic forces over geological time.
• Common metamorphic rock types found in the Blue Ridge include:
  • Schists: These are foliated rocks with mineral grains aligned in parallel layers.
  • Gneisses: Gneisses exhibit alternating light and dark bands due to mineral segregation during metamorphism.
  • Slates: Slates are fine-grained metamorphic rocks that often split into thin sheets.
  • Quartzites: Quartzites are extremely hard rocks formed from the metamorphism of sandstone.
• The metamorphic processes responsible for shaping these rocks occurred during various orogenic events throughout the Precambrian and Paleozoic eras.

Geological History:

• The Blue Ridge region experienced multiple tectonic events, including continental collisions, which compressed and metamorphosed the rocks.
• During the Paleozoic, the Blue Ridge and Piedmont regions were pushed westward, resulting in folding, faulting, and uplift.
• The Brevard Fault Zone, spanning from Alabama to Virginia, marks the boundary between the Piedmont and Blue Ridge areas. Along this fault zone, rocks were crushed and ground by immense pressure, creating cataclastic gneisses, schists, and phyllonite.

Rock Types:

• Granitic Charnockites: Ancient granitic charnockites are prevalent in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• Metamorphosed Volcanic Formations: These include rocks that were once volcanic in origin but have since undergone metamorphism.
• Sedimentary Limestone: Some limestone formations are also present in the region.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/2/2024
(1) Rocks of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont — Earth@Home. https://earthathome.org/hoe/se/rocks-brp/.
(2) Blue Ridge Mountains – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Mountains.
(3) Blue Ridge Province – U.S. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/blueridgeprovince.htm.
(4) What rocks are found in Blue Ridge? – NCESC. https://www.ncesc.com/geographic-faq/what-rocks-are-found-in-blue-ridge/.