Billion Year Old BouldersThe rock formation underlying the area around the Oconaluftee-Raven Fork junction contains some of the oldest exposed rocks in the Eastern United States. This formation, which is composed primarily of an Early Precambrian basement rock known as granite gneiss, was formed over a billion years ago from the gradual accumulation of marine sediment and igneous rocks.
Metamorphic Extrusions
The Oconaluftee valley's upper elevations are underlain by a Late Precambrian metamorphic rock of the Ocoee Supergroup, which is the dominant rock class in the Great Smokies. These rocks were formed from ocean sediments nearly 400 million years ago, and were thrust upward during the Appalachian orogeny, when the North American and African plates collided. The Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa are a continuation of this formation!
The Greenbrier Fault, which crosses the Oconaluftee River between Tow String Creek and Mingus Creek, divides the basement formation from the Late Precambrian formation. Exposures of both rock formations can be seen between Newfound Gap and Cherokee all along the drive on 441.
Harry Moore, A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), 98-101.
PASSPORT-FOLIOS
ReplyDeleteOne of the first orientation projects Explorers tackle is the construction of a passport-folio. We use this tool to document individual development across all disciplines in our expeditionary learning. Students have recorded autobiographical data. They have been fingerprinted, photographed, measured, and located in time and place for their passports. These portfolios will be filled with artifacts from our adventures by the end of the year! Explorers set goals and reflect upon the progress they are making towards reaching these goals in the process of creating their passport-folios. This year we will be experimenting with digitally archiving the artifacts as well, as Explorers contribute articles, reflections, and multi-media projects to our class blog and newsletter.
4th & 5th Grade Explorers have already used their passports this year to travel in our quest for knowledge. We have learned about geological time by reading the story in stones told by planet Earth, with particular attention to the changes over time recorded in the Southern Appalachians. We are developing a three-dimensional “core sample” timeline in our classroom to document important dates as we travel in time to more recent events recorded in written history. Our exploration of the long past has given us clues to the amazing diversity of life found right here in our back yard. We’ve learned about longitude, latitude, and elevation. Students have documented five distinct forest habitats in North Carolina, ranging in elevation from sea level to 6,684 feet. We are continuing our study of the environment as we investigate the natural and cultural history of our region, which we have learned is one of the most bio-diverse places on planet Earth.
We have also traveled in real time and space to visit the second highest peak east of the Mississippi River: Clingman’s Dome. Our adventure included a walk along Long Man River, the sacred waters of the Oconaluftee River, a visit to the Mountain Farm Museum, Camp Smokemont, and the experience of hiking in a cloud (literally) to the top of Clingman’s Dome with our National Park Ranger Guide, Sarah.
Geological History
ReplyDeleteThe Explorers started the year by studying the geological stratigraphy of NC. The rocks tell a story of our state even older than the oldest textbook or human artifact. Students brought in stones from their personal collections to create a sculpture standing in support of our individuality and collective presence as a history class. We have learned about the geological timeline of planet Earth and that we share the heritage of water with the rock cycle. The Explorers are adding species to the deep time core sample 3D timeline we have created in our classroom to document changes in North Carolina’s habitat, its flora, its fauna, its cultural history, and its natural history. Our timeline continues to grow as we discover more about the history of our town, county, city, state, continent, hemisphere, planet, solar system, and universe! We will continue to examine the immigrant experience in NC as we document our individual family heritage and migration/immigration patterns.
Stratigraphy: The stones tell a story of the history of western NC!