24 
GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
height is 2200 to 3700 feet, but little above the height of the interior 
valleys themselves, with which they are connected. The interior, or wes- 
tern chain, is much more continuous, more elevated, more regular in its 
direction and height, and increases very uniformly from 5000 to nearly 
6700 feet. 
The area comprised between these two main chains, from the sources 
of the New River and the Watauga, in the vicinity of the Grandfather 
Mountain, to the southern extremity of the system, is divided by trans- 
verse chains into many basins, at the bottom of each one of which runs 
one of those mountain tributaries of the Tennessee, which, by the abun- 
dance of their waters, merit the name of the true sources of that noble 
river. Between the basin of the Watauga and that of the Nolechucky, 
rises the lofty chain of the Roan and Big Yellow Mountains. The north- 
west branch of the Black Mountain and its continuation as far as the 
Bald Mountain, separate the basin of the Nolechucky from that of the 
French Broad river. Between the latter and the Big Pigeon river 
stretches the long chain of the Pisgah and the New Found Mountains. 
Further to the west the elevated chain of the Great Balsam Mountains 
separates the basins of the Big Pigeon and the Tuckasegee ; next comes 
the chain of the Cowee Mountains, between the latter river and the Little 
Tennessee. Finally the double chain of the Nantehaleh and Yalley 
River Mountains separates the two great basins of the Little Tennessee 
and the LLiwassee. The bottom of these basins preserves in the middle 
an altitude of from 2000 to 2700 feet. The height of these transverse 
chains is greater than that of the Blue Ridge, for they are from 5000 to 
6000 feet and upwards ; and the gaps that cross them are as high, and 
often higher, than those of the Blue Ridge. In these interior basins are 
also found groups, more or less isolated, like that of the Black Mountain, 
which, with the Smoky Mountains, presents the most elevated points of 
the system. 
Here then, through an extent of more than one hundred and fifty 
miles, the mean height of the valley from which the mountains rise is 
more than 2000 feet ; the mountains which reach 6000 feet are counted 
by scores, aud the loftiest peaks rise to 6700 feet, while at the north, in 
the group of the White Mountains, the base is scarcely 1000 feet, the 
gaps 2000 feet, and Mount Washington, the only one which rises above 
6000 feet, is still 400 feet below the height of the Black Dome of the 
Black Mountains. Here then, in all respects, is the culminating region 
of the vast Appalachian system.” 
There are several striking features of this interesting region, which it 
is worth while to emphasize still further. 
