;{00 The American Geologist. November, 1897 
Blue ridge southeast of Roanoke, Va. Hydrographie rela- 
tions, which it is important to note, are with waters at the 
western base of the Blue ridge, — that is, between the domi- 
nant eastern border of the Appalachians and the great plateau 
culminating in Roan mountain. The North Carolina-Tennes- 
see line through the plateau country was run over the crown- 
ing summit and thence successively over the higher elevations 
quite independently of given direction, as well as of anything 
like distinct mountain ranges or ridges, such as are com- 
monly indicated by maps under designations, in order from 
north to south, of Stone, Unaka, Bald, and Smoky mountains. 
The drainage of the plateau itself is through the upper wa- 
ters of the Watauga and Nolichucky, and thus of the Tennes- 
see river. From their very source these waters have sculptured 
deep channels wliose erosion appears to have been independ- 
ent of folds in the crystalline Archeari schists which consti- 
tute the mass of the great elevation. When referred to the 
dominant Appalachian trend, what ma}'^ be defined as nu- 
merous cross ridges, to which erosion of the plateau has 
given rise, are remnants of vi.assffs, few in number, them- 
selves remnants of the great Appalachian uplift. Of these 
the more prominent have been deeply scored by erosion into 
radial forjns, more or less individual, culminating above the 
timber line in summits clear of forest. Hence such terms as 
Bald mountains, and local expressions like the "Balds of the 
Roan," the "Bald of the Yellow," etc. The latter is a subor- 
dinate summit of the Roan mountain massif. The remarkably 
deep and sharp erosion of the Appalachian plateau, promoted 
by well known conditions of rock-decay in this part of the 
primitive continental area, is doubtless due to excessive pre- 
cipitation ever favored by obvious meteorological and topo- 
grapliical conditions. 
The openings of the Cranberry mine are near the eastern 
base of Cranberry ridge, a steep and lofty elevation (4:015 ft.) 
which has been sculptured from the mass of the Big Yellow- 
spur of Roan Mt. by waters of the Elk. Similar, but less 
continuous elevations separated by other water-courses of the 
same stream rise one above another toward the summit of 
Roan Mt. 
So much, in brief, for the rugged topography surrounding 
