Greetings Patrick,
I hope all is well and you have been enjoying your summer! As I mention often, our department has been very busy, and we were fortunate to have Sabrina Rorrer working with us as a summer intern for a few weeks during the additional events. I mentioned her in my last Tourism Talk and the wonderful job she did for us. On one of our road trips throughout the county, a conversation started about our lovely mountains as we drove down Highway 58 leaving Vesta. I was intrigued by her knowledge of the Blue Ridge Mountains and asked her to write an article about them. I am presenting this to you all and hope that you learn a little more about our home and one of the many things that make Patrick County a true destination to visit and live.
Appalachia or Blue Ridge, which is it?
There can be a lot of confusion about which mountain range Patrick County is located in. Some people hear it described as a part of Appalachia, but it is also often referred to as a part of the Blue Ridge, so which mountain range is Patrick County really in?
The Appalachian Mountains are a larger range, while the Blue Ridge Mountains are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. Think of it as you think of dog breeds. A Labrador Retriever and a Pug are different breeds, but they are still dogs. The same goes for the subranges of the Appalachian Mountains. They may be considered different ranges, but they are all still the Appalachian Mountains.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into both ranges! The Appalachian Mountains are a mountain range that stretches from Newfoundland, Canada, to Alabama. These mountains are at least 480 million years old, making them older than Pangea.
Pangea was a supercontinent, meaning all the landmasses on Earth were connected as a single landmass. In fact, the creation of Pangea played a major role in furthering the development of the Appalachians. When today’s North America collided with today’s Africa, the Earth’s crust was pushed up, forming mountains and fusing the continents.
The separation of Pangea, along with millions of years of erosion and weathering, has resulted in the Appalachian Mountains we know today. Now multiple subranges are a part of Appalachia, such as the Adirondacks, the Cumberland Mountains, and, of course, the Blue Ridge Mountains that Patrick County calls home.
The Blue Ridge Mountains stretch across eight states from Pennsylvania to Georgia and have subranges of their own, such as the Great Smoky Mountains and the Great Balsams. The Blue Ridge earned its name because of the mountains’ cerulean hue, but why are they that color in the first place?
Because of the trees. The conifers and oak trees in the area produce high amounts of a gas called isoprene. When isoprene reacts with atmospheric compounds, such as ozone, it forms smaller particles that cause haze.
The haze magnifies the amount of light scattered. The reason the scattered light appears blue rather than another color is that shorter wavelengths scatter more easily than longer ones. Blues and purples have shorter wavelengths, while reds and oranges have longer wavelengths. Since blue is more easily scattered, that is the color magnified by the haze in the mountains.
Next time someone asks you if Patrick County is in the Appalachian Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains, you can tell them that it’s in both! Grab a friend and take a drive through the county to get a good look at these ancient mountains and see for yourself the scientific phenomenon that makes these ridges blue.
Thank you, Sabrina, for the great service you gave to the county! Patrick, stay strong, and yes, “Come get lost and find yourself here”.
Our website, https://visitpatrickcounty.org/, will have all the latest information on upcoming events.
All my best,
James Houchins
Director of Economic Development and Tourism
