How Did the Appalachian Mountains Form?

The Appalachian Mountains are beautiful... but also perplexing. The story of their formation is ancient... and creates the one-of-a-kind charm the Appalachians have.
Follow me elsewhere:
candlelightcassia
www.tiktok.com/@tommy_roth?

[@aidan2657]

This deserves more views this was very interesting thanks for sharing

[@cuzbizkets3631]

if he pronounced it right mayb

[@DavidDouglasJr]

I think the click baity title and the dumb thumbnail “it doesn’t make sense” are partially to blame

[@Oora44]

Go bucs I’m a Floridian that grew up both in Florida and Kentucky and also love the appellations. Awesome video brother.

[@grayrecluse7496]

Weird,a theory told as fact.

[@JesusChristisgreat-pj6nd]

I AM created them.

[@David-sc2ir]

The Appalachian Mountains are amazing on so many different levels. Not only for their geological history but for it's unbelievable diversity of plant and animal life. It is the Amazon of America, covered in deep forests and filled with abundant and interesting animal, reptile, amphibian, and insect life, many seen nowhere else on earth. A hike through these mountains is a naturalist paradise... I loved it so much that I moved here 40 years ago :) I still encounter things on my hikes that I have never seen before in my many years of hiking these mountains, valley's, and hills. Love it.... wild and wonderful!

[@ChrisGrahamkedzuel]

Actually they were bigger than the Himalayas. Considering the amount of material that’s found east and south of them. Basically North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. And there were two uplifts. One during the Ordovician, and one in the Permian. The mountains actually flattened out during the early Cretaceous, but then another uplift happened caused by isometric rebound. Which is why we have them today.

[@pauldudley8837]

What's even more fascinating is that the same orogeny that created the Appalachians also created the Ouachita Mtns in northern Arkansas/southern Missouri and the Marathon Mtns in west Texas.

[@harrietharlow9929]

Not to mention the anti-Atlas of Africa and the Scottish Highlands. All these ranges used to be part of the Central Pangean Mountains.

[@corneliuswowbagger]

The Llano uplift too!

[@brittanyjoseph3485]

​@@harrietharlow9929very interesting!

[@spencerimre]

Every time I hear somebody talk about how big the Appalachians used to be when they formed, I just can't help but think: how incredible it would have been to be around when they were that big. If those mountains had formed a few hundred million years later, they would still be bigger than the Rockies today. Can you imagine? The Eastern Rockies. Snowcapped giants rising from the rainforest to a dizzying 14,000 feet above sea level. The climate, the landscape, the recreation, even transportation would be so much different with the wall of rock going up the eastern seaboard. The West may not have been settled until the early 20th century due to how hard going over those mountains would be at the time. It gives me chills just thinking about it. If only. And of course, the skiing would be much better. Lol.

[@nuckels188]

I always wonder what those long speed-bump shaped ridges in central PA would have look like when they were that big. Certainly unique

[@wendylouhoo]

I love that someone actually knows how to say Appalachian correctly ❤️

[@kevintodd8195]

Bro, I love them too, God put those up there as water towers in the sky, many streams and rivers, start on the Blue ridge, they follow into streams, the mountains hold snow longer in the winter and are literally soaking up snow melt, and as you may know Mt Mitchell and most 6000 ft peaks get at least 60 inches a year, many don't know this, which in turn goes to ground water, this makes for good farming, a good climate, and different zones to plant in and the best water sources. God bless

[@EarthTrauma]

The Appalachians are over 1 billion years old; the Blue Ridge Mountains.

[@marttram2183]

The last video I watched said they were over 340 million years old... I guess the real question is, how TF could they ever even accurately prove that? The answer is they can't.

[@liamsteeleiii7352]

The origin of the Roblox death sound: Tectonic plates crashing into each other XD ...but seriously, this is a very informative and well-made video.

[@saltiesttrucker9749]

Elegantly put I did have an aha moment when you showed your model for the collision of North American, Africa, and Europe

[@kapuagutchen8171]

Yes.. its true... Its because North America has been Seperating from Europe and Africa for Years and Present day island of Iceland is the result of the Techtonic plates Seperating and iceland isnt as Old as Well. . 😮😮 For example Soil and Rock formation on the Southern Part of Australia can be found in the Northern side of Antarctica after Australia and Antarctica Seperated. 😊

[@patriciahughes5592]

They are the homes of scots Irish. Be careful, if you travel there. Some may be suspicious of you.

[@patriciahughes5592]

Not kidding. They are well guarded.

[@James_Knott]

I believe they extend to Norway.

[@bamamama-ws7kp]

I love mountain life. I'm from skyline or Cumberland mountain part of the Appalachian mountains

[@InfernosReaper]

Don't the Rocky Mountains also have similar issue of having a strange existence?

[@emmbieemmbie2131]

What’s even most fantastic is you pronounce it correctly IMO. Thank you!!!

[@thesurrealtaco8097]

Nice i think the mountains extend into norway as well. Also the straight line through Scotland is same as in Newfoundland

[@markantony3875]

Good video explaining something very complicated in easy to understand terms, and the Appalachians are a very complicated mountain range! The modern day Appalachians are the result of 3 major mountain building events (Taconic, Arcadian, and Allegheny). The Allegheny was the "main event" of North America colliding with a combined Africa and South America. The core of the Alleghenian Mountains was not where the mountains are today, but centered over the Piedmont region and resulted in Mount Everest size mountains. The present day Blue Ridge and Ridge and Valley region (the highest parts of the modern Appalachians) were only the "foothill" mountains to the main mountain chain. Each collision grew and wore down. In fact, they were worn down almost completely flat 50 million years ago, and again started rising again more recently probably due to hot spots deep in the Earth's mantle. This is know as the Cenozoic Uplift. What we see in the modern Appalachians is the sum total of their whole 400 million year old geologic history! I found these two videos helpful in explaining the Appalachian Mountains in more technical terms: The Alleghenian Orogeny: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHu9qpJ4eLClf7c Mountain Building Events: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6TQfmOMn7l9eMk

[@boblackey1]

I have read your position before and ran it by a professor of geology in my area and he agrees with THIS VIDEO. The Appalachians never eroded down to FLAT. They loose about 20 feet of height every million years and what we see today is the result of 300 million years of erosion. 300 million years ago they were far taller and sharper. But your theory, which some geologists hold is the current Appalachian mountains, instead of being the second oldest mountain range on earth is actually one of the youngest and the current Appalachian mountains were never as high as the Swiss Alps or Rockies. The only thing certain then is they ARE HERE and generally speaking are rounded and smoother than the Rockies.

[@markantony3875]

@@boblackey1 There are a number of theories that are constantly evolving as more research is done. The theory I stated above is the latest by university geologists based on current research. It is based on the mountains were formed so long ago that they should not exist at all today and their is hard evidence of a worldwide uplift in the recent Cenozoic era. The thing is this happened so long ago, even the recent Cenozoic uplift, that no one knows for sure what exactly happened and over what time frame. As you said, the only thing we know is the mountains are here today. The current Appalachian Mountains are only a subset of the original Alleghenian Mountains (or Central Pangean Mountains) that also included the Ouachita, Marathons, Atlas, Scottish Highlands, and several other uplifts now found in Europe.

[@boblackey1]

@@markantony3875 Thanks for the reply. I live where the Appalachian range are on both sides of the town and valley which is my hometown. Until your revelation, we always were told our mountains are among the oldest in the world. About 400 million years old worn down to what we have today from heights that rivaled the Rockies or Alps. I found two other places on the internet which break the news our mountains aren't that old at all and probably about the same age as the Rockies and were NEVER as tall as the Rockies or Alps. Furthermore today it's a mystery as to how they formed. The original Appalachians indeed formed when the African plate was pushing against the North American plate but as you said, now some geologists doubt those 400 million years old mountains exist now and what we see now is not them worn down from Alps like heights One geologist suggested the current Appalachian mountains popped up here due to the uplift of the Rockies and all these miles away the pressure and process pushed up the shorter and younger Appalachians that we see today. Also found a paper from the Professor of Geology at William and Mary University which also is in the Appalachians and he and his students did recent studies using measurements of the amount of isotopes in the rocks atop several peaks and the Appalachian mountains are eroding much slower than previously thought. Loosing about 6 meters every million years. 6 meters is 19.8 feet so that means 500,000 years ago, the Appalachians were just 10 feet taller than today and 250,000 years ago just 5 feet taller. If I could go back 250,000 years and stand on a hill, I could easily recognize the various mountains by their current names. The creeks and rivers are cutting away at a much faster rate so this geologist thinks the valleys near rivers and creeks eroding away faster than the mountains so the topography probably looks more rugged than tranquil which reverses the idea this area was more rugged many million years ago and more tranquil looking now . Thanks again.

[@markantony3875]

@@boblackey1 The original Allegheny uplift from the collision of North America and the combined Africa/South America was massive. If you look at the amount of sediment eroded both into the Atlantic and the former inland sea of middle North America, it is clear the the ancestral Alleghenies were Everest sized mountains. There is sedimentary rock from the Allegheny Orogeny as far west as Arizona. But, 300 million years is an nearly impossible time for a mountain range to exist, even with slow erosion. The current thinking was they were eroded down. By "flat" I mean a bumpy plain with low hills. Something happened no earlier than 40 million years ago to as recent as 5 million years ago to lift the area back up. I think it is tied to the same geological event that uplifted the Adirondacks in upstate NY, which happened in the same time frame. I have come to believe that the current Appalachian chain is indeed new mountains made from very old rock. You can clearly see this in Pennsylvania where established rivers have cut through the ridges and uplifted terrain, leaving very deep water gaps and gorges. It is clear the ground was uplifted far later than these rivers were established and there is no way these rivers existed during the original Alleghenian Orogeny. I believe what happened was the original mountains wore down to a bumpy plain, the current streams were established, then they cut down into the more recent uplift to create the geology as we now see it.

[@boblackey1]

@@markantony3875 When I look at McAfee knob which is the most photographed area on the Appalachian trail, apparently it looked 250,000 years ago just as it does today. 5 feet taller will not make any difference to a viewer then compared to now would it? Eroding at 6 meters every million years means McAfee knob was only about 20 feet taller than today 1 million years ago. How far back in time could one go until they wouldn't recognize a specific mountain shape?

[@lobacotable]

I'm starting to homeschool my kids this summer. We're doing mostly literature focused curriculum and I wanted to tie in some science and history. This video is perfect for my 9 and 7 year olds (and me). Thank you!

[@tayylorpotter]

Same reason we are here

[@calvincanada4723]

"well you got me. by all accounts it doesn't make sense"

[@Trepidity]

Great video. Sad to see this creator stop making videos.

[@Who-gi9mo]

Was driving through west Virginia and was wondering how, because I knew there wasn't a plate edge off the coast. Awesome video, thanks!

[@CharlesCollier-kp7km]

Myron cook , the master of geology!!!!

[@j0rdan2wavyyy]

The reason y the Rockies is bigger then the apps is cause it rains more in the apps there for u get erosion and it breaks the mountains down

[@j0rdan2wavyyy]

when Pangea was around that’s when the apps was formed when the east coast of the US, Europe and Africa was connected. There are some parts of the apps in those continents don’t know where exactly tho don’t know if he is going to go over it in the vid so bout to watch it now

[@scottstewart5784]

I live in a Holler in WV, next to the stream. At about 1500 feet. My stream feeds eventually into the Potomac. I see the erosion every time it rains, and it rains a lot more than you'd think. Little intermittent streams pop up on the slopes and in the small flats next to the stream, and over time they carve a V and expose the rocks beneath after eroding the lighter materials. I can taste it in my well water too - that taste is erosion.

[@jLjtremblay]

They might be “tiny,” but not as tiny as our “mountains” in Northern Minnesota. Nice video! Thanks!

[@corneliuswowbagger]

Actually when plates collide they form an Island Arc ie Aleutians or Japan and a back arc basin. The basin fills and eventually is tilted by the collision and the sediments slide down the slope. The Island arc is the Piedmont and the folded Appalachians are the basin. My MS in Geology was on the role and location of cross strike structures in Appalachian Tectonics.

[@MiracleWinchester]

When the apps answer back 😳

[@WhoopDePoopDeScoop]

Kinda crazy to think about the Rif mountains in Morocco being "Appalachian", it actually checks out. Or that most of the old Norse world was covered in "appalachian" mountains on both sides of the Atlantic! Insane.

[@Markos581973]

wow, all this mystery in 4 minutes

[@boblordylordyhowie]

The huge volcano on Skye started spewing lava at the same time the plates began to tear apart, 60m yrs ago. The lava formed sheets 3 kms thick that flowed from Skye to Northern Ireland, the collision that formed the Appalachians was the one that brought Scotland and England together, and we'll never forgive you for that.

[@lionsloin7869]

😃

[@troys6965]

Now I know why a Washington state resident asked me about earthquakes in the Appalachians. To her (and apparently many people) mountains and earthquakes go together.

[@stilllookingup9999]

Look at any map of the States, the Appalachian Mtns are the backbone of a very large flying serpent. The head begins around Louisiana the tail goes all the way up the east coast. You can see it clearly, the plumes off the head the eye, head, the neck is tucked under and then a wing and the remainder of the body. Sounds crazy I know but check it out and be amazed.

[@addish5022]

You also have rocks in the surrounding area that formed from sediments that were deposited on the Appalachian mountain’s margins. When the mountains were rising, the enormous amounts of rock caused the surrounding crust to sink, which formed a basin where sand, mud, and gravel could be deposited called the Appalachian Basin.

[@gavinhiggins8194]

Great video

[@tommyroth_]

Thank you!

[@dacronic1646]

Wish it was longer.

[@user-dt3rj8qm3k]

I live in the south west of Ireland. These mountains are amazing... 400,080,000 older that the Himalayas and My. Everest. Just in my back garden this ancient crash took place. Damn...

[@pyrophor]

The Appalachians are older than the dinosaurs and the Rockies are younger than the dinosaurs. In the time of the dinosaurs, instead of mountains there was a sea that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.

[@MarvinMonroe]

I'm from Southwestern Ohio but obsessed with PA geography/geology and the weird thing to me is that the Allegheny Mountains are west of the Allegheny Front (western end of the Ridge and Valley Section) So the Allegheny Mountains are in the Appalachian Plateau section. But when you look up Allegheny Mountains, it'll say parent range is Ridge and Valley

[@paulstanak689]

Good information…

[@julianneremley4430]

Plate tectonics

[@viperviperviper2]

Great video

[@awardc2389]

Awesome video. Mind boggling to me when you said the Appalachian’s used to be the same size as the Rockies. I get it, but haven’t been to both is still wild.

[@jvillain9946]

Actually the Appalachian were originally as tall if not taller than the Himalayans. They were also knocked on their side in another collision several million years after they were formed. Technically theyrr one of the oldest mountains

[@rickhenderson3518]

Formed during the flood. If you have to ask, what flood, never mind.

[@Ritika_Meena]

Hey please keep making such videos..this was too good (awesome) :) thanks

[@derrickvarnadore1682]

I just gotta figure out where all this red clay came from on the eastern side in NC

[@Gavin_mills]

Mt Washington in New Hampshire has a prominence of 6,148 making it the 46th most prominent out of 80,730 mountains in the US

[@BigTrees4ever]

Great video, you’ve got a funny and unique style of presentation which is entertaining but informative. I was wondering if you could answer a question I’ve had about mountains that I can’t quite seem to answer? When viewed from above (straight down), virtually every mountain range appears to follow the fractal geometry of electricity’s pathways known as the Lichtenberg fractal/figure, which doesn’t make sense to me when considering the concept that these mountain ranges are the result of tectonic plates shifting. How can the earth’s plates sliding and colliding manage to consistently cause a 3D representation of electricity? The odd thing is that this isn’t just the case from above in the macro, but it’s seen in smaller representations as well, which makes sense seeing as it’s a fractal, however what doesn’t make sense to me is how.

[@Ericstrains]

Great explanation. Thanks!

[@beez1th636]

What’s even more fascinating is that some minerals that are found in the African mountains are also found in those Appalachian mountains

[@harrietharlow9929]

Yep. Well the Anti Atlas and Appalachians were once part of the same mountain range.

[@KieraCameron514]

The Appalachian mountains are prettier than mountains in the west.

[@mattlloyd9054]

I live just east of the Saint Clair fault line which is where the first orogeny happened that you left out. A subcontinent called abalonia lol or something like that attached after slamming into the north American craton before the orogeny you mentioned. I'm hoping I'm 100 percent on that

[@losrin5447]

Thank you for explaining it in such simple termsssss

[@iBackwoods]

Oldest area on earth pre dates the formation of trees

[@nutriafachere]

This was surprisingly very well explained! And also greatly underrated

[@MiracleWinchester]

Man, I hope you find the inspiration to make more videos. This was interesting 🤔

[@tommyroth_]

Thank you :) More videos soon. I had to finish up my Master's thesis and had no time!

[@ajgolz1594]

this was probably the best video the internet has ever exposed me to. thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

[@jonjonsshreds3312]

Great video, short and explained a lot

[@cw9790]

I want to rewind through this but I hate the time stamps!

[@Sadik-568]

I like your sense of humor

[@andreadeamon6419]

Never knew this. Thank you

[@terrypanama8004]

dope video dude i was suprised seeing on 70 subs

[@Mojo522]

I love studying this. Cool vid

[@truman5838]

They're the remains of Giants.

[@hangarmony]

Cool

[@Zoemonster76]

ok bill nye

[@gibbesart]

amazing wow

[@yourfriendjack3049]

Love this vid thanks!

[@davidcochran595]

Created by The creator God

[@dopestdailydrivers2214]

Its always inspiring watching professional climbers in their element like this.

[@truman5838]

Earth is Flat

[@tommyroth_]

True

[@JustinJennings-vw1jq]

@@tommyroth_ Well his name is Tru Man, so there ya go

[@bethhenkelman5249]

I love your humorous teaching style.

[@harddulce1974]

God knows why He made the Appalachian Mountains

[@dbaargosy4062]

So John Denver would mean here when he sang Almost Heaven West Virginia.

[@fossilhuntingandcollecting4279]

Excellent video! My students will love ir tomorrow! Cheers, Chris

[@virginiascurti5036]

Your humor is rather droll don't quit you day job.

[@korygressett5034]

so good

[@r.s.dissendissen6752]

TREEHUGGERS. HEARD. OF. ,,BUT. ??!(MOUNTAINHUGGERS ..... BIT. STRANGE. EXTREME. &FETISH

[@digiweed]

This is crazy.. mountains are crazy thank you for the video