Cumberland Plateau
Valley and Ridge
Cumberland Mountain is the focal point in the Cumberland Plateau. Cumberland Mountain shares a limb by two folds, the Powell Valley Anticline to the southeast and the Middlesboro Syncline to the northwest (Moshier, 1989). The anticline exposes Cambrian-Ordovician rocks, while the syncline exposes Pennsylvanian rocks. The strata is sharply tilted to the northwest at Cumberland Gap (Stop 2) and Gap Cave (Stop 3), and ranges from Silurian to Pennsylvanian in age.
According to Moshier (1989), Cumberland Mountain sits on top of the horizontal Pine Mountain Thrust sheet. Pine Mountain is underlain by sedimentary rocks that dip in the opposite direction (southeast). The Pine Mountain Thrust sheet is a system of faults bounded by two tear faults (Russell Fork and Jacksboro). Interaction between the faults take place via ramping of the hanging-walls on top of adjacent footwalls. The Pine Mountain ramps twice, the first of which results in the Powell Valley Anticline-Middlesboro Syncline pair. The Copper Creek Thrust (Stop 4) is another thrust fault located in the Pine Mountain Thrust sheet, and to the southeast is Clinch Mountain (Stop 5) and the renowned Thorn Hill Section. Like all structures in the Appalachian fold and thrust belt, the Pine Mountain Thrust resulted from the Alleghanian Orogeny. Sediment eroded from the orogeny accumulated in the Appalachian basin, which is exposed as sedimentary rocks in the Laurel River Dam Spillway (Stop 1). Here we tie it all together, so come along for the ride!!
2. Cumberland Gap Pinnacle Overlook
3. Gap Cave
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This page was created by
Rebecca Knutson and Darlene Fissler
Monday April 26, 2004