Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers | |
---|---|
U.S. state high point 19th | |
Coordinates | 36°39′35″N 81°32′40″W / 36.6598406°N 81.5445575°W[2] |
Geography | |
Location | Grayson / Smyth counties, Virginia, United States |
Parent range | Blue Ridge Mountains |
Topo map | USGS Whitetop Mountain |
Geology | |
Age of rock | 760 Ma. |
Mountain type | Extinct stratovolcano complex |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Hike via Appalachian Trail spur |
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in
The mountain is named for William Barton Rogers, a Virginian educated at the College of William & Mary, who taught at William & Mary and the University of Virginia, became Virginia's first State Geologist, and went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3]
The summit is most easily accessed from
Geology
The Mount Rogers area contains a unique record of the geohistory of Virginia. There is evidence from the rocks that
Spruce-fir forests
These forests have suffered recent declines due to infestations by the
Some researchers have proposed that air pollution in the form of nitrogen and sulfur compounds originating from power plants has been a source of stress to the Fraser firs, resulting in an increased susceptibility to the balsam woolly adelgid, but this relationship has not been confirmed.[6]
Wild ponies
Mount Rogers and the surrounding area is home to around 100 wild ponies, one of the few places in the United States where they live in the wild. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the ponies have lived in the area since the 1940s. In 1974, the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association was formed to help manage the herd and maintain the grassy area where they graze.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Mount Rogers, Virginia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ "Mount Rogers". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
- ^ "Blue Ridge province - The Geology of Virginia". Archived from the original on 2009-01-04. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ "Rogers Reset". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volcanic_glacial/gip_mtrogers4_letter.pdf
- ^ a b c Potter, Kevin M., Frampton, John, and Sidebottom, Jill. "Impacts of balsam woolly adelgid on the southern Appalachian spruce-fir ecosystem and the North Carolina Christmas tree industry". Third Symposium on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the Eastern United States, 2005
- ^ Newton, Leslie P., and Hain, Fred P. "Host interactions of the balsam woolly adelgid". Third Symposium on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the United States, 2005.
- ^ Nalewicki, Jennifer (July 22, 2016). "The Only Place on the Appalachian Trail Where You Can See Wild Ponies". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 27, 2022.