The Appalachian Mountains o{North Carolina As a part of the Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina's mountain region is characteristic of much of the mountain chain. At the same time, it has its own unique geologic identity. The Appalachian Mountains is a narrow, and long mountain system that stretches approximately 1200 miles from north to south along the eastern seaboard of the United States. The mountains are made up of a series of broken mountain chains, ridges and plateaus. Within Notih Carolina, there are two major Appalachian mountain ranges, the Blue Ridge and the Unaka Mountain Range. The Nmih Carolina Mountains run roughly northwest to southeast through the state and feature 43 peai{S with heights above 6,000 feet. On its eastern side, the region begins with the Blue Ridge Mountain range rising sharply from the Piedmont. Within the Blue Ridge are smaller, but prominent ranges such as the Pisgah, the Balsam and the Black Mountains. The mountain region continues towards the Unalm Mountain Range on the western border, which descends gradually towards Tennessee. Within the Unaka Mountain Range are the Great Smoky Mountains. Formation of the Mountains The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest mountains in North America. Some of the rocks found in the Western Blue Ridge Mountains are among the oldest in the state at over 1.8 billion years old. The sedimentary, volcanic, igneous and metamorphic rocl{s in the region date back to widely different eras and offer evidence of the geologic changes that have helped shape the mountains. The bitih of the Appalachian Mountains began over 300 million years with the movement of tectonic plates and the formation ofthe super continent of Pangea. 73 .