The Uwharrie Mountains ()
from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. Retrieved 2013-02-05. are a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
spanning the counties of
Randolph,
Montgomery,
Stanly Stanly is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Edward Stanly (1810–1872), Whig U.S. congressman
* Fabius Stanly (1815–1882), rear admiral of the U.S. Navy
* John Stanly (politician) (1774–1834), Federalist U.S. congressman
* ...
, and
Davidson. The range's foothills stretch into
Cabarrus,
Anson Anson may refer to:
People
* Anson (name), a give name and surname
** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname
Place names
;United States
* Anson, Indiana
* Anson, Kansas
* Anson, Maine
** Anson (CDP), Maine
* Anson, Missour ...
,
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, and
Richmond counties.
The Uwharries were once a coastal mountain range;
isostasy
Isostasy (Greek ''ísos'' "equal", ''stásis'' "standstill") or isostatic equilibrium is the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust (or lithosphere) and mantle such that the crust "floats" at an elevation that depends on its ...
has slowly raised the eastern seabed until today they lie in the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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of North Carolina over from the coast. Formed approximately 500 million years ago by accretion along the
Gondwanan tectonic plate, they are thought to have once peaked at some ,
[uwharries.com] before
eroding to a maximum of just over . The range's high point is High Rock Mountain ( as measured by the NC Geodetic Survey), in southwestern Davidson County.
The Uwharrie lie within the
Southeastern mixed forests
The Southeastern mixed forests are an ecoregion of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome, in the lower portion of the Eastern United States.
Setting
This ecoregion covers the Piedmont region of the eastern United States, stretching in a ...
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
.
They give their name to the
. Once entirely cleared for timber and farmland, the mountains were designated a
U.S. National Forest in 1961 by President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
. The woodlands have since returned, providing a haven for a diversity of wildlife, recreational facilities, and numerous
Native American archeological sites.
In 1799, the discovery of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
at the nearby
Reed Gold Mine
The Reed Gold Mine is located in Midland, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and is the site of the first documented commercial gold find in the United States. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark because of its importance and ...
in Cabarrus County led to America's first
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...
.
The
North Carolina Zoo
The North Carolina Zoo is a zoo in Asheboro, North Carolina, housing 1,800 animals of more than 250 species, primarily representing Africa and North America. It is one of two state-supported zoos in the United States, with the other being the ...
, America's first state-supported zoo, is located in the Uwharries region.
The
Caraway Mountains
The Caraway Mountains are a mountain range located in western Randolph County and a section of eastern Davidson County, North Carolina. The mountains are located between the cities of Asheboro
Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Rand ...
, a segment of the Uwharries, are located in western Randolph County, west of
Asheboro
Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 25,012 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the sta ...
.
Protected areas
*
Birkhead Mountains Wilderness
The Birkhead Mountains Wilderness was established by the 1984 North Carolina Wilderness Act, and it covers in the Uwharrie National Forest at the northern end of the Uwharrie Mountains, in central North Carolina. The goals are to protect and pre ...
*
Morrow Mountain State Park
Morrow Mountain State Park is a state park in Stanly County, North Carolina, U.S. Located near Albemarle, the park includes within the Uwharrie Mountains.
Geography
Morrow Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the Uwharrie Mountains of ...
*
References
External links
Uwharrie Forest page at UNC Asheville*
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of North Carolina
Landforms of Randolph County, North Carolina
Landforms of Montgomery County, North Carolina
Landforms of Stanly County, North Carolina
Landforms of Davidson County, North Carolina