Page 30 - History of Rockingham Co
P. 30
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
more nearly of their topographic characters and really belong
to the New Appalachian type. The highest point in the Blue
Ridge in Rockingham County is High Knob, which attains an
elevation of over 3600 feet above sea level.
The Shenandoah Valley province, which makes up the
greater part of Rockingham County, when viewed from an
elevation appears as a broad, undulating plain, traversed by
a series of low ridges which barely appear above it. In these
ridges the cherty beds of limestone, which are more resistant
than the surrounding rocks, have given rise to a series of
round, conical hills which dot the landscape at intervals of a
few miles, and have an elevation of from two hundred to
three hundred feet above the plain. Good examples of these
are Round Hill near Bridgewater and Mole Hill near Dayton.
The Shenandoah plain slopes gently toward the southwest
as a rule and attains an elevation of about 1500 feet at Har-
risonburg. The most conspicuous feature of the Valley
province within the county is the Massanutten Mountain,
which divides the northern part into two unequal divisions.
This peculiar mountain, while only within a few miles of the
Blue Ridge and parallel with it, shows no geological kinship
Newwith it, for it is in reality an outlier of the Appalachian
ridges about eighteen miles to the west. The mountain ends
abruptly in a fine peak which is locally known as Peaked
Mountain, 2900 feet above the sea. Laird's Knob, a few
miles northward, attains an elevation of more than 3400 feet.
The topography of the Massanutten Mountain is identical
with that of the Alleghany ridges.
The Alleghany ridges and valleys embrace the western
third of the county. These ridges show a more or less even
Crestline, and are arranged with a decided parallelism. The
most elevated part of the county is within this province.
High Knob in the Shenandoah Mountain has an elevation
slightly more than 4200 feet. Practically all types of ridges
found in an eroded region of folded sedimentary rocks occur
here: the monoclinal, anticlinal, and synclinal. These ridges
are frequently cut by gaps through which streams are now
—23—
more nearly of their topographic characters and really belong
to the New Appalachian type. The highest point in the Blue
Ridge in Rockingham County is High Knob, which attains an
elevation of over 3600 feet above sea level.
The Shenandoah Valley province, which makes up the
greater part of Rockingham County, when viewed from an
elevation appears as a broad, undulating plain, traversed by
a series of low ridges which barely appear above it. In these
ridges the cherty beds of limestone, which are more resistant
than the surrounding rocks, have given rise to a series of
round, conical hills which dot the landscape at intervals of a
few miles, and have an elevation of from two hundred to
three hundred feet above the plain. Good examples of these
are Round Hill near Bridgewater and Mole Hill near Dayton.
The Shenandoah plain slopes gently toward the southwest
as a rule and attains an elevation of about 1500 feet at Har-
risonburg. The most conspicuous feature of the Valley
province within the county is the Massanutten Mountain,
which divides the northern part into two unequal divisions.
This peculiar mountain, while only within a few miles of the
Blue Ridge and parallel with it, shows no geological kinship
Newwith it, for it is in reality an outlier of the Appalachian
ridges about eighteen miles to the west. The mountain ends
abruptly in a fine peak which is locally known as Peaked
Mountain, 2900 feet above the sea. Laird's Knob, a few
miles northward, attains an elevation of more than 3400 feet.
The topography of the Massanutten Mountain is identical
with that of the Alleghany ridges.
The Alleghany ridges and valleys embrace the western
third of the county. These ridges show a more or less even
Crestline, and are arranged with a decided parallelism. The
most elevated part of the county is within this province.
High Knob in the Shenandoah Mountain has an elevation
slightly more than 4200 feet. Practically all types of ridges
found in an eroded region of folded sedimentary rocks occur
here: the monoclinal, anticlinal, and synclinal. These ridges
are frequently cut by gaps through which streams are now
—23—
