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Allegheny Front

 
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The Allegheny Front is a portion of the escarpment
Escarpment

In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope....
 that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau
Appalachian Plateau

The Appalachian Plateau is the western part of the Appalachian mountains, stretching from New York to Georgia and Alabama. The plateau is a second level United States physiographic region....
 (locally called the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio....
) and the higher ranges of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range — informally, the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States and Canada....
, separating them from the lower Alleghenies to the east. It is a part of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians

The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a Physiographic regions of the world of the larger Appalachian Mountains division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey westward into Pennsylvania and southward...
 and is conterminous with the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide

The Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide is a continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St....
 in this region.

e the entire escarpment of which the Allegheny Front is a part stretches from New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 (the Helderbergs) to Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
 (Cumberland Mountain and Waldens Ridge), the portion known as the Allegheny Front extends southwesterly from south-central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
, through western Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 and eastern West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 to a portion of the West Virginia/Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 border.






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Appalachian Map
The Allegheny Front is a portion of the escarpment
Escarpment

In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope....
 that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau
Appalachian Plateau

The Appalachian Plateau is the western part of the Appalachian mountains, stretching from New York to Georgia and Alabama. The plateau is a second level United States physiographic region....
 (locally called the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio....
) and the higher ranges of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range — informally, the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States and Canada....
, separating them from the lower Alleghenies to the east. It is a part of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians

The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a Physiographic regions of the world of the larger Appalachian Mountains division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey westward into Pennsylvania and southward...
 and is conterminous with the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide

The Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide is a continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St....
 in this region.

Geography

While the entire escarpment of which the Allegheny Front is a part stretches from New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 (the Helderbergs) to Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
 (Cumberland Mountain and Waldens Ridge), the portion known as the Allegheny Front extends southwesterly from south-central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
, through western Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 and eastern West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 to a portion of the West Virginia/Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 border. In Maryland the front is known as Dan's Mountain. The elevational change of the front ranges from less than in Pennsylvania to almost above the North Fork South Branch Potomac River near Hopeville
Hopeville, West Virginia

Hopeville is an unincorporated community on the Potomac River#North Fork South Branch Potomac River in Grant County, West Virginia, West Virginia, USA....
, West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
.

Geology

Historically, the front was the edge of a salt evaporite
Evaporite

Evaporites are water-soluble mineral sedimentary rock that result from the evaporation of bodies of surficial water. Evaporites are considered sedimentary rocks....
 basin formed at the end of the Silurian
Silurian

The Silurian is a geologic period that extends from the end of the Ordovician period, about 443.7 ? 1.5 annum , to the beginning of the Devonian period, about 416.0 ? 2.8 Mya ....
 period, which created significant differences in the erosionary properties of rocks to either side of the front. The terrain differences to either side are also partially caused by the Alleghenian orogeny
Alleghenian orogeny

The Alleghenian orogeny or Appalachian orogeny is one of the geology mountain-forming events that formed the Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Mountains....
, in which Gondwana
Gondwana

Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland is the name given to a southern precursor-supercontinent and then as a remnant separated from Laurasia 180- during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Annum ago into two large segments. (modern Africa) impacted and overrode part of what is now the North American crustal plate, thrusting and piling up the ridge mountains of the physiographic regions to the east.

See also

  • Geology of the Appalachians
    Geology of the Appalachians

    The geology of the Appalachians dates back to more than 480 million years ago. A look at rocks exposed in today's Appalachian Mountains reveals elongate belts of folded and thrust faulted marine sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks and slivers of ophiolite - strong evidence that these rocks were deformed during plate tectonics....
  • Horseshoe Curve
    Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

    Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad curve in central Pennsylvania, near Altoona, Pennsylvania in the United States .It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later used by the Penn Central, then Conrail....