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| Bluestone
Country Rolling farm land,
dense forests, sparkling lakes and streams, and towering mountains
dominate the countryside in Bluestone Country, a photo-scenic region
apparently custom made for explorers, tourists and students of
history. Princeton, WV and
Bluefield, WV are the largest cities in the
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Bluestone Lake, near Hinton,
WV
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| Regional
Information
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Physiography
Bluestone Country lies between
two great Appalachian physiographic provinces -- the Allegheny Plateau
and the Ridge and Valley Province. The rugged peaks of Flat Top
Mountain, to the north, represent the high southern edge of the
Allegheny Plateau, also known as the Allegheny Front. From 3,500 feet
along its summits, Flat Top descends in steps and benches into the
valleys of the Bluestone River and its tributaries. This central region
is characterized by broad flats and tablelands broken by steep-walled
gorges. Cliffs, waterfalls, and rock formations hide within every
crevasse, generated as water erodes over tough sandstones and weaker red
and green shales.
Toward the south, Bluestone
Country begins to buckle and fold before rising sharply as East River
Mountain, the smooth 3,000-foot wall that separates Virginia and West
Virginia and marks the northernmost range of the Valley and Ridge
Province. The latter province extends southward across Virginia in waves
to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachia's easternmost range.
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Climate
The humid continental climate
of Bluestone Country is characterized by sharp temperature
contrasts, both daily and seasonal. Summers
-- renown for their cool nights -- are never extreme and are generally
comfortable, around 70 to 80 degrees. Days with temperatures above 100
degrees are rare. When exploring in summer, be sure to dress for cool
nights. Winter temperatures
are mild in the west, moderately rigorous in the east, and frequently
severe at elevations above 3,000 feet -- on the heights of Tallery, Flat
Top and East River mountains. Cold waves occur two or three times a
year, but seldom last more than a few days. Most winter weekends are
pleasant -- from 30 to 50 degrees. Predominant
westerly circulations in this latitude deposit considerable moisture on
the windward slopes of high ridges. Snowfall amounts illustrate this
pattern most clearly: seasonal averages total 30 inches in the lowlands
and 60 inches in the mountains.
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