Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
Roan Mountain Highlands · By Dirk Frankenberg and Jennifer Godwin-Wyer
A creek at middle elevations
Figure 16. At lower elevations, the force of the creek's current has eroded the boulders. (Photograph by Dirk Frankenberg. More about the photograph)
Figure 16 shows the same creek as that in Figure 15, but at an elevation about 1000 feet closer to sea level. Note the almost uniform roundness of the boulder edges when compared to those in Figure 15. The boulders here are also smaller than those in Figure 15, but you will have to take my word for that as the difference in distance makes direct comparison impossible from the pictures alone. Note also that there are some sharp edges on stones along this creek bed. These are often the result of fractures caused as the stones bounce downstream in floods. This creek was the site of major floods in both 1901 and 1998.
