Knobby Rock is a rock outcropping on
the south side of Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. Pine
Mountain is a linear mountain which runs from The Breaks of Big
Sandy to the Jellico Mountain in Tennessee. It rises on the average
of 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Its highest elevation is 3300
feet just outside Whitesburg, Kentucky.
The mountain is considered unique in
the area because it is an overthust fault. It was created by the
action of plate tectonics over 300 to 400 million years ago when
the North American plate collided with the African Plate. This
caused Pine Mountain to be thrust up and over the existing
landscape. This up thrust of the mountain up and over was possible
because of its underlying rock. This rock is Devonian shale which
is an oil shale. This oil shale allowed the mountain to slide up
and over the existing landscape.
The south side of the mountain has an
angle of 45 degrees. The north side is steeper with an angle of 55
to 60 degrees. Because of this Pine Mountain was a big barrier to
settlement of the Pine Mountain Valley. There are only three gaps
located at Pineville, Hurricane Gap at Cumberland, and the Scuttle
Hole at Whitesburg.
The above coordinates will lead you
to Knobby Rock which is a sandstone rock outcrop in the Blanton
Forest a Kentucky State Nature Preserve. A rock outcrop is a
geological term used when the bedrock becomes exposed at the
surface of the Earth. Rock outcrops happen when erosion is rapid
and occurs faster than weathering. This type of rapid erosion
occurs on steep hillsides, river banks, or tectonically active
areas.
By the time you reach Knobby Rock you
will realize what a special place Blanton Forest is. It is an old
growth forest meaning it has never been logged. It is only one of
13 old growth tracts in the Eastern United States and the largest
in Kentucky. Many trees have been dated to the late 1600s and may
be 3 to 4 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall.
Blanton Forest is classified as a
mixed-mesophytic deciduous forest. The largest trees are sugar
maple, tulip poplar, many different types of oaks, hemlocks, beech
and magnolias. These make up the forest canopy. There are 125
different types of trees and shrubs to be found in the
preserve.
Blanton Forest is located just
outside Harlan, Kentucky. A designated parking area is just outside
Camp Blanton which is a private facility. A kiosk will direct you
to the trailhead. The preserve is open year round and opens at
7:00 am and closed at 6:00pm. The hike is rated moderately
strenuous and will take approximately three hours to complete the
loop.
Start
Here
Remember this is a nature
preserve and hiking is limited to the trail only. Do not leave
the trail.
To log a find
for this EarthCache you must post a picture (optional) of yourself
with Knobby Rock in the background. Also email me the answers to
the following:
1. What is the
elevation at the posted coordinates?
2. Estimate the
width of Knobby Rock.
3. Estimate the
length of Knobby Rock.
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