Unconformity; pinkish gray to light gray, massive to well-foliated, granitic to quartz monzonitic; includes variably mylonitized orthogneiss and paragneiss, interlayered amphibolite, calc-silicate rock, and marble. Includes granites of the Bryson City area, Straight Fork window, and Elk Park Plutonic Suite.
Unconformity; layered biotite-granite gneiss, biotite-hornblende gneiss, amphibolite, calc-silicate rock; locally contains relict granulite facies rock.
Unconformity; greenish gray to pinkish gray, porphyroclastic to mylonitic; epidote, sericite, and chlorite common.
Mottled pink and light green, coarse grained to porphyritic, massive; contains biotite.
Slate to metasiltstone, locally limy beds and pods; interbedded with quartz-pebble metaconglomerate and metasandstone.
Feldspathic metasiltstone, metasandstone, and phyllite. Basal schist contains lenses of quartz-pebble conglomerate.
Feldspathic arenite, white to yellowish gray. Minor silty shale, feldspathic siltstone, and conglomerate in lower part. Includes Unicoi Formation of Hot Springs window.
Greenish gray, fine to medium grained, locally cross-bedded, metamorphosed; interbedded metasiltstone and phyllite.
Slate and metasiltstone, dark green to black. Metaconglomerate lentils in upper part; calcareous metasandstone, sandy metalimestone, and quartzite in lower part.
Vitreous quartz arenite, white to light gray; interbedded sandy siltstone and shale. Erwin and Hampton formations of Hot Springs window.
Cross-bedded, feldspathic, locally conglomeratic; includes dark slate and metasiltstone.
Thin bedded to laminated, commonly cross-bedded, metamorphosed; locally includes argillite and calcareous and arkeritic metasiltstone grading to silty metalimestone.
Locally sulfidic; interlayered and gradational with mica schist, minor amphibolite, and hornblende gneiss.
Unconformity; equigranular, massive to well foliated, interlayered, rarely discordant, metamorphosed intrusive to extrusive mafic rock; may include metasedimentary rock.
Shale and siltstone, variegated red to brown; interbedded fine-grained sandstone and shaly dolomite.
Unconformity; equigranular, massive to well foliated, interlayered, rarely discordant, metamorphosed intrusive to extrusive mafic rock; may include metasedimentary rock.
Light gray, fine grained, massive, locally thin bedded or ribboned.
Thick metasedimentary sequence of massive to graded beds of metagraywacke and metasiltstone with interbedded graphitic and sulfidic slate and schist.
Ocoee Supergroup - Terrigenous clastic sedimentary rocks, for the most part poorly sorted and coarse. The groups are subdivided into formations only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness as much as 50,000 feet. Includes Walden Creek Group - The formations, other than the Sandsuck, have been mapped only in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness about 8,000 feet; Sandsuck Formation - Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet; Wilhite Formation - Gray to green siltstone and slate with interbeds of pebble conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Thickness about 4,000 feet; Shields Formation - Massive conglomerate, sandstone, argillaceous slate; conglomerate (pebbles of various rock types) characteristic. Thickness about 1,500 feet; Licklog Formation - Feldspathic sandstone, greenish phyllite, and bluish-gray slate. Thickness about 1,500 feet; and the Cades Sandstone - Gray, well-bedded, fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metasandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and metasiltstone; precise stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet; and Rich Butt Sandstone - Gray, massive beds of feldspathic, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, with interbeds of dark slate and arkosic conglomerate; exact stratigraphic position unknown. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Metamorphosed dunite, local peridotite; serpentinite, soapstone, and other altered ultramafic rock. Only larger bodies shown.
Granite, porphyritic, light-gray to reddish; coarse potash feldspar crystals and clustered interstitial mafics (chloritized biotite and hornblende) give spotted appearance; includes Max Patch Granite.
Complex of intertonguing rock types including migmatite, granitic gneisses, monzonite, quartz diorite, greenstone, mica and hornblende schists, abundant granitic pegmatite.
Sandy slate to coarse-grained pebbly metagraywacke with local graded bedding. Basal quartz-sericite schist or phyllite.
Migmatitic; interlayered and gradational with biotite-garnet gneiss and amphibolite; locally abundant quartz and alumino-silicates. Stratigraphic position uncertain.
Snowbird Group - The formations at right are applicable chiefly in the area of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thickness 13,000 to about 20,000 feet. Includes Pigeon Siltstone - Laminated, greenish quartzose and feldspathic siltstone; minor fine-grained gray sandstone. Thickness as much as 10,000 feet; Roaring Fork Sandstone - Interbedded massive feldspathic sandstone, greenish siltstone, and greenish phyllite. Maximum thickness 7,000 feet; Metcalf Phyllite - Lustrous, pale-green and silvery sericitic and chloritic phyllite; siltstone interbeds abundant. Thickness uncertain; at least 5,000 feet; Longarm Quartzite - Feldspathic quartzite and arkose, conspicuously light-colored, current bedded and crossbedded. Thickness about 5,000 feet; Wading Branch Formation - Medium- to dark-gray sandy slate to coarse, pebbly feldspathic sandstone and graywacke; basal part is quartz-sericite phyllite; graded bedding common. Thickness about 1,500 feet.
Layered hornblende and garnet gneiss and granitic migmatite with zones of mica schist and amphibolite, foliation commonly contorted; contains numerous granitic and gabbroic dikes.
Dark greenish-gray, silty and sandy, micaceous shale; numerous layers of medium-grained, feldspathic, thinly bedded sandstone. Thickness 500 to 2,000 feet.
Sequence of gray feldspathic sandstone, arkose, conglomerate, graywacke, siltstone and shale; greenish amygdaloidal basalt flows near middle and base. Thickness 2,000 to 5,000 feet.
White, vitreous quartzite, massive, with interbeds of dark-green silty and sandy shale, minor siltstone, and very fine-grained sandstone. Thickness 1,000 to 1,500 feet.
Olive-green and gray, argillaceous, micaceous shale with coarse feldspathic sandstone and quartz- pebble conglomerate. Thickness about 2,000 feet.