Foliated to massive, locally conglomeratic; interlayered and gradational with mica schist, muscovite-biotite gneiss, and rare graphitic schist.
Locally sulfidic; interlayered and gradational with mica schist, minor amphibolite, and hornblende gneiss.
Unconformity; layered biotite-granite gneiss, biotite-hornblende gneiss, amphibolite, calc-silicate rock; locally contains relict granulite facies rock.
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.
Finely laminated to thin layered; locally contains massive gneiss and micaceous granule conglomerate; includes schist, phyllite, and amphibolite.
Unconformity; greenish gray to pinkish gray, porphyroclastic to mylonitic; epidote, sericite, and chlorite common.
Equigranular, massive to well foliated, interlayered, rarely discordant, metamorphosed intrusive to extrusive mafic rock; may include metasedimentary rock.
Feldspathic metasiltstone, metasandstone, and phyllite. Basal schist contains lenses of quartz-pebble conglomerate.
Contains biotite, muscovite, and xenocrysts. Includes Whiteside Mountain, Stone Mountain, Mount Airy, Spruce Pine, and other smaller plutons.
Feldspathic arenite, white to yellowish gray. Minor silty shale, feldspathic siltstone, and conglomerate in lower part. Includes Unicoi Formation of Hot Springs window.
Equigranular, massive to well foliated, interlayered, rarely discordant, metamorphosed intrusive and extrusive mafic rock; may include metasedimentary rock.
Metamorphosed dunite, local peridotite; serpentinite, soapstone, and other altered ultramafic rock. Only larger bodies shown.
Vitreous quartz arenite, white to light gray; interbedded sandy siltstone and shale. Erwin and Hampton formations of Hot Springs window.
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.
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.