"Fragments of the billion-year-old super-continent may be witnessed at the surface in many places in the Appalachian Mountains. Examples include Blowing Rock in northern North Carolina and Red Top Mountain in northern Georgia" (Clark). Over millions of years Pangaea began to separate, facilitated by the movement of Earth's tectonic plates. As the landmass began to separate water filled the crevices making for new oceans and eventually giving rise to the Ocoee Basin sediments to form. "As rivers formed sediments were deposited into areas of the basin giving the rise to the bedrock we observe today. The sediments are comprised of pebble rocks and coarse sand which is highly resistant to erosion therefore made up the peaks we observe today" (Clark). Ocoee Basin rocks of the Appalachia are comprised of a variety of beneficial elements. "Among the most beneficial of the elements are Copper, Zinc, Iron and Sulfur" (Clark). As the Ocoee Basin was forming in Georgia and Tennessee, another phenomenon was occurring in what we know now as western Virginia, northwestern South Carolina, and western North Carolina. Volcanoes began erupting at this time forming the bare rock faces observed today. Inevitably the land masses of Earth once again moved towards each other with the movements of tectonic plates. This collision was the birth of the Appalachian Mountains. Plant species were prevalent and began to colonize Earth's land at this time. Among the most colonized plant species was that of the phyla Pteridophyta as known as ferns. "As the plants during the Carboniferous era died the process of coal formation began" (Harvey). Up until close to 200 years ago, coal had little to no value but the discovery of fossil fuels has led to the destruction of some of Earths most diverse ecosystems. .
Coal began to form in the Carboniferous era around 300 million years ago. Plants die and begin to decay forming an organic material called peat.
