Moonshine, hillbillies, and a unique dialect are what come to mind when most people think of Appalachia and the Appalachian people of the eastern United States. Long identified by the population and commerce present in the region, the Appalachians also constitute an interesting geological feature. Stretching from north to south, the Appalachian Mountains are one of the oldest ranges on planet Earth. Having begun to form nearly a billion years ago, the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Alabama to Newfoundland. This article will discuss the formation of the range in the Paleozoic era. The different geological features and patterns found in the northern and southern areas of the range. Finally, the people of Appalachia, a unique ecosystem and valuable resources found in the region. The Appalachian Mountains provide a unique location to study geologic features and processes. The Appalachian Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. The Appalachian Mountains were formed during a series of mountain-building events that took place during the Paleozoic era. The first was even the formation of the Grenville Mountains during the formation of the supercontinent Rodinia (Jamestown). The Grenville Mountains were heavily eroded and became the base of the early Appalachians. About 450 million years ago, uplift and folding created the Taconic Mountain Range that later became the Northern Appalachians. Ongoing collisions continued to create mountains to the north of present-day Canada and to the south, the southern Appalachians and to the southwest, the Ozark Plateau and Range. The last mountain-forming event occurred 300 million years ago when plates collided forming the supercontinent Pangea....... middle of paper ...... mountains and New England - Jamestown RI Visitor Information. " Geological History of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Jamestown RI - Rhode Island Visitor Information, nd Web, April 20, 2014. Clark, Sandra HB “Birth of Moutains”. Marianne. “Good Gas, Bad Gas”. National Geographic, December 2012. Web, April 20, 2014. Lew, Alan A., “The Eastern Highlands,” United States, April 20, 2014. Martin, M. and Elizabeth Knowles, “Appalachians,” January 1, 1996. April 20, 2014. Pickering, John, Roland Kays, Albert Meier, Susan Andrew, and Kay Yatskievych "Appalachian Mountains -- Earth's Last Wild Places (2002): 458-67 Web, April 20, 2014. Yan, Sophia. "In West Virginia, a battle for Mountaintop Time Inc.". Internet April 20.. 2014.