Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge region of Georgia is home to the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They are named this because they have a blueish color when seen from a distance.  Some cool places to visit are the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the Blue Ridge Scenic Parkway. This area is filled with mountains and lakes that make the area a popular place to visit or vacation.

https://sites.google.com/site/georgiaregions/blueridgemountains

One place we visited on our trip through Georgia was Dahlonega. This is the site of the Georgia Gold Rush.  The Georgia Gold Rush was the second gold rush in the Unites States.  It started in 1828 and spread through the Georgia Mountains. It was over by the early 1840s and many Georgia miners moved west when gold was found California in 1848.

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/581521445427871745

Gold is a mineral/element, and one of the most precious rocks in the world. It is a bright yellowish metal. The element was formed inside ancient stars that exploded.  Gold is malleable, shiny, and soft.  The gold on the Georgia Capitol building is from Dahlonega.  There are places here where you can mine for gold.

https://wallpaperscraft.com/tag/gold/3840x2400

Also in the Blue Ridge are the rocks marble and quartzite.    Marble is a very well know rock here. The people of the area use it for buildings and construction.  Marble is a metamorphic rock. Limestone was metamorphized into marble. Marble from Georgia is used in many capitals and cities around the world.

http://geology.com/rocks/marble.shtml           

Quartzite is  metamorphic rock.  Quartz sandstone was metamorphized into Quartize.  Quartzite can be seen in the steep cliffs of the Tallulah Gorge.   It is a very hard fine grained rock that looks like sugar.  It is not soft like sugar and can cut things when broken.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geophys/quartzite.html

Sources:
Marble, Hobart King, http://geology.com/rocks/marble.shtml, 2005-2015.

Blue Ridge Geologic Province, Timothy LaTour, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/science-medicine/blue-ridge-geologic-province, 2015.