Downtown Raleigh ROCKS!

The geologic history of North Carolina reads like a fairytale story. Or maybe an action movie. Either way, it's a long, complex, and almost unbelievable story of epic proportions. The land that is now North Carolina has gone through episodes of violent mountain building, massive erosion, volcanoes, earthquakes and so much more. Around 330-300 million years ago, after a series of continental collisions, North Carolina was at the heart of an ancient supercontinent called Pangea. A short (geologically-speaking) 70 million years later, it was the birthplace of the Atlantic Ocean, as Pangea began to break apart. Whew - North Carolina should write a book about this because no one would believe it!

It's almost hard to image that after all that turmoil for the past 75 million years (give or take a few million years), North Carolina has enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence. The tall peaks of the Appalachian Mountains are quietly eroding, the gently rolling hills of the Piedmont are providing fertile soil, and the Coastal Plain provides access to the ever-expanding Atlantic Ocean.

The geologic processes that have created our beautiful and varied landscapes have helped to produce an abundance of natural resources. Although North Carolina has diverse people, places, and things, the one resource the entire state shares is a treasure trove of cool rocks! From the metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont to the sedimentary rocks of the Coastal Plain, North Carolina has it all. Check out this interactive  geologic map  for more information on North Carolina rocks and geologic time.

Rocks are solid materials found in Earth's crust that are made of one or more minerals and as mentioned earlier, there are metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. Not all rocks are created equal and not every rock is suitable for building or construction uses. "Building stones" are rocks that are able to be cut into large enough blocks or pieces to be used for building or construction. They need to be strong and durable to withstand the test of time. They can be polished or unpolished, depending on the desired look.

In the 1700s, early settlers of North Carolina used stones mainly for foundations (buildings and homes), walls, chimneys, and sometimes even for whole houses. By the mid to late 1800s, the demands of a growing population and industrialized society created a need for stones unlike the needs of the past. Stones (and rocks) were needed for infrastructure such as roads, bridges, highways, railroad culverts, and the tall buildings of city landscapes.

Building stones from North Carolina have been used locally and throughout the United States. Stones can be used for retaining walls, monuments, building facades, road curbs, seawalls, and bridges. Currently, the most productive building stone quarries in North Carolina are in Cherokee, Davidson, Montgomery, Rowan, Stokes, and Surry counties. Slate, syenite, argillite, granite, marble, sandstone, and quartzite are the principle quarried rocks and stones. Granite, the main building stone quarried in North Carolina, is also the most durable.

The North Carolina Geological Survey played an important role during the early years of our state by conducting surveys to find beneficial and economic sources of rocks and stones to use throughout the state. Although the role of the  Geological Survey  has morphed through the years to include many other disciplines, it still produces and stores the state's geologic surveys, data, and information.

All three kinds of rocks (metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary) were used to construct downtown Raleigh buildings and infrastructure. Not all the rocks and building stones were mined or quarried in North Carolina; many were brought to Raleigh from other states and even from other countries. However, at one time, Wake County did have at least 15 different mines where building stone was quarried for use in the construction industry. We'll highlight the Wake County stones as well as many others on our tour.

Are you ready to ROCK and stroll? Scroll down to start the tour and be sure to scroll left and right at each tour stop to see all the photos.