Short Hill Mountain
Encyclopedia
Short Hill Mountain is a mountain
ridge
of the Blue Ridge Mountains
in northwest Loudoun County
, Virginia
.
countryside of the Loudoun Valley
, northwest of Purcellville
, as a low-lying ridge barely over 400 feet (121.9 m) above the surrounding area. The mountain ridge extends northeast for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) before descending to the Hillsboro Gap
, through which the North Fork of Catoctin Creek
flows and the town of Hillsboro is located. North of the gap, the ridge quickly achieves heights of greater than 600 feet (182.9 m) above the gap, and continues for 12 miles (19.3 km), gradually gaining elevation, before dropping precipitously to the Potomac River
.
The portion of the mountain south of Hillsboro Gap is known as Signal Mountain
for the Union Army
signaling station located on its 1020 feet (310.9 m) summit during the American Civil War
. North of the Potomac, the ridge continues as South Mountain
in Maryland
and Pennsylvania
.
Short Hill is about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountain
, which forms the western border of Loudoun County, and the valley in between the mountains is known as Between the Hills
and includes the villages of Loudoun Heights
and Neersville
. To the east of the mountain is the Catoctin Valley
.
A small portion of Short Hill on its northwestern slope, along the Potomac, is owned by the National Park Service
to preserve downriver views for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
. The rest of the mountain is in private hands and is by and large undeveloped. The only road crossing of the mountain is Virginia State Route 9
at Hillsboro.
and early Paleozoic
eras. The formation consists primarily of metabasalt greenstone
deposited during the early Catoctin Formation and interspersed with metasedimentary phyllite
, schist
and breccia
, which were deposited later. The rocks were originally deposited contiguous with those of the Blue Ridge Mountains and uplifted together during the Grenville Orogeny
. The two ridges were later separated in the late Paleozoic era by movement along the Short Hill Fault, which runs along the western edge of the mountain. During the Alleghenian Orogeny
the rocks were pushed westward to their present location and uplifted once more.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
in northwest Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Geography
Short Hill rises sharply from the PiedmontPiedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
countryside of the Loudoun Valley
Loudoun Valley
The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in northwestern Virginia in the United States.-Geography:...
, northwest of Purcellville
Purcellville, Virginia
Purcellville is a town in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,584 at the 2000 census, but has undergone considerable growth since then. Purcellville is the major population center for western Loudoun and the Loudoun Valley...
, as a low-lying ridge barely over 400 feet (121.9 m) above the surrounding area. The mountain ridge extends northeast for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) before descending to the Hillsboro Gap
Hillsboro Gap
Hillsboro Gap, also known as the Gap in the Short Hill is a water gap in the Short Hill Mountain formed by the North Fork of the Catoctin Creek in Loudoun County, Virginia. The gap derives its name from the town of Hillsboro, which is nestled in the gap...
, through which the North Fork of Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
Catoctin Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River in Loudoun County, Virginia, with a watershed of . Agricultural lands make up 67 percent and forests 30 percent of Catoctin Creek's watershed...
flows and the town of Hillsboro is located. North of the gap, the ridge quickly achieves heights of greater than 600 feet (182.9 m) above the gap, and continues for 12 miles (19.3 km), gradually gaining elevation, before dropping precipitously to the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
.
The portion of the mountain south of Hillsboro Gap is known as Signal Mountain
Signal Mountain
Signal Mountain may refer to:*Signal Mountain, Tennessee, a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee**Because of the proximity of this town to it, Walden Ridge is often mistakenly called Signal Mountain....
for the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
signaling station located on its 1020 feet (310.9 m) summit during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. North of the Potomac, the ridge continues as South Mountain
South Mountain (Maryland and Pennsylvania)
South Mountain is the northern extension of the Blue Ridge Mountain range in Maryland and Pennsylvania. From the Potomac River near Knoxville, Maryland in the south, to Dillsburg, Pennsylvania in the north, the long range separates the Hagerstown and Cumberland valleys from the Piedmont regions of...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Short Hill is about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain
Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the western most ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia...
, which forms the western border of Loudoun County, and the valley in between the mountains is known as Between the Hills
Between the Hills
Between the Hills is a small valley in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia, distinct from, but associated with the greater Loudoun Valley.-Geography:...
and includes the villages of Loudoun Heights
Loudoun Heights, Virginia
Loudoun Heights is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is located in the Between the Hills region of the county along Harpers Ferry Road and is bounded to its northwest and northeast by the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on the...
and Neersville
Neersville, Virginia
Neersville is an unincorporated community in northwestern Loudoun County, Virginia, USA. It is located in the Between the Hills area of the Loudoun Valley on Harpers Ferry Road at the foot of Short Hill Mountain...
. To the east of the mountain is the Catoctin Valley
Catoctin Valley
The Catoctin Valley is a small valley, geographically and culturally associated with the larger Loudoun Valley in Loudoun County, Virginia.-Geography:...
.
A small portion of Short Hill on its northwestern slope, along the Potomac, is owned by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
to preserve downriver views for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes land in Jefferson County, West Virginia; Washington County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia. The park is managed by the...
. The rest of the mountain is in private hands and is by and large undeveloped. The only road crossing of the mountain is Virginia State Route 9
Virginia State Route 9
Virginia State Route 9 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Charles Town Pike, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line near Mechanicsville, where the highway continues west as West Virginia Route 9 , east to SR 7 and SR 7 Business near Paeonian...
at Hillsboro.
Geology
The rocks underlying Short Hill are of the late ProterozoicProterozoic
The Proterozoic is a geological eon representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth. The name Proterozoic comes from the Greek "earlier life"...
and early Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
eras. The formation consists primarily of metabasalt greenstone
Greenschist
Greenschist is a general field petrologic term applied to metamorphic or altered mafic volcanic rock. The term greenstone is sometimes used to refer to greenschist but can refer to other rock types too. The green is due to abundant green chlorite, actinolite and epidote minerals that dominate the...
deposited during the early Catoctin Formation and interspersed with metasedimentary phyllite
Phyllite
Phyllite is a type of foliated metamorphic rock primarily composed of quartz, sericite mica, and chlorite; the rock represents a gradation in the degree of metamorphism between slate and mica schist. Minute crystals of graphite, sericite, or chlorite impart a silky, sometimes golden sheen to the...
, schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
, which were deposited later. The rocks were originally deposited contiguous with those of the Blue Ridge Mountains and uplifted together during the Grenville Orogeny
Grenville orogeny
The Grenville Orogeny was a long-lived Mesoproterozoic mountain-building event associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. Its record is a prominent orogenic belt which spans a significant portion of the North American continent, from Labrador to Mexico, as well as to Scotland...
. The two ridges were later separated in the late Paleozoic era by movement along the Short Hill Fault, which runs along the western edge of the mountain. During the Alleghenian Orogeny
Alleghenian orogeny
The Alleghenian orogeny or Appalachian orogeny is one of the geological mountain-forming events that formed the Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Mountains. The term and spelling Alleghany orogeny was originally proposed by H.P. Woodward in 1957....
the rocks were pushed westward to their present location and uplifted once more.