Talk:Allegheny Front

Discombobulate
I have tried to discombobulate some of the article's problems with my edits today.

To the question "Is there a ridge higher than the Eastern Continental Divide?" which another editor asked: Yes, for example Spruce Mountain (including Spruce Knob, highest point in the Alleghenies) is a few miles EAST of the actual AF/ECD. The AF/ECD does not necessarily always coincide with the highest peaks in the area. Spruce Mountain/Spruce Knob is an isolated mountain.

NB: None of the lines or colors on the accompanying "Great Appalachian Valley" graphic represent the AF/ECD. If someone wants to make a better graphic,, , , and could prove helpful.

140.139.35.250 (talk) 16:56, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

Southern terminus
Is it possible to get a fuller reading of the book section being cited for the southern end of the Allegheny Front? Saying Back Allegheny Mountain is the southern end means jumping back over the Eastern Continental Divide and that section south of Roaring Plains Wilderness lacks the large high-elevation plateau north of there. Just loooking at a topo view, I'm inclined to agree that Roaring Plains is the southern end of the Allegheny Front. Brian Powell (talk) 19:04, 27 February 2010 (UTC)
 * The book (Physiography of Eastern United States, 1938) is a bit confusing on pp 228-229. It describes the border of the R-and-V province as it simultaneously describes the AF. The R-and-V boundary follows the AF along its entire (~180 mile) length, but it is the R-and-V boundary -- not the AF  --  that "jogs back" about 10 miles west to Back Allegheny Mountain just below the 39th parallel. A careful reading of this section makes this clear. I originally made the mistake of thinking that the author was describing the AF, then corrected myself when I caught the mistake. In my defense, however, I must say that the book that led me to the Physiography book (namely, The West Virginia Encyclopedia, by Ken Sullivan)  makes the same mistake (see the "Allegheny Front" entry). I had to get & read the older book carefully to see that the newer one was in error.
 * The Physiography book has a nice pull out map at the back which clearly labels the AF in both PA & WV (it seems to end at about Roaring Plains). Also, the 7.5 minute USGS maps appear to indicate that the AF wraps south around Roaring Plains & then the name is no longer seen anywhere further south.


 * Of course part of the difficulty here is that the whole concept of the "Allegheny Front" is rather arbitrary anyway... This is the best I can do...
 * Valerius Tygart (talk) 17:41, 1 March 2010 (UTC)