Streams of the Blue Ridge

Because of the high relief, streams in the Blue Ridge tend to have steep slopes. The erosive power provided by such slopes, together with the presence of generally hard bedrock, have produced many gorges. Drainage patterns tend to be dendritic, although, the etching out of shear zones to form trench valleys lends a linear aspect to the patterns.

One might expect streams of the Blue Ridge to arise near the axis of this province, but in fact, several major streams arise near the southeastern margin of the province and flow northwesterly across the province. These include the French Broad River, the Little Tennessee River, the Hiwassee River, and the New River.