East Tennessee

===Topography===
[[Image:East-tennessee-landforms.png|thumb|upright=1.1|East Tennessee's major landforms]]
East Tennessee is located within three major geological divisions of the Appalachian Mountains: the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] on the border with North Carolina in the east; the [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]] (usually called the "[[Great Appalachian Valley]]" or "Tennessee Valley"{{efn|Not to be confused with the [[Tennessee Valley]], the [[drainage basin]] of the Tennessee River, part of which covers most of the Ridge-and-Valley region in East Tennessee.}}) in the center; and the [[Cumberland Plateau]] in the west, part of which is in Middle Tennessee. The southern tip of the [[Cumberland Mountains]] also extends into the region between the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge-and-Valley regions. Both the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains are part of the larger [[Appalachian Plateau]].{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=68–72}}

The Blue Ridge section comprises the western section of the Blue Ridge Province, the crests of which form most of the Tennessee-North Carolina border. At an average elevation of {{convert|5000|ft|m}} above sea level, this physiographic province contains the highest elevations in the state.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=57–58, 64, 68}} The Blue Ridge region is subdivided into several subranges—the [[Iron Mountains]], [[Unaka Range]],{{efn|The term "Unaka Range" is sometimes used to refer to the entirety of the Blue Ridge range in Tennessee and North Carolina}} and [[Bald Mountains]] in the north; the [[Great Smoky Mountains]] in the center; and the [[Unicoi Mountains]], [[Little Frog Mountain]], and [[Big Frog Mountain]] areas in the south.<ref>[{{Gnis3|1016314}} USGS GNIS – Unicoi Mountains], [{{Gnis3|1326903}} USGS GNIS – Bald Mountains], [{{Gnis3|1016311}} USGS GNIS – Unaka Mountains], [{{Gnis3|1310275}} USGS GNIS – Great Smoky Mountains].</ref> [[Clingmans Dome]], at {{convert|6643|ft|m}}, is the state's highest point and is located in the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=57–58, 64, 68}} Most of the Blue Ridge section is heavily forested and protected by various state and federal entities, the largest of which include the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] and the [[Cherokee National Forest]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Federal Lands and Indian Reservations – Tennessee |url=https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states/fed_lands_2003/tennessee_2003.pdf |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |access-date=June 20, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2003 |via=University of Texas Libraries}}</ref> The [[Appalachian Trail]] enters Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains and roughly follows the border with North Carolina most of the distance to near the [[Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)|Roan Mountain]], where it shifts entirely into Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appalachian Trail Map |url=https://www.nps.gov/appa/planyourvisit/upload/APPA%20Map.pdf |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 17, 2021 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

The Ridge-and-Valley division is East Tennessee's largest, lowest lying, and most populous section. It consists of a series of alternating and paralleling elongate ridges with broad river valleys in between, roughly oriented northeast-to-southwest. This section's most notable feature, the [[Tennessee River]], forms at the confluence of the [[Holston River|Holston]] and [[French Broad River|French Broad]] rivers in Knoxville and flows southwestward to Chattanooga. The lowest point in East Tennessee, at an elevation of approximately {{convert|600|ft|m}}, is found where the Tennessee River enters Alabama in Marion County.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/maps/lsuz/Tennessee/ |title=Tennessee topographic map, elevation, relief |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Needed--> |website=topographic-map.com |publisher=<!--Needed--> |access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref> Other notable rivers in the upper Tennessee watershed include the [[Clinch River|Clinch]], [[Nolichucky River|Nolichucky]], [[Watauga River|Watauga]], [[Emory River|Emory]], [[Little Tennessee River|Little Tennessee]], [[Hiwassee River|Hiwassee]], [[Sequatchie River|Sequatchie]], and [[Ocoee River|Ocoee]] rivers. Notable "ridges" in the Ridge-and-Valley range, which exceed elevations much greater than most surrounding ridges and are commonly referred to as mountains, include [[Clinch Mountain]], [[Bays Mountain]], and [[Powell Mountain]].{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=57–58, 64, 68}}

The Cumberland Plateau rises nearly {{convert|1000|ft|m}} above the Appalachian Valley, stretching from the Kentucky border in the north to the Georgia and Alabama borders in the south.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=57–58, 64, 68}} It has an average elevation of {{convert|2000|ft|m}} and consists mostly of flat-topped [[table (landform)|tablelands]], although the northern section is slightly more rugged.{{sfn|Moore|1994|pp=68–72}}<ref name=maertens>{{cite thesis |last=Maertens |first=Thomas Brock |date=June 10, 1980 |title=The Relationship of Maintenance Costs to Terrain and Climate on Interstate 40 in Tennessee |type=MSc |chapter= |publisher=The University of Tennessee |docket=ADA085221 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA085221.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627180437/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA085221.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=June 27, 2021 |access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref> The plateau has many waterfalls and stream valleys separated by steep gorges.<ref name="npsgeo">{{cite web |title=Geology and History of the Cumberland Plateau |url=https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/upload/webgeo.pdf |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> The "Tennessee Divide" runs along the western part of the plateau, [[Drainage divide|separating the watersheds]] of the Tennessee and [[Cumberland River|Cumberland]] rivers. Plateau counties mostly east of this divide—i.e. Cumberland, [[Morgan County, Tennessee|Morgan]], and [[Scott County, Tennessee|Scott]]—are grouped with East Tennessee, whereas plateau counties west of this divide, such as [[Fentress County, Tennessee|Fentress]], [[Van Buren County, Tennessee|Van Buren]], and [[Grundy County, Tennessee|Grundy]], are considered part of Middle Tennessee. Most of the [[Sequatchie Valley]], a long narrow valley in the southeastern part of the Cumberland Plateau, is in East Tennessee.{{efn|Three counties— Bledsoe, Sequatchie, and Marion— are located in the Sequatchie Valley. These counties were traditionally part of East Tennessee. However, Sequatchie and Marion counties were reassigned to the Middle Tennessee grand division {{circa|1932}}. Marion County was later returned to East Tennessee, but Sequatchie County legally remains part of Middle Tennessee.<ref name=tnsos /><ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee's Counties |url=http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/44-counties.pdf |website=state.tn.us |publisher=Tennessee Secretary of State |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060302173734/http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/44-counties.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2006 |location=Nashville |page=507 |date=2005}}</ref>}} The part of the plateau east of the Sequatchie Valley is called [[Walden Ridge]]. One notable detached section of the plateau is [[Lookout Mountain]], which overlooks Chattanooga.<ref>Lookout Mountain Conservancy, [http://www.lookoutmountainconservancy.org/www Lookout Mountain Conservancy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505031121/http://lookoutmountainconservancy.org/www |date=May 5, 2009 }}, Retrieved: August 17, 2009.</ref> West of Chattanooga, the Tennessee River flows through the plateau in the [[Tennessee River Gorge]].

The Cumberland Mountains begin directly north of the Sequatchie Valley and extend northward to the [[Cumberland Gap]] at the [[Tri-State Peak|Tennessee-Kentucky-Virginia tripoint]]. While technically a separate physiographic region, the Cumberland Mountains are usually considered part of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The Cumberland Mountains reach elevations above {{convert|3500|ft|m}} in Tennessee, and their largest subrange is the [[Crab Orchard Mountains]]. The [[Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park|Cumberland Trail]] traverses the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail – 2020 |url=https://ctsst.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ae4ff34c7bc742e7a6c6e5b738f65c2c |website=arcgis |publisher=Cumberland Trails Conference |access-date=July 17, 2021 |date=2020}}</ref>