They always seem to have a bluish smoky tint.
What causes this phenom?
2006-06-13 13:21:52 · 13 answers · asked by jimbo 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Well, it's not smoke....The blue haze found over the Great Smoky Mountains is caused by changes in the weather, temperature and moisture in the air. The smoke is like fog and low-level clouds! They are often covered by low-lying clouds.
2006-06-13 13:25:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the southern Appalachians. It straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina border for 70 miles. The Cherokee people called this area Shacomage, or "Place of Blue Smoke." The bluish mist, which clings to the mountainsides and fills the valleys, gives the park its name and remains its most distinctive feature. The park is 520,976 acres. The highest elevation in the park is 6,643 feet at the summit of Clingmans Dome, and the lowest elevation is 840 feet at the mouth of Abrams Creek.
Taken from the site below.
2006-06-13 20:26:13 · answer #2 · answered by AstroJoe888 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mountain hazes, such as those associated with the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains, are formed mainly due to the emissions of hydrocarbons from the leaves of the numerous plants and trees blanketing the mountain range.
2006-06-13 20:35:39 · answer #3 · answered by vihlee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fog that sits around the mountain causes the air to appear "Smoky"
2006-06-13 20:25:36 · answer #4 · answered by Allison Fulcher 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smoky the Bear lived there !
2006-06-13 20:24:07 · answer #5 · answered by Kevin 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the mist and haze that rises from the moisture given off by the foliage and from the streams due to the rapid change in temperature when the sun comes up and as the heat lingers throughout the day.
2006-06-13 20:30:24 · answer #6 · answered by Captain Obvious 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The conifers & firs give off a bluish haze as the oils produced by the trees evaporate..
So it is basically fumes from the trees. Nature pollutes just like man does.
2006-06-13 20:26:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is based upon water vapor giving the mountains a "smokey" appearance.
If you get the chance watch tem in early morning and you too will find the solution.
2006-06-13 20:34:40 · answer #8 · answered by Dport 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been to the smokey mountains a lot and there smokey because when you look at them from far away they look like there surrounded by blue smoke.
2006-06-13 20:28:38 · answer #9 · answered by Diva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It used to be the water vapor in the air, but now it's pollution.
2006-06-13 20:24:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋