The High Knob Landform: 2023

Monday, May 1, 2023

Spring 2023_High Knob Massif Area

6 May 2023

As the mountain landscape comes alive its time

for the annual Pine Mountain Naturalist Rally, sponsored by the High Knob Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists, where everyone is invited

and welcome to enjoy the natural world.

29 April 2023

Pine Mountain in Wise County

Wetland Near Naturalist Rally

Wayne Browning_iPhone Photograph

Many species of flora and fauna will be heard, observed, and discussed within this majestic setting nestled along the base of rugged Pine Mountain in northern Wise County, Virginia.

29 April 2023

(Cypripedium acaule)

Pink Lady's-slipper Orchid

Jessica Bier & Wayne Browning_iPhone Photograph

Reference the Orchids & Natural History section.

There will be geology and salt making, as well as a variety of featured hikes and discussions. A few on the schedule this year include:

Birds and Fungi

9:00 to 10:30 AM

Butterflies & Insects

10:30 to 11:30 AM

Bat Diversity

11:30 AM to Noon

*Featured Presentation*

The Petra Project

1:00 PM

Wildflower Hike

2:30 PM

The featured presentation this year will be given

by Adam Pritchard, paleontologist from the Virginia Museum of Natural History, who will discuss the Petra Project(*).

*The amazing discovery and recovery of an incredible Pleistocene cat skeleton from a cave near the southwest terminus of the great High Knob Massif.

29 April 2023

(Actaea pachypoda)

White Baneberry or Doll's-eye

Jessica Bier & Wayne Browning_iPhone Photograph

Visible beauty is often a transitory expression associated with reproductive strategies in many

of these interconnected, complex species.

29 April 2023

Wild Comfrey

(Cynoglossum virginianum)

Jessica Bier & Wayne Browning_iPhone Photograph

Interconnected life cycles are to be thought of as occurring within 4-dimensions, three dimensional space + time.

**(Acanthocephala terminalis) on

Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum)

**After he flew off the leaf above, to the ground, I turned him in different directions, as I could see he was headed west, and with every turn he would move in a way that took him west (no matter what direction I turned him he immediately shifted back to walking in a west direction).

Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta)

Jessica Bier_iPhone Photograph

28 April 2023

Glade Fern (Homalosorus pycnocarpos)

Jessica Bier & Wayne Browning_iPhone Photograph

Sweet Pinesap (Monotropsis odorata)

Jessica Bier_iPhone Photograph

Spring Transformation

This beautiful view is looking northeast across Powell Valley from Big Stone Gap toward Powell Valley Overlook.

Monday, January 16, 2023

Early-Mid Winter 2023_High Knob Massif

15 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking at High Knob Lookout

A beautiful array of rime and snow blanketed the high country as the first widespread snowfall of 2023 finally arrived.

A general 3" to 8" of snow fell across the mountain area, with heaviest amounts at upper elevations across the High Knob Massif.

This occurred despite the best moisture plume from the Great Lakes passing to the southwest of the Cumberland Mountains into the Great Smokies.

15 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking at High Knob Lookout

A distinct inversion layer (horizontal cloud-haze line) could be seen above the Tennessee Valley when looking beyond the High Knob Massif.

15 January 2023

Inversion Over Great Valley

Looking Across High Knob Lake Basin

Observe vertical towers coming off Eastman Chemical

in Kingsport, Tn., near center of above view along the horizontal inversion layer and clearly visible below

in this zoomed image.

15 January 2023

Zoomed View of Eastman Chemical Plumes

View from Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif

Precipitation Update

High Knob Massif

(Upper Elevations)

(Totals Listed By AM Measurement Format)

Monthly Total Precipitation

Big Cherry Lake Dam

(Elevation 3139 feet)

2019

January

6.14"

February

12.50"

Winter 2018-19

(1 Dec-29 Feb)

26.56"

March

5.93"

April

6.64"

May

6.75"

Spring 2019

(1 Mar-31 May)

19.32"

June

10.68"

July

10.77"

August

4.15"

Summer 2019

(1 Jun-31 Aug)

25.60"

September

0.63"

October

5.01"

( 5.89" to Midnight 31st )

November

5.20"

( 7.04" to Midnight 30th )

Autumn 2019

(1 Sep-31 Oct)

10.84"

December

8.52"

2019 Total: 82.92" (M)

(January 1 to December 31 Period)

2020

*January

7.15"

**February

13.01"

Winter 2019-20

(1 Dec-29 Feb)

28.68"

March

9.55"

( 10.77" to Midnight 31st )

April

11.59"

May

8.73"

(6.90" on Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif)

Spring 2020

(1 Mar-31 May)

29.87"

June

7.48"

July

9.72"

(10.48" to Midnight 31st)

August

8.12"

Summer 2020

(1 Jun-31 Aug)

25.32"

September

6.21"

October

7.06"

November

1.96"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 0.5")

Autumn 2020

(1 Sep-31 Oct)

15.23"

December

6.22"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 34.0")

2020 Total: 96.80" (M)

(January 1 to December 31 Period)

2021

January

6.35"

***(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 34.0")

February

7.42"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 19.5")

Winter 2020-21

(1 Dec to 28 Feb)

19.99"

(21.70" on Eagle Knob)

March

10.82"

(11.14" to Midnight 31st)

April

2.53"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 2.5")

May

4.54"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: Trace)

Spring 2021

(1 Mar-31 May)

17.89"

June

4.79"

July

5.55"

August

10.39"

Summer 2021

(1 June-31 August)

20.73"

September

5.82"

October

3.80"

November

2.23"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 1.5")

3 days with 1" or more depth

Autumn 2021

(1 Sep-30 Nov)

11.85"

December

4.63"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 1.0")

Several days with Trace depths

2021 Total: 68.87"

(January 1 to December 31 Period)

2022

January

8.74"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 40.0")

29 days with 1" or more depth

February

10.32"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 3.5")

14 days with 1" or more depth

Winter 2021-22

(1 Dec to 28 Feb)

23.69"

March

4.23"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 13.5")

8 days with 1" or more depth

April

3.28"

(Eagle Knob Snowfall: 9.0")

5 days with 1" or more depth

May

7.98"

Spring 2022

(1 Mar to 31 May)

15.49"

June

2.18"

July

9.80"

(11.06" through Midnight)

August

7.97"

Summer 2022

(1 Jun to 31 Aug)

19.95"

September

2.47"

October

3.16"

November

4.71"

December

5.20"

2022 Total: 70.23" (M)

(January 1 to December 26 Period)

November 2019-October 2020: 102.34"

Autumn 2018 to Summer 2019: 91.21"

Autumn 2019 to Summer 2020: 94.44"

Autumn 2020 to Summer 2021: 73.84"

Autumn 2021 to Summer 2022: 70.98"

48-Month Annual Average: 82.62''

(Autumn 2018-Summer 2022)

(M): Some missing moisture in undercatch and frozen precipitation, with corrections applied for the 24.4 meter (80 feet) tall dam structure where rain gauges are located. Corrections are based upon 86-months of direct comparisons between NWS and IFLOWS at Big Cherry Dam (including occasional snow core-water content data).

15 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking West from Eagle Knob

15 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking South from Eagle Knob

15 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Southward from Eagle Knob

Beautiful Landscapes

Long Ridge of Tennessee Valley Divide

13 January 2023

Snow Begins In The Highlands

14 January 2023

Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge

Mountain Farm In Mid-Winter

14 January 2023

Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge

Mountain Farm In Mid-Winter

15 January 2023

Sunrise In The Highlands

15 January 2023

Sunrise In The Highlands

16 January 2023

Blazing Sunrise on Long Ridge

Significant Rime Event

High Knob High Country

9 January 2023

Afternoon Rime on High Knob Peak

Although this event produced abundant water in the form of captured rime, there was essentially no snowfall following rain.

09 January 2023

Majestic High Knob Massif Rime Event

09 January 2023

Majestic High Knob Massif Rime Event

09 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Into Big Cherry Lake Basin

09 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Majestic High Country Rime Event

NW Flow Snowfall

(23 January 2023)

A general 3" to 4" of snow depth covered the high country of the High Knob Massif throughout 23 January.

24 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking at High Knob Lookout

Local snow drifts were much deeper as suggested above by areas of wind blown snow along the road up to the

High Knob Lookout.

A distinct temperature inversion was once again visible following clearing into 24 January above river valleys (Clinch, Holston) downstream of the High Knob Massif and Cumberland Front.

24 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking at High Knob Lookout

23 January 2023

Eagle Knob Road

23 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Eagle Knob Communication Towers

23 January 2023

Eagle Knob Summit

W-SW Flow Snow

(26-27 January 2023)

26 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Across High Knob Lake Basin

A general 1" to 2" of snow and rime coated the

high country of the High Knob Massif during

26-27 January amid an array of snow showers

and flurries.

26 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Across Clear Creek Basin

27 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Toward High Knob Lookout

27 January 2023

High Knob Massif

Looking Toward High Knob Lookout

Highlights of January 2023

Calcareous Heart of High Knob Massif

An idea for the great beauty and diverse climate of this area can be obtained by viewing highlights of conditions captured from a camera at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap.

*Scroll through the picture viewer with keyboard arrows or other means to put these scenes into a time-lapse type of motion for interesting viewing.

This is looking northeast along Powell Valley in Wise County, Virginia nestled within the breached, calcareous heart of the great High Knob Massif.

This Appalachian karst valley has been opened up (eroded or breached) along the axis of the geologic Powell Valley Anticline, what I have also defined as the High Knob Landform.

My research views the High Knob Landform as being analogous to the human body, while the Powell Valley Anticline is analogous to the structural support or skeleton for that body.