The Bear Pond Mountains are a sub-range in the Appalachian Mountains, that straddle Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States. These mountains are a part of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians and reach their highest point at Cross Mountain (Pennsylvania) 2,062 feet (628 m). A unique geologic feature known as the "Punchbowl" occurs in this range. This feature was created by the weathered shales of the Ordovician age in the center of a south-plunging anticline, having been eroded to expose a large amphitheater-like feature (punchbowl). Cross and Hearthstone Mountain are made of hard resistant quartzite of the Tuscarora Formation of the Silurian age, which form the walls of the bowl.
| Bear Pond Mountains | |
|---|---|
From left to right: Kasies Knob, Two Top and Cross Mountain. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Cross Mountain |
| Elevation | 2,062 ft (628 m) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Pennsylvania, Maryland, |
| Range coordinates | 39°43′02″N 77°58′30″W |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alleghenian |
| Age of rock | Ordovician |
Whitetail Ski Resort is also located in this range on Two Top Mountain.
The chief summits of the Bear Pond Mountains are the following:
Alan R. Geyer (1979) "Outstanding Geologic Features of Pennsylvania", Geological Survey of Pennsylvania