Final answer:
The Appalachian Mountains encompass various physiographic provinces, originating from Paleozoic tectonic events leading to their formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Appalachian Mountains stretch along the eastern United States and currently appear as rolling hills in areas like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Originated from multiple collisions during the Paleozoic, including a collision with the supercontinent Gondwana, the Appalachians have been greatly eroded over time.
These mountains encompass several distinct physiographic provinces like the Valley and Ridge Province characterized by highly folded and faulted sedimentary rock, and the Blue Ridge Province known for its ancient igneous and metamorphic rock formations.
To the south and east, the Piedmont Province presents low, rolling hills and isolated mountains such as Georgia's Stone Mountain, comprised of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
The Appalachian Plateau, similar to the Colorado Plateau's uplifted and largely undeformed terrain, lacks the extensive folding and faulting found in other Appalachian regions, housing valuable geological resources.
The northeastern part of the United States displays physiographic similarities to areas such as the New England Province and the Adirondack Mountain Province.
The mountain-building events, or orogenies, that gave rise to the Appalachians, occurred during specific periods including the Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian, which contributed to their uplift and subsequent erosion shaping them into their current forms.