The Bear Pond Mountains are a sub-range in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, that straddle

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. These mountains are a part of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians and reach their highest point at Cross Mountain (Pennsylvania) . A unique geologic feature known as the "Punchbowl" occurs in this range. This feature was created by the weathered shales of the

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

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. Whitetail Ski Resort is also located in this range on Two Top Mountain. The chief summits of the Bear Pond Mountains are the following: * Cross Mountain (Pennsylvania) *Hearthstone Mountain *Two Top Mountain *Mount Mollica 1,776 feet (541 m) *Mount Fallon 1,764 feet (537 m) *Kasie's Knob *Fairview Mountain *Gillian's Knob *Bullskin Mountain *Rickard Mountain *Powell Mountain *Sword Mountain *Abe Mills Mountain *Johnson Mountain

References

Alan R. Geyer (1979) "''Outstanding Geologic Features of Pennsylvania''",

Geological Survey of Pennsylvania Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...

* {{Mountains of Pennsylvania Mountain ranges of Pennsylvania Mountain ranges of Maryland Landforms of Washington County, Maryland Landforms of Franklin County, Pennsylvania