Арабия тауы және Ұлттық мұра аймағы (АҚШ, Джорджия штаты)

Mountain in Georgia, United States of America

Arabia Mountain, a part of Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, is the northern of two peaks in the Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. A low saddle separates it from Bradley Mountain, several hundred feet to its south. The two form a monadnock. The peak is 955 feet (290 m) above sea level, rising 172 feet (52 m) above Arabia Lake reservoir. Bradley Mountain is closer to the visitor trails than Arabia Mountain and is often misidentified by visitors as Arabia Mountain. The mountain is also in a namesake National Heritage Area in the U. S. state of Georgia that encompasses natural, cultural, and historical elements to form a cohesive, nationally significant landscape. The area is due east of Atlanta and spans reaching from the historic commercial center of Lithonia to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, including a number of sites in between, including Panola Mountain State Park, Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, the historic Flat Rock Community with the Flat Rock Archives, and more. The National Heritage Area was established in 2006 and is coordinated by the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Alliance, which includes board members, representatives from the community and local organizations, and staff. Additionally, Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve includes 2,550 acres in DeKalb County, Georgia with a multi use bike path, hiking trails, and lakes for fishing. The park features large exposed granite formations, wetlands, pine forest, oak forest, streams habitat and two lakes. Plant species include the rare red diamorpha in the winter and yellow daises in the fall. The area included rock quarries and abandoned structures from the mining operations.

Although there is little historical evidence about what existed in the lands that currently make up the National Heritage Area, by the time of Anglo American settlement in the early 19th century, the area was sparsely populated by Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee Tribes. It is believed that the area was a buffer between the two nations, used as a trade and transportation corridor. The land was ceded to the State of Georgia by the Muscogee in 1821. The land was then distributed to settlers via the Georgia Land Lotteries. Throughout the rest of the 19th and most of the 20th centuries, the area remained very sparsely populated, with many of the roads remaining unpaved until the mid 1900s. Otherwise, much of the surrounding land was used for small scale farming. The remains of the agricultural landscape are still visible in the National Heritage Area, including at the Lyon Farm, Vaughters Farm, and Parker House. Small settlements developed along crossroads, the South River (Upper Ocmulgee River), and the railroad, such as the Klondike National Historic District, Flat Rock Community, and downtown Lithonia, Georgia. Remnants of this industry can be seen throughout the Heritage Area in the form of quarry office ruins, rock ledges, and drill holes on the rock. Unlike Arabia, Panola Mountain was never quarried because of its geologic qualities such as softer texture and veining. Like Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain was quarried for decades before the property was turned over to the DeKalb park system. Structures and excavations from the quarry operations can be seen throughout the park. The stone quarried from Arabia Mountain, officially called "Tidal Grey", was prized for its high structural density and compressive strength as well as its "swirl" pattern. Tidal Grey Arabia Mountain can be seen in the construction of buildings for the U. S. Naval Academy, the Brooklyn Bridge, and street curbing in Atlanta as well as many other Georgia cities. Prior to 1880, the stone was hand quarried but starting in 1879, workers used drills, dynamite and air compressors to "raise a ledge" or sever a large block of stone from the mass. That allowed more control over the size of the stone and large stones could be used for dimensional or building construction. The proximity to the railroad meant that the Tidal Grey could be easily transported across the country. Another advancement to the quarrying industry at Arabia Mountain was the discovery that adding granite grit to chicken feed helped with the birds' digestion. The Davidson family, which owned several quarries in the area, became the largest supplier of poultry grit in the world. They claimed that the sparkling particles of mica in the Stonemo grit attracted the eye and helped the chicken's gizzard break down food. The company was so successful in distributing their feed additive, a Time magazine article from 1941 reported the U. S. government allowed them to continue to operate during WWII in the name of national defense. In 1949, the Lithonia district produced nearly 1.5 million tons of granite valued at the time at $3 million. The proximity of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area to Atlanta, the second fastest growing metropolitan area in the country during the 2000s The Metro Atlanta area has multiple monadnocks, including Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain and Panola Mountain. The monadnocks were formed when erosion resistant rock is exposed after softer rock is eroded over time. The individual characteristics of the monadnock are determined by the individual processes that formed the granite. For example, Arabia Mountain features a unique "swirl" pattern due to the heat and pressure that caused Arabia Mountain to have a taffy like consistency when it was cooling over 400 million years ago. Bands of different minerals folded and twisted, creating the "tidal swirl" pattern seen today By contrast, Panola Mountain has a flakier rock with less compressive strength due to differences in cooling rates. Panola Mountain also has a darker colored rock and different mineral grains. Differences in mineral composition between Panola and Stone Mountains indicated different magma sources at the time of formation.

In the 1970s, the Davidson family donated over 500 acres including Arabia Mountain and surrounding lands to DeKalb County as a nature preserve for local residents to enjoy. Since then, the Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve has been expanded several times and now includes 2,550 acres, several granite outcrops and two lakes. On October 12, 2006, the mountain and Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve were designated as nationally significant as a part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in recognition of its cultural, historical and natural features.

The PATH Foundation has completed more than 30 miles of a 12 feet (4 m) concrete road for pedestrian and bicycle use running from downtown Lithonia to Stonecrest Mall and thence through the Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve to Panola Mountain State Park, ending at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. This includes a spur to a parking area on Klondike Road and a spur to the DeKalb County School System's Murphey Candler Elementary School and Arabia Mountain High School.