Why the Blue Ridge Looks Blue (with music)

Why do the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Eastern United States look blue even from

miles away? The Blue Ridge Mountains stretch from Georgia to Pennsylvania and are part

of the ancient Appalachian range. The blue color isn’t from the rocks —

it comes from the air between you and the mountains. Trees release a

natural chemical called isoprene, especially during warm weather. When sunlight hits

these particles, shorter blue wavelengths scatter more than others. Unlike smog,

this haze is natural and harmless, created by living forests rather than human pollution.

The Blue Ridge is one of the most heavily forested mountain regions in North America.