facts about the ouachita mountains

(c.2,800 ft/850 m high) is the tallest peak. [13], The Athens Plateau or Athens Piedmont (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36a) consists of a series of low relief ridges, none exceeding 1,000 feet. 39. (c.2,800 ft/850 m high) is the tallest peak. The ridges trend generally east–west and are approximately the same height. The headwaters of multiple rivers are found in this area, including the Caddo, Cossatot, and Little Missouri rivers. Ouachita Mountains, a rugged range of large hills that continues the Ozark Mountains in the United States. Hot Springs, the biggest city in the Ouachita Mountains, has many places to stay, eat, shop, and there are several things to do. Northern Ouachita Mountains: 2. [16] The quartz formed after the Ouachita Orogeny when fractures in rocks filled with silica-saturated fluids and, over millions of years, precipitated crystals up to several feet in length. The Caddo, Cossatot, and Missouri mountains are a high, compact group of mountains composed of the weather-resistant Arkansas Novaculite. The continental collision during the late Paleozoic that pushed up this region produced a structural fabric that trends more or less east-west. The first recorded exploration was in 1541 by Hernando de Soto. [6] Forests on steep, north-facing slopes are more mesic than on southern aspects; the steepest, south-facing slopes contain shallow, moisture deficient soils supporting shrubs and rocky glades or grassy woodlands. The Ouachita Mountains Regional Library (OMRL) is a two county system serving the citizens of Polk and Montgomery Counties located in the beautiful Ouachita Mountains. Ridges are longer, habitat continuity is greater, the lithologic mosaic is different, and the topographic orientation is more consistent than in other parts of the Ouachitas. The highest natural point is Rich Mountain at 2,681 feet, which intersects the Arkansas-Oklahoma border near Mena, Arkansas. The Ouachitas are composed of Cambrian through Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks. The highest natural point is Raspberry Mountain at 2,358 feet. Magazine Mountain-Radio Area: 2700+ 823+ Northern Ouachita Mountains: 4. The Ouachita Mountains stretch for about 160 miles northwest from Little Rock into Oklahoma. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Ouachitas are fold mountains, formed about 300 million years ago when the South American Plate drifted northward, colliding with the North American Plate. Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma . The Ouachitas are known for some of the world's finest quartz, especially around Mount Ida, Arkansas, the quartz capital of the world. [3] The total height of the Ouachitas is not known, though they may have exceeded 10,000 feet (based loosely on geologic cross-sections). The trail runs from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. The Ouachitas are also known for novaculite, a variety of chert that has undergone low-grade metamorphism; particular grades found only in Arkansas are used for making whetstones. [10] There are six wilderness areas within the Ouachita National Forest, which are protected areas designed to minimize the impacts of human activities. The Frontal Ouachita Mountains are structurally quite different from the rest of the Ouachitas and are sometimes considered a separate range. With fast-moving streams and crystal-clear lakes, theres nothing you cant catch in the Ouachitas. The Ouachita National Scenic Trail is a 223 mile (359 km) pathway that winds its way through the Ouachita (pronounced wa-she-ta) mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Relatively little-known outside of the US long distance hiking community, it is a non-motorized single track trail that is well marked and maintained from start to finish. The word Ouachita is derived from an Indian tribal name. The Ozarks, also called the Ozark Mountains and Ozark Plateau, are a physiographic, geologic, and cultural highland region of the central United States.It covers much of the south half of Missouri and an large portion of northwest and North central Arkansas.The region also goes westward into northeast Oklahoma and extreme southeast Kansas.The name Ozarks comes from the French Aux Arcs. The Ouachita Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma are part of the only major mountain region between the Rockies and the Appalachians. are geologically considered outlier of the Appalachian Mts. The Ouachita Mountains extend approximately 225 miles (360 km) east to west from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Atoka, Oklahoma, and approximately 50–60 miles (80–95 km) north to south from the Arkansas River valley to the northern margin of the Coastal Plain. The Ouachitas are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, which crops out for approximately 220 miles in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. Noted for their scenery, forests and lakes, they are a popular tourist region. Rich Mountain: 2681: 817: Central Ouachita Mountains: 5. The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet, which is also the highest natural point of the Ouachitas and U.S. What’s interesting about the Ouachita Mountains is that their ridges run east to west as opposed to north to south. Poteau Mountain: 2660+ 811+ Northern Ouachita Mountains: 7. A map of the Ouachita Mountains They are composed of strongly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks. Hot Springs National Park lies in the Ouachita Mountains. Forested ridges are heavily forested with oak–hickory–pine forest; intervening valleys are cut into shale. Ouachita Mountains, a rugged range of large hills that continues the Ozark Mountains in the United States. Together with the Ozark Plateaus, the Ouachitas form the U.S. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Beautiful Ouachita Mountains Stretching from Hot Springs, Arkansas into western Oklahoma, the Ouachitas are the tallest mountains between the Smokies and the Rockes. [14] The terrain has been deeply eroded since the late Paleozoic.[3]. River Of … The mountain building process, called orogeny or orogenesis, did a wondrous job of creating folds, faults, and overturned layers of rock. The highest elevation (2,950 feet [899 metres]) in the range is Rich Mountain in Le Flore county, Oklahoma, near the Arkansas border. It is located south of the Ouachitas and extends from to the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. The Boston Mountains contain the highest peaks, exceeding 610m (2000ft). 04 The Appalachian mountain range has a length of 2,575 kilometers. [10] It is one of the largest and oldest national forests in the Southern U.S., created through an executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 18, 1907. [14] The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the Black Warrior Basin of Alabama and Mississippi where they plunge towards the Appalachian Mountains. Logging is not nearly as intensive as in the commercial pine plantations of the less rugged Athens Plateau. The Ouachita Mts. The Ouachita Mountains are old. Nutrient, mineral, and biochemical water quality parameter concentrations are low in the surface waters of the Fourche range, but turbidity can be higher than in other mountainous parts of the Ouachitas. Ouachita Mountains, a rugged range of large hills that continues the Ozark Mountains in the United States. The Fourche Mountains (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36d) are a long, continuous chain of east-west mountains composed of the weather-resistant Jackfork Sandstone. Pastureland and hayland also occur. Lying south of the Arkansas River and the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachitas include Mount Magazine, Petit Jean, Nebo Mountain, the Fourche Range, the Cossatot Range, Black Fork Mountain, Jackfork Mountain and the Potato Hills. Interior Highlands. [9], The Ouachita National Forest covers approximately 1.8 million acres of the Ouachitas. The Ouachita Mountains contain the Ouachita National Forest, Hot Springs National Park and Lake Ouachita, as well as numerous state parks and scenic byways mostly throughout Arkansas. Though elusive, hundreds of black bear roam the Ouachitas. [7] They are the only home and namesake of the Fourche Mountain salamander. Differences in moisture and temperature between north- and south-facing slopes significantly influence native plant communities; they are products of the prevailing topographic trend. The Ozarks are a source of lead and zinc. Native Americans had visited the area’s hot springs for centuries before the region was designated as a national “reservation” (nature preserve) at the beginning of the 19th century. The northeastern Ozark Plateaus province, most of which lies in Missouri and…. Hot Springs National Park became one of the nation's first parks in 1832. The highest natural point is Whiskey Peak at 1,670 feet. The Battle of Devil's Backbone was fought here at the ridge of the same name in 1863. [12], Bison and elk once found habitat in the Ouachita Mountains, but have since been extirpated. 01 The Appalachians is a mountain range in eastern North America. The Formation of the Ouachita Mountains. Formed over 300 million years ago, these mountains are a highly eroded remnant of a much larger range, one that may have stretched from Texas into southeastern Canada. The Ouachita Mountains, however, remained thinly populated by subsistence farmers. The Ouachita Mts. Several cryptic species of salamander are endemic to the Ouachitas and have traits that vary from one locale to another. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Unlike most mountain ranges, these mountains don’t run north to south, they run east to west. Gateway airports include Little Rock's Clinton National Airport and Oklahoma's Tulsa International Airport. To the north, they're edged by the Ozark Mountains and Ozark National Forest; to the south, they're blanketed by the Oauchita National Forest. They are composed of strongly folded and faulted sedimentary rocks. [2], The Ouachitas are a major physiographic province of Arkansas and Oklahoma and are generally grouped with the Arkansas River Valley. Rich Mountain: 2666: 813: Central Ouachita Mountains: 6. GEOLOGISTS COME from all over the world to see the strange and curious geologic formations of the Ouachita Mountains. The Ouachita Mountains are made up of complexly folded and faulted Paleozoic age sedimentary rocks that were originally deposited in mostly deep marine environments. The forest provides habitat for deer, wild turkeys, black bears, gray and fox squirrels, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, and other species. Mossback Ridge: 2720+ 829+ Northern Ouachita Mountains: 3. 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