The Arbuckle Mountains: A Geological Overview - Essay Example

The Arbuckle Mountains: A Geological Overview Introduction The diversity of geographical features of locations across theworld makes the blue planet amazingly beautiful. The variety of facts within the topography of the earth has long drawn the attraction of researchers in exploring the unknown truths about new places based on their geological specifications. The studies on the typical verities of the earth make an inner-lying relationship between geography and geology, and the application of the combination of these two branches of knowledge is necessary for investigating the information on various earthly aspects. Geological studies, which deal with the details of the formation and structure of the physical geography, stand as a basis for analyzing the characteristics of places selected for the scientific observation to find out their fitness and potential threats. The Arbuckle Mountains in the North American constitute one of the prominent geographical locations for the geologists to make experimental studies based on its history and the formation structure. This paper will make a comprehensive trial for investigating the geological history of the Arbuckle Mountains on the basis of the geographical specifications of this region in the Oklahoma state of the United States of America. Location and Geography Like the presence of a diverse culture among its population, the United States also has the characteristics of accommodating varieties of geographical patterns inside its political boundaries. They include a number of large and small rivers, forests, plains, plateaus, mountains and valleys besides the urbanized industrial regions and the vast areas of land under the cultivation of numerous edible and commercial crops. Generally, mountains get the quickest glance of every explorer of a region because of the attraction they yield with their elevated altitudes. For the geologists, they give essential information about the nature of the geographical structure and thus help them make necessary assessment of the potential challenges and advantages before the plains and valleys associated with the mountains. The Arbuckle Mountains are one the oldest mountains discovered in the United States, and therefore, it is important to know the details about the region’s geological specifications by forming an overall idea about these mountains. The Arbuckle Mountains lie in the south-central region of the Oklahoma state in the United States of America (‘Have you thought about Oklahoma’s Climate And Geography?’). As Oklahoma’s geography features a large number of mountain ranges, the state attracts the geological researchers to a great extent. The topography of the state features a series of elevated lands and mountains across its geographical area. Even though the Arbuckle ranges are not the highest locations in the world, in terms of age, they are definitely a remarkable topic for investigation. The mountain range covers the counties such as Murray, Carter, Pontotoc and Johnston and has an average elevation over 1400 feet above the sea level. The vast stretch of the range homes the Washita River, which cuts through the mountains and makes a valley about 350 feet deep at some places (Oklahoma Historical Society). There is an east-to-west climatic difference found in the Arbuckle Mountains, which features the variations in the average rainfall and temperature across the region. This mountain range experiences extreme cold during the winter seasons extending from November to March and the summertime temperature ranges pretty above 42 degree Fahrenheit. The quality of the soil encourages the growth of vast stretch of woodlands consisting of the trees of higher economic value. However, the geographical specifications are unfavorable for farming, and the low-lying lands are used for grazing. The abundance of various minerals hidden inside the rocks of this region makes it a potential mining location for industries. The mountain range, which follows the Chicago time zone, is typical for the geological researchers for the rare specifications of the frequency of faults and folds across the hills over this region. Historical Factors The Arbuckle Mountains has a very long history of featuring geological studies for the American and foreign students and many researchers. This region has a wonderful geography which attracts the people in various ways towards its splendid landscapes, hills, woods and rivers. A wide range of belief considers that The Arbuckle Mountains are one of the oldest formed mountains which existed even before the formations of the Rockies and Sierras in the United States. The importance of a historical research stands emphatic as the mountains have crossed a very long period in the geographical transformation through the geological metamorphosis that has reduced the mountains to an unevenly surfaced plateau in course of time. According to studies, “the geologic history of the Arbuckle plateau region involves the process of sedimentation which resulted in the formation of the stratified rocks of the plateau area, the uplift and folding of these formations into mountains, and the erosion of these mountains to a low plain” (Weidman, n.d., p75). Hence, each sand grain of the sediments of this region has a complex history behind its formation and through several geological processes associated with the mountains. The literature of the formation history of this region thus points out the physiographic transition of the rocks and the highlands in the process of erosion and sedimentation which eventually made the low lying areas around the high range of rocks around the Pennsylvanian age. The geologists widely believe that the formation of the mountains happened in the pre-Mississippian age and the gradual sedimentation occurred during the post-Mississippian age which underwent a long term erosion process in which the height of the mountains reduced and the soil settlement eventually formed the plateau above the sea level. The observations of the age of the mountains before the Carboniferous period make a point of view that claims the degradation and relief of the mountains resulted from the erosion which might have reduced the elevation and intensely contributed to the formation of the limestone deposits. The present form of the Arbuckle Mountains consists of a series of low-lying hills consisting of a variety of rocks and soil and the region generally looks like a plateau extending to the Gulf coast. As DiPietro (2012) points out, the academics on the Arbuckle Mountains identifies this region as a dissected plateau with the very ancient crystalline rocks lying under the vast cover of sedimentary soil formed by the continuous process of erosions and landslides (p.167). Oklahoma’s general history points out the inhabitation of the cattle rearing African-American tribes and the mountain ranges in this state have a historical connection with the heritage sites existing today. The counties around the Arbuckle Mountains collectively form Arbuckle Country, which features rivers like the Washita, the Red River and the Blue River. The Arbuckle Country and the Arbuckle Mountains jointly provide a rich visual feast to the visitors with the diversity of physical features consisting of waterfalls, rivers, hills and valleys etc. For the research scholars, this region is a precious location because of the presence of rich fossil beds and the remains of the oldest rocks like Tishomingo Granites which are over 1.4 billion years old (Destinations Oklahoma, n.d.). The complex interrelationship between the physical geography and the geological formation history of this mountain region makes every study leading towards the investigation of the structure of the rocks, folds and reliefs, rivers and sands – all very specifically. Geological History and Formation Structure An investigation into the geological factors of any ancient physical location of the earth is important for various developmental purposes. Exploring the feature of the rocks, sand, rivers and reliefs makes it possible for the researchers to form ideas about the potential utility and threats of a region based on the information they collect from a series of studies. Considering the importance of the topographic diversity of the Arbuckle Mountains, a set of collaborated studies based on the geohydrology, arenology and stratigraphy of the area is highly essential for understanding the formation and characteristics of the geological elements located in the mountain region. Geological studies are of the general view that the Arbuckle Mountains are more relevant to outcrops and plains than mountainous regions because of the low elevation of the majority of the land area under this region. As per the survey report prepared by Fairchild, Hanson and Davis (1990), the regional geology of the Arbuckle Mountains signifies the presence of the outcrop aquifer consisting of the sedimentary deposits of various minerals like limestone, dolomite, sandstone etc and the rocks that have undergone the transformation process due to the folding and faulting connected to the uplift of the region around the Pennsylvanian era. This particular opinion reflects in the growing industrial settlements in this region taking the advantage of minerals found in the rocks and the soil in the low-lying plains. The potential support of the mineral resources and the extended availability of petroleum products continue to promote many great economic activities in and around the districts of Arbuckle. Geologists generalize that, the mountain region consists of three zones of the outcrops of Precambrian, Lower Cambrian and Middle Cambrian rocks covered under the lower and middle Paleozoic carbonate rocks. The elongated anticlines across the mountains effectively make the topographic experience of plains and folds with repeated interface. As per the report by Ham (1973), the Paleozoic sedimentation process has made the anticlines of this region reduce to lower heights and the thickness of the folds gradually reduced during the Late Cambrian period which made the erosion of the Pennsylvanian sediments over the mountain rocks and eventually formed the geosynclinal filling which consists of shales and sandstone. The significance of the Arbuckle Mountains lies in the presence of the spread of the anticline groups in every aspect of the region’s geological specification. The Simpson group, Sylvan Shale and the Hunton group are the specific geological areas associated with the structural history of the mountains. The Simpson group anticline features the deposit of skeletal calcarenites and carbonate mudstones mixed with shale and sandstone besides the limestone varieties spreading across the Arbuckle anticline and the Arbuckle Mountains with the thickness ranging between 350-900 feet (Ham, 1973). The geological history literature focuses the possibility of the Sylvan Shale deposits being the result of the pre-Mississippian formation in which the remains of the fauna became the skeletal part of the limestone blocks of the Paleozoic rocks. Among the stratigraphic divisions of the mountains’ formation history, the Hunton group remains the youngest rocks formed by the Early Devonian age with a maximum thickness of 350 feet. The major part of the Arbuckle Mountains locates these rocks with the basal formation of Keel. The geological history of this rock evolved through the Silurian formations of the Cochrane, Clarita and Henryhouse leading to the Devonian formation of Bois d’Arc and Haragan during the Helderbergian age and eventually ending with the formation of Frisco of the Oriskanian period. The fundamental prominence of this formation process lies in the abundance of the petroleum products underneath the rocks within the Oklahoma state. From the tectonic chronology perspective, the formation of the geological divisions of the mountains started as early as around five to six hundred million years ago which eventually led to the historic faulting process resulting in the formation of rift valleys among which, the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen is the most prominent. According to the records of National Park Service (n.d.), the literature based on the geological history of the Arbuckle mountains focus the attention to the possibilities of the encroachment the sea over the settled soil sediments in the Ordovician period and the gradual settlement of marine sediments eventually leading to the limestone formation and skeletal shale deposits across the outcrops of the mountains. Geologists believe that the later stages of the formation process led to the uplift of the crust over the surface which made the breaking and folding of the thick layers of limestone, sandstone and shale by forming the anticlines and the higher mountains collectively formed a mountainous topography over the Arbuckle region. According to the findings, the two major geological events was the reason for the transformation of the Arbuckle Mountains to the present form; firstly, the large scale faulting which formed rift valleys with think deposits of sediments across the uplift area and secondly, the process of deformation of rocks took place in the eastern part of the mountains (National Park Service (n.d.). The sedimentation process over the mountain region influences the quality and variety of soil. Geological factors like erosion, water flow, elevation and rifts etc have great importance in the process of soil formation as part of the geomorphic transformations of the elevated crusts on the surface of the earth. The rift valleys and the lower plains of the Arbuckle Mountains have vast prairies which covers the sandy matt of the topography stretching largely across the Ozark slopes. The researcher Gibson (1984, p. 6) identifies that the majority of the soil deposits of the state of Oklahoma consists of the withered particles of the rock materials from the Arbuckle Mountains. The traces of the ancient mountain regions and the concealment of the thick rocks of the prehistoric era spread across the prairies of the plains and valleys of the Arbuckle mountains and the vast spread of outcrops. The withering process and the resultant breaking down and erosion of the rock particles from the deposits of shale, gypsum, limestone, sandstone, granite etc down the high mountain regions formed a variety of soils with the most fertile of them being the black limestone soil drained down from the Arbuckle Mountains and the Ozark slopes. Surface water reserves and underground water storage are the prolific reasons behind the balance of vegetation and ecosystem of any geographical location. The formation of water resources of the Arbuckle region has a very long history dating back to the Pennsylvanian era in which karsts were formed as part of the geothermal hydraulic events under the earth’s rocky layers. According to an observation, “Arbuckle reservoirs historically have been viewed as fracture-controlled karstic reservoirs with porosity and permeability influenced by basement structural patterns and subaerial exposure” (Franseen, Byrnes, 2012, p. 1032). Hence, the tectonic stress between the rocky underground layers applied huge pressure on the karsts with which the underground water moved to new locations and in this process, the weaker layers of rocks over the water crashed open and large areas of water appeared on the surface to form large ponds and lakes whose original source remained aquifers. The geohydrology of the Arbuckle region is an important point for the researchers in connection with the historical transformation of the ground water reserves to surface water loggings and aquifers. According to the USGS Ground Water Information (n.d.), the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer is one of the finest and biggest underground water reserve in the United States which supplies abundant water and nurses a number of springs and waterfalls in the Oklahoma State. Moreover, the springs and streams draining from the aquifers contribute to the scenic beauty of the location which attracts the tourists and travelers in large numbers. Conclusion The diversity of the geographical features of a place has inner-lying relationship with its geological history. The formation of the Arbuckle Mountains and the low-lying regions in the Oklahoma state took millions of years with the rocks and the soil of the region dating back over billions of years for its origin. The topography of this region makes it appear like a vast stretch of dissected plateau covering a number of rift valleys and slopes in frequent successions. The geological history literature typically connects the original formation of the mountains to the period between the pre-Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age during which most of the uplifts caused the process of folding and faulting as a result of which anticlines and rift valleys evolved. The gradual withering of the various rocks and subsequent erosions caused the soil formation of the region. The Arbuckle Mountains feature many springs and streams for which the aquifers of the outcrops are the essential water sources. Altogether, an investigation into the geological facts about the Arbuckle Mountains will render a wonderful experience to the researcher because of the scenic beauty of the topography and the diversity of the physical geography of this region. References DiPietro, J. A. (2012). Landscape Evolution in the United States: An Introduction to the Geography, Geology, and Natural History. Newnes. Destinations Oklahoma: Arbuckle Country. (n.d.). retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.newsok.com/newsok/images/NIE/nie_docs/DestinationsStudents.pdf Fairchild, R. W., Hanson, R. L & Davis, R. E. (1990). Hydrology of the Arbuckle Mountains area, south-central Oklahoma. Oklahoma Geological Survey. Circular 91. retrieved from http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70046124 Franseen, E.K & Byrnes, A. P. (2012). Arbuckle Group platform strata in Kansas: A synthesis, in J. R. Derby, R. D. Fritz, S. A. Longacre, W. A. Morgan, and C. A. Sternbach, eds., The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian–Ordovician Sauk megasequence of Laurentia: AAPG Memoir 98,1031–1047. Gibson, A. M. (1984). The History of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press. Have you thought about Oklahoma’s Climate And Geography? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gearyschools.org/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/522f9e3953516/Climate%20and%20Geography.pdf Ham, W. E. (1973). Regional geology of the Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma. The Geological Society of America. Retrieved from http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pubsscanned/SPs/SP73_3.pdf National Park Service. Geology field notes. Retrieved from http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/chic/ Oklahoma Historical Society. Arbuckle Mountains. Retrieved from http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=AR004 USGS Groundwater Information. Retrieved from http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/karst/aquifers/arbuckle/index Weidman, S. (n.d.). Physiographic history of the Arbuckle Mountains. From ~tie Oklahoma Geological Survey and the Department of Geology of the University of· Oklahoma. Retrieved from http://digital.library.okstate.edu/oas/oas_pdf/v02/p74_77.pdf Read More