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Ouachita Mountains

Ouachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains near Caney Creek, Arkansas
Highest point
PeakMount Magazine
Elevation2,753 ft (839 m)
Coordinates35°10′01″N 93°38′41″W / 35.167016203°N 93.644725919°W / 35.167016203; -93.644725919
Naming
EtymologyChoctaw for "large bison"[1] or "big hunt",[1] or Caddo[2]
Geography
Level III ecoregions in the region, with the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion marked as (36) (full map)
CountryUnited States
State(s)Arkansas and Oklahoma
Parent rangeU.S. Interior Highlands
Borders onArkansas Valley (37), Mississippi Alluvial Plain (73), South Central Plains (35)

The Ouachita Mountains (/ˈwɒʃɪtɔː/), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, one of the important orogenic belts of North America.[3] The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the northeast, where they make a poorly understood connection with the Appalachians and to the southwest, where they join with the Marathon uplift area of West Texas.[3] Together with the Ozark Plateaus, the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands.[4] The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m).[2][5]

The Ouachita Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The region has been subdivided into six Level IV ecoregions.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ety2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cole, S.R.; Marston, R.A. (2009). Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ a b Morris, R.C. (1974). "Sedimentary and Tectonic History of the Ouachita Mountains". Special Publications of SEPM. 22: 120–142.
  4. ^ "A Tapestry of Time and Terrain". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  5. ^ "MAG". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
  6. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, A.J.; Foti, T.L.; Chapman, S.S.; Omernik, J.M.; et al. Ecoregions of Arkansas (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs).
  7. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, A.J.; Omernik, J.M.; Butler, D.R.; Ford, J.G.; et al. Ecoregions of Oklahoma (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 14, 2020. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs).

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