Map Five: Landforms of Oklahoma

Map Five:

Landforms of Oklahoma

Map 5 is a diagrammatic drawing showing the generalized variations in the local natural landscape of the geographic regions of Oklahoma as identified on Map 3. The principal rivers are also shown on the drawing, but none of the large man-made lakes are located.

West of the Ouachitas and Ozarks most of the remainder of Oklahoma is a vast plains area. Some local variations are: (1) the rounded hills in south-central Oklahoma known as the Arbuckle Mountains; (2) the large granite peaks of southwestern Oklahoma called the Wichita Mountains and their outlier, the Quartz Mountains; (3) the Shawnee Hills, a sandstone cuesta area located near the Canadian River in the east-central part of the state; (4) the Antelope Hills in the most western of the large meanders of the Canadian River in Roger Mills County; (5) gypsum-capped hills known as the Glass Mountains, located somewhat on the divide between the North Canadian and Cimarron rivers; and (6) Black Mesa, located in northwestern Cimarron County. The Osage Hills, located largely in Osage County, are a southern extension of the Flint Hills of Kansas. The elevations of the plains areas across the state increase gradually from the Coastal Plains south of the Ouachitas to the eastern edge of the Panhandle. Once the Great Plains are reached, however, elevation increases rapidly westward across the High Plains to Black Mesa. In several places large sand dunes have formed on the left bank of the Cimarron and North Canadian rivers as well as along Beaver Creek. Much of this material is blow-sand from the rivers. Unless vegetation is able to tie the sand in place it continues to move generally eastward because of wind direction. Large salt plains are located on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas and the upper Cimarron River in Woods County.