Unit 1

Oklahoma covers nearly 70,000 square miles or 45 millions acres East/West border is 464 miles long and North/South border is 320 miles. 18 th in size in the US Larger than any state east of the Mississippi River 77 counties About 1,160 miles in from LA and Washington DC

Ten Geographic Regions: High Plains Gypsum Hills Wichita Mountains Red Bed Plains Sandstone Hills Arbuckle Mountains Red River Plains Ouachita Mountains Prairie Plains Ozark Plateau

Unique vegetation zone that cuts across several of Oklahoma’s geographical regions. Consists of Post Oak and Blackjack Oak trees that grow so close together they form a natural barrier between western plains and eastern prairies. Comanche and other Plains Indians stayed West of C.T. Routes of even modern day interstates avoid C.T. area Generally unproductive area calling for many farmers and residents to live in poverty – many socialists and radical political and religious ideas come from this area – think Woody Guthrie and Oral Roberts

Forecasting HUGE in Oklahoma…. Storm watching a pastime of locals.. Average of 53 tornadoes annually May 3, 1999 Twister National Weather Service in Norman

State located where three climatic regions meet As cool air meets warm air what happens? This happens frequently in Oklahoma allowing for more annual tornadoes than most places!

Some of the world’s most fertile soils is here in Oklahoma!!!! Eastern OK – least productive Great soils, adequate rain and good growing season allows for agricultural lifestyle in West

Covers 1/5 of state. Redbud, Pecan, Cottonwood, Dogwood, Walnut and Elm Also, Oak, Hickory, and Cypress grow in OK Harvesting of wooded areas for commercial purposes began after Civil War causing an increased need for railroads.

Great Salt Plains – Alfalfa County (120 sq mi.) National Wildlife Refuge Tallgrass Prairie “an immense extent of grassy, undulating…country with here and there a clump of trees, dimly seen in the distance like a ship at sea.” Washington Irving Osage County – managed by the Nature Conservancy

Black Mesa – highest point in Oklahoma Mount Scott - Lawton Sugar Loaf Mountain

The number of native animal species to OK is probably larger than any equal area in US

Sulphur Springs in Chickasaw Indian Land

Lakes – many lakes in Oklahoma all recreation lakes man made in Oklahoma McClellan – Kerr Navigation System – Made so Oklahoma rivers could be navigated – Specifically the Arkansas River Groundwater: aquifers provide more than half of Oklahoma with fresh water. Ogallala most important aquifer to Oklahoma for irrigation.

As mountains push upward other parts of the earth form depressions or basins. The Great Plains is one of these Basins Energy deposits: Anadarko Basin and Arkoma Basin.

As ancient seas evaporated they left behind thick deposits of gypsum and salt. Remains of huge dinosaurs found in the panhandle. These remains are from the Jurassic Period. These are found in the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

Well, what if it never happened like this? All these things happened and have shaped Oklahoma for the place it is now. great place for crops, huge reservoirs of water for its inhabitants, natural resources to help keep America from being solely dependent on other places for energy