1. Oklahoma: Land of Contrasts
Where in the World is Oklahoma?
Study Presentation
©2006 Clairmont Press

2. Where in the World is Oklahoma?
What is Geography?
Geographic Regions
Oklahoma’s Natural Resources
Oklahoma’s Climate

3. Oklahoma Geography Statistics
Oklahoma: covers an area of nearly 70,000 square miles
Widest east-west border: 464 miles
Longest north-south border: 320 miles
Ranking: 18th in size in the U.S.
Larger than any state east of the Mississippi River Oklahoma: halfway between Los Angeles, California on the West Coast – Washington, D.C. to the east
77 counties
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4. Section 2: Geographic Regions
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How do Oklahoma’s geographic regions differ?

5. Section 2: Geographic Regions
What words do I need to know?
basin
erosion
topography
mesa
5. ecosystem
6. plateau

6. Geographic Regions High Plains Gypsum Hills Red Bed Plains
Wichita Mountains
Sandstone Hills
Arbuckle Mountains
Prairie Plains
Ozark Plateaus
Ouachita Mountains
Red River Plains

7. High Plains Panhandle and land along part of the western border
Black Mesa (4,978ft) in Cimarron County formed by prehistoric volcano eruption in southeastern Colorado
Antelope Hills: rise in gypsum peaks south of the Canadian River
Region favored by stargazers due to lack of electric lights
Lake Optima and Beaver Dunes State Park: great recreational opportunities
Major economic producers: cattle, hog feed lots, farming, ranching, petroleum & natural gas

8. What is this?

9. Gypsum Hills
covers a large area from the Kansas border to the far southwestern corner
left when ancient seas evaporated
area named for the white gypsum buttes
Gypsum used in cement, dry wall, and plaster.
Springs and caves found in the region – includes: the Alabaster Caverns & the Selman Bat Cave
Alabaster Caverns near Freedom: the world’s largest gypsum cave open to the public
Rich soils produce winter wheat, hay, alfalfa, soybeans, & cotton
Cattle: the primary livestock
Oil & natural gas in many areas

11. Red Bed Plains
Red-orange shale and clay soil partly formed from ancient shallow seas; salt deposits left when the seas evaporated
State rock: the rose rock found near Noble: formed when barium sulfate combines with quartz sand
The Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
The Great Salt Plains area: a major resting site for thousands of migratory birds
Roman Nose State Park: once a Cheyenne campground
Little Sahara State Park: over 1,600 acres of rideable sand dunes ranging from 25 – 75 ft.
Cross Timbers area: blackjack and post oak trees
Fertile soil ideal for growing wheat, hay, peanuts, and cotton – plus grasslands for cattle and horses
Oil and natural gas wells dot the countryside
Oklahoma City: state’s largest city (532,517)

13. Things found in Red Bed Plains

14. Wichita Mountains
500 million years ago mountains began to form from ancient lava flows
Peaks now eroded by climatic forces
Huge granite boulders popular for rock climbing
Area around the base of the mountains a mixed grass prairie
Unique town of Medicine Park: a planned resort town of homes and shops made of granite cobblestones
Fort Sill (1869): built to stop Indian raids; changed from cavalry to artillery in early 1900s

16. Sandstone Hills
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve: north of Pawhuska in the Flint Hills, one of North America’s former major ecosystems
Sandstone and shale are main rocks
Activities include: buffalo graze on tall bluestem, Indian grass, & switchgrass
Keystone: one of several lakes in the area
Oilman, Frank Phillips - responsible for Woolaroc Wildlife Preserve and Museum
Supports many poultry and egg farms
Ranching, oil, and natural gas: main industries
1920s: the Osage Indians among the wealthiest people in the country due to the discovery of oil
Greater Seminole Oil Field: 26 pools discovered – ignited growth of many small towns
Coal mining: spurred growth in the McAlester area
Tulsa metropolitan area: part of this region

18. Arbuckle Mountains
West Timbered Hills: highest point – 1,415 feet southwest of Davis
Range runs east-west
Part of a very old mountain system
Exposed granite in Murray County: 1.4 billion years old
Composed of folded & faulted limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and shale
Diverse mineral resources: limestone, dolomite, glass sand, granite, sand and gravel, shale, iron ore, lead, zinc, tar sands, oil and gas
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area: oldest park in Oklahoma
Turner Falls Park: two natural swimming pools & a 77-foot waterfall

20. Prairie Plains Contains many hard sandstone hills and ridges
Rich soil: everything from strawberries to tomatoes grown
Water is a major feature of region
Eufaula: state’s largest lake
Home to Port of Catoosa: international shipping port and the most inland, ice-free port in the United States
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System: covers 445 river miles
System navigable channel up the Arkansas River to Muskogee
Major coal areas – most is surface mined

21. Ozark Plateau
Part of the Ozark Mountain chain of Missouri and Arkansas
Much of the region heavily wooded: oak, hickory, & elm
Many fruits, berries, and vegetables grown in area
Lead & zinc mined in past
Two main rivers: Illinois & Grand
The Pensacola Dam: created the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees

23. Ouachita Mountains Region of towering pine and hardwood trees
Some of the roughest land in the state
Rich Mountain: highest peak in the region – 2,666 feet high
East-west ridges in the region: Winding Stair, Jack Fork, Blue Bouncer, & Kiamichi
Once provided safety for Indian people and hideouts for outlaws
Very popular parks in the region: Beavers Bend, Robbers Cave, Spiro Mounds, Heavener Runestone, Clayton Lake & Lake Wister
Grazing lands, small farms, and lumbering important to the region’s economy

24. Red River Plains
Southeastern region: lies along the low elevation of the Red River – rich, sandy soils & a long growing season
Ideal for melons, squash, corn, and pumpkins by early Indians
Red River dams: provide better flood control thus more area available for farming
Eastern part of region: includes cypress swamps & forests
Lakes include: Texoma, Murray, and Hugo
“Great Raft”: 150-mile jam of logs & debris along the Red River in early 1800s
Forts Towson, Washita, & Arbuckle became a center for Choctaw & Chickasaw cotton plantations
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27. Section 3: Oklahoma’s Natural Resources
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How do Oklahomans make use of the state’s natural resources?

28. Section 3: Oklahoma’s Natural Resources
What words do I need to know?
irrigation
droughts
fossil fuels
wildcatters
aquifers
tributary

29. Vegetation
Western part of the state: grasslands of bluestem, buffalo, & grama grass
Early settlers found grasses as tall as the wagon bed
Paths cleared: allowed children to walk to school
Climate changes & humans: cause a tug-of-war between grasslands & woodlands
20% of the land about 10 million acres forested about 140 tree species native to the state
6 million acres of commercial forest
Oak & pine: most valuable timber commercially
Trees: milled into fiberboard, plywood, & paper
Bottomland hardwoods: forests first to be cut in early days of settlement; land cleared for agriculture
By 1956: U.S. Forest Service estimated only 15% of original hardwoods remained
Forests slowly being reforested with new trees, better management, & wildlife containment
Last 70 years: forest of red cedar trees emerging in western Oklahoma
Cedar wood products: mulch, litter box chips, lumber, & insect repellent

30. Mineral Resources
Mineral Resources: includes fossil fuels – formed in the ground from the remains of dead plants and animals
Fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, and coal

31. Oil & Natural Gas First oil seepages spotted by Indians
Petroleum produced in 1882
Nellie Johnston No. 1 (1887) near Bartlesville: first major oil discovery; wildcatters streamed in the territory
1901: Red Fork field near Tulsa first well to be financially significant
The Glenn Pool (1905): another early successful oil well
Tulsa became known as the “Oil Capital of the World”
By statehood, Oklahoma producing 40 million barrels of oil a year
1920: production up to more than a billion barrels a year
1928: oil boom moved to Oklahoma City
1930: “Wild Mary Sudik” began gushing out oil and natural gas
Oklahoma: ranks in the top six states in the nation in oil production and top three in natural gas
2004: output = 171,000 barrels a day

32. Coal 1873: commercial coal mining began in Oklahoma
Coal deposits all in the eastern part of the state including Arkoma Basin
Most mining done in surface operations; nearly 1.6 million tons of coal produced in Hartshorne and McAlester
The Pioneer Coal Miner Memorial in McAlester: honor thousands who worked the mines & those lost their lives

33. Nonfuel Minerals Zinc, lead, manganese, & iron mined in the past
Sand & gravel found throughout the state – used for building construction & roadways
Oklahoma granite called “grey gold”: found mainly in the Arbuckle & Wichita mountains
State Capitol built of granite from Tishomingo and black granite from Cold Springs
Limestone mined in more than 30 counties; used for making cement and fertilizer
Clay found in the state used for making bricks to build homes and buildings and for pottery
Glass produced from silica sands from south-central Oklahoma
Oklahoma 3rd in the country in helium production: a byproduct of natural gas wells
Gypsum: used to make drywall and plaster for construction, cement, chalk, dental molds, surgical casts, paint filler, toothpaste, soil additives, tofu, and plaster of Paris
Only state that produces iodine

34. Salt State’s salt resources in use for centuries
Salt plains: contained within several counties in northwestern Oklahoma
Eastern part of the state: numerous salt springs
Removing the salt from the springs requires boiling the water until the water evaporates, leaving the salt
Salt on the plains: only needs to be loaded
Early 1815: salt already a commodity in the territory

35. Groundwater One of the most valuable resources to human life
Underground basins called aquifers: porous gravel, rock and sand that hold water that seeps down from rainfall, lakes, and ponds
Nearly ½ of fresh water used in Oklahoma taken from aquifers
Ogallala aquifer: runs from Texas into the edge of South Dakota & from portions of five other states
Stretches across the Panhandle & part of northwestern Oklahoma
Ogallala aquifer: the most important aquifer in the state
Provides millions of gallon of water used to irrigate fields
Being used for irrigation & development faster than can be replenished by rainfall – a major ecological problem for the future

37. Waterways
More than 500 rivers and streams or 78,578 miles; 34 major reservoirs
Hundreds of lakes & ponds supply 60% of water consumed
Much of water for agricultural irrigation
Surface water used for municipal water supplies, mining, & recreation
Manmade lakes and dams were an effort to provide water for city, industrial, & agricultural growth and flood control; more manmade lakes than any other state in the nation
Eufaula 105,000 surface acres & Texoma covers 88,000 surface acres: state’s two largest lakes
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Grand River Dam Authority responsible for building the lakes
Western streams: tend to be wide and sandy with high gypsum & salt concentrations
Streams in the east receive more rainfall – generally deeper with rock banks and more rapid flow
Rivers in Oklahoma usually flow from northwest to southeast
Arkansas and the Red Rivers have large drainage systems in Oklahoma
Arkansas: 328 miles in Oklahoma begins in the Rocky Mountains; carries 2/3 of the state’s runoff water
2nd major drainage system: Red River
Red River 2nd longest river in the state at 592 miles: forms the southern boundary of the state
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38. Section 4: Oklahoma’s Climate
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How has climate affected life in Oklahoma?

39. Section 4: Oklahoma’s Climate
What words do I need to know?
weather
climate
elevation
tornado

40. Temperatures Average temperature: about 60ºF Winters: short & mild
Below-freezing temperatures: approx. 60 days in the south & 95 days in the north
January: coldest month averaging 36ºF
Summers: long & hot
July & August: temperatures exceed 90º F
Indian Summer: periods that extend high temperatures into fall & provide long growing season for agriculture – 168 days in north to 225 days along the Red River

41. Precipitation
Great variation in rainfall: influenced by its latitude and elevation
Southeastern section averages 51 inches of rain per year
1957: Kiamichi Mountain Tower in the Ouachitas – recorded over 84 inches
The Panhandle: about 15 inches per year
Regnier in Cimarron County only 6½ inches of rain in 1956 – year of one of the state’s droughts
Snowfall: averages only about 2 inches in the southeast & up to 30 inches in the Panhandle
Hail storms, torrential rain, & lightning all cause damage
Water control projects great help to flood-prone areas
Severe weather can result in dangerous lighting – about 1 million/year in Oklahoma

42. Tornadoes
Okalahoma along with nearby states tend to have more than average number
Sometimes referred to as “Tornado Alley”
Form from clashing air masses
Funnels result with winds rotating counterclockwise
Usually less than a quarter-mile wide; some as much as two miles wide
Since 1950: average 54 yearly
1999: most active with 145
1988: only 17; lowest number for a year
The National Severe Storms Laboratory is located in Norman

43. Climate and the Economy
Winds: both damaging & appreciated
Provide power for windmills to pump water & generate electricity to rural homes
Possible replacement for fossil fuels
Wind “farms” consist of giant wind turbines that generate electricity when the wind blows
Transmission lines move electricity to the consumer
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