| Arbuckle Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Turner Falls, nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains of South Central Oklahoma. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 430 m (1,410 ft) |
| Coordinates | 34°27′24″N97°15′14″W / 34.45667°N 97.25389°W /34.45667; -97.25389 |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 1,000 sq mi (2,600 km2) |
| Geography | |
 Satellite image with shaded relief map of Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | |
| Rivers | Washita |
| Settlement | Cedar Village |
| Range coordinates | 34°25′55″N97°11′27″W / 34.4320324°N 97.1908524°W /34.4320324; -97.1908524 |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Ouachita Orogeny |
| Rock ages | |
| Rock type(s) | granite,gneiss,limestone,dolomite,sandstone,shale |
TheArbuckle Mountains are an ancientmountain range in south-centralOklahoma in theUnited States. They lie inMurray,Carter,Pontotoc, andJohnston counties.[1] Thegranite rocks of the Arbuckles date back to thePrecambrian Eon some 1.4 billion years ago which were overlain byrhyolites during theCambrian Period. The range reaches a height of 1,412 feet above sea level. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):[2]
The Arbuckles contain the most diverse suite of mineral resources in Oklahoma: limestone, dolomite, glass sand, granite, sand and gravel, shale, cement, iron ore, lead, zinc, tar sands, and oil and gas; all these minerals are, or have been, produced commercially.
The Arbuckle Mountains are the oldest known formations in the United States between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. They contain a core ofgranite andgneiss that date back at least 1.4 billion years. The core is overlain by a 1,500 feet (460 m) layer of Cambrian periodrhyolite that is about 525 million years old. Atop the rhyolite is about 15,000 feet (4,600 m) of folded and faulted limestones,dolomites, sandstones, and shales deposited in shallow seas fromLate Cambrian throughPennsylvanian time (515 - 290 million years ago).[2]
They were named indirectly forGen. Matthew Arbuckle (1778–1851), a career soldier from Virginia who was active in the Indian Territory for the last thirty years of his life. Shortly before his death atFort Smith, Arkansas, from cholera, several detachments of troops under his command had established an outpost to protect the California road, onWildhorse Creek in present-dayGarvin County, Oklahoma. The post was then namedFort Arbuckle in his honor. Though the post was abandoned in 1870, the name had already transferred in common usage to the nearby hills.
Geologically the Arbuckles are an elongateanticline structure with an orientation orstrike of west-northwest. The core of the structure consists ofProterozoicextrusive andintrusive rocks, the Colbertrhyolite porphyry and the Tishomingogranite (age dated at 1374 Ma),[3] which are overlain by theArbuckle Group, theSimpson Group, Viola Group, and theHunton Group.Uplift,faulting, andfolding occurred during theWichita Orogeny, followed byerosion.[4][5][6]
Underlying the Arbuckle Mountains is the Arbuckle-Simpsonaquifer, housing freshwater which emanates at springs to provide the base flows of theBlue River and Honey Creek, which flows overTurner Falls south ofDavis.
As a result of thekarsttopography, standing water is rarely found atop the Arbuckle Mountains, the water seeps through fractures and planes of separation in the limestone bedrock, dissolving the rock to produce a network of caves and solution conduits throughout the limestone formations. Organizations such as the Arbuckle Karst Conservancy and Arbuckle Mountains Grotto of the National Speleological Society actively study the karst features of the Arbuckle Mountains to preserve the biological ecosystems and groundwater resources. The organizations currently maintain databases of more than 1,000 caves and springs in the Arbuckle Mountains.[7] The Arbuckles have gradually eroded to their present heights of 300–500 feet above the surrounding terrain or 1300–1400 feet above sea level.
The range is approximately 35 miles (56 km) east-to-west and 10–15 miles north-to-south. The main part of the range is located in northernCarter County and southernMurray County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north ofArdmore and 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Davis, Oklahoma onInterstate 35. The eastern flank of the ridge is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south ofSulphur onU.S. Highway 177.
Popular recreation areas in the Arbuckle Mountains includeTurner Falls Park, theChickasaw National Recreation Area, andLake of the Arbuckles. Turner Falls is located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Davis, whereas Chickasaw NRA is located in the city of Sulphur.
The area is also the location of several campgrounds, including theYMCA's Camp Classen and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma'sFalls Creek Baptist Conference Center, which hosts 55,000 campers each summer.
| International | |
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| National | |
