| Smoky Hills | |
|---|---|
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| Geography | |
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| Country | United States |
| States | |
| Region | Plains Border (subregion) |
| Range coordinates | 38°47′30″N97°59′51″W / 38.79167°N 97.99750°W /38.79167; -97.99750 |
| Parent range | Great Plains |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Cretaceous |
TheSmoky Hills are anupland region ofhills in the centralGreat Plains of North America. They are located in theMidwestern United States, encompassing north-centralKansas and a small portion of south-centralNebraska.
The hills are a dissected plain covered bytallgrass and mixed-grassprairie. The Smoky Hills were formed by erosion of sedimentary deposits from theCretaceous period and exposechalk,limestone, andsandstone rockoutcroppings.
The Smoky Hills region is part of the Plains Border subregion of theGreat Plains.[1] It occupies nearly all of north-central Kansas, bordered on the west by theHigh Plains, on the northeast by theDissected Till Plains, on the east by theFlint Hills, and on the south by theArkansas River lowlands.[2] The region extends into south-central Nebraska, bordered on the north by theRainwater Basin.[3]
It consists of three belts of hills, all running southwest to northeast, which correspond to the underlying geological formations (seegeology section). The Smoky Hills proper comprise the easternmost belt; the two western belts are known as the Blue Hills. The hills of the westernmost belt are also known as the Chalk Bluffs.[4] The Blue Hillsescarpment forms the boundary with the High Plains to the west.[5]
TheEnvironmental Protection Agency divides the region into twoTemperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublandsecoregions: the Smoky Hills proper constituting the Smoky Hills Ecoregion in the east; and the Blue Hills and Chalk Bluffs constituting the Rolling Plains and Breaks Ecoregion in the west.[3]
TheRepublican River,Saline River,Solomon River, andSmoky Hill River all flow eastward through the Smoky Hills from their sources in the High Plains. Beginning in the 1940s, theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers and theU.S. Bureau of Reclamationdammed these rivers at points in the Smoky Hills forflood control andirrigation purposes, creating severalreservoirs.[6][7] These includeCedar Bluff Reservoir,Kanopolis Lake,Kirwin Reservoir,Waconda Lake,Webster Reservoir, andWilson Lake.
Land use in the Smoky Hills consists primarily of cropland andrangeland.[3] The region is sparsely populated with numerous communities of varying size, but no large cities. The two largest communities in the Smoky Hills region areSalina, Kansas andHays, Kansas.
Elevations in the Smoky Hills range from about 1,200 feet (370 m) in the river valley near Salina to about 2,400 feet (730 m) at the western edge of the region.[8]
The region is divided into three regions based on the underlyingCretaceous rock outcroppings: TheDakota Formation (sandstone), theGreenhorn Limestone, and theNiobrara Chalk.[9][10]
The Dakota Formation forms the eastern region. This area includes theSmoky Hill Buttes,[11] which are capped by sandstone and provide a sharp contrast with the surrounding plains. One of the most notable buttes isCoronado Heights inSaline County.[9]Pawnee Rock was another Dakota Sandstone landmark in the region. There areconcretions atRock City inOttawa County andMushroom Rock State Park inEllsworth County. These are cemented bycalcium carbonate.[12]
The Greenhorn Limestone region,Blue Hills[13]orKearney Hills,[14][15] in the central region is made up of thin—usually less than 6 inches (15 cm)—chalky limestone beds alternating with thicker beds of blue-gray chalkyshale. This area is known aspost rock country due to the practice of early settlers using limestone for buildings and fenceposts since trees were scarce.[9]
TheChalk Hills[15] are the beds of the Niobrara Chalk exposed inFort Hays Limestone bluffs of the westernSolomon,Saline,Smoky Hill, andRepublican Rivers, and in an irregular belt ofSmoky Hill Chalk bluffs further west. This area includes such Kansas landmarks asCastle Rock andMonument Rocks inGove County. The chalk beds are known for the late 19th and early 20th century excavations of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of marine reptiles such as theplesiosaurs andmosasaurs found in the uppermost member of the Niobrara Chalk, the Smoky Hill Chalk.[9]
The mixed-grass prairie of this region hosts a large variety of wildlife species. Coyotes, mule deer,northern myotis bats, theeastern spotted skunk, and somekangaroo rats live in the Smoky Hills. Birds in the region includemeadowlarks,prairie chickens, barn owls,burrowing owls, thecommon nighthawk,dickcissels,lark sparrows,northern bobwhites,red-headed woodpeckers,piping plovers,Upland Sandpipers.Monarch andRegal Fritillary butterflies are also seen. Reptiles includemassasauga snakes, theplains hog-nosed snake, theTexas horned lizard, as well as thesmooth softshell turtle.[citation needed]
The aquatic and wooded habitats available near reservoirs and streams showcase a different array of animals. Open water attracts eagles, ospreys, grebes, and sandhill cranes. Woodlands provide hiding places for warblers, beavers, and muskrats.[16]
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Coronado Hill northwest ofLindsborg is the southernmost prominence of the Smoky Hill Buttes.
The general feature of the country is therefor similar to that of the Kearney hills west ofSalina.
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Smoky Hills
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