The Chautauqua Hills are a sandstone-capped rolling upland that
extends into the Osage Cuestas from the southern Kansas border.
Approximately 10 miles wide, these hills extend as far north as
Yates Center in Woodson County. Small patches of similar terrain
can be found as far north as Leavenworth County.
The Chautauqua Hills formed primarily in the thick sandstones of
the Douglas Group. During the Pennsylvanian Period, about 286
million to 320 million years ago, rivers and streams flowed into
the sea in this area. Sand and other sediments collected in the
estuaries and at the mouths of the rivers in deltas. Over time, the
sediments were buried and compacted--the sands became sandstone and
the muds became shale. Over millions of years, uplift and erosion
exposed the sandstone and shale at the earth's surface. Further
erosion has dissected the area into a series of low hills, capped
by more resistant sandstone.
Because of rock outcrops in this region, the hills are generally
not cultivated but are used instead for pasture. The Verdigris,
Fall, and Elk rivers cross the area in narrow valleys walled by
sandstone bluffs. Topographic relief in the region is never more
than 250 feet.
Many of the hills are covered by stands of black jack oaks,
scrub oaks, and other hardwood species. This mix of medium-tall
grasslands and scattered stands of deciduous trees is called the
Cross Timbers by scientists who map vegetation. In Kansas, the
extent of the Cross Timbers is almost identical to the extent of
the Chautauqua Hills physiographic region.
Logging requirements, email me the answers to the
following:
1. Find the information board and tell me what percent of the
old growth forest is made up of trees that are older than 250
years.
2. Give a reason why the geology of the area would keep the
trees from growing as big as other old growth forests.
3. Take an elevation reading at the coordinates and tell me what
direction you are facing while reading the information board.
Thanks for visiting my earthcache and happy hiking.
Congratulations to madmallard on the First to Find.