Glades support many unique insects, reptiles, mammals, wildflowers and grasses. In Missouri, glades are found in the southern half of the state and in a few locations north of the Missouri River. Missouri’s glades range from as small as a quarter acre to as large as 500 acres. There are five types of glades in Missouri. Each is categorized by the type of bedrock, limestone, dolomite, sandstone, chert or igneous beneath it. The bedrock below a glade greatly influences the native vegetation that grows there. Igneous and dolomite glades are the most common glade types in Missouri. Most glades have some features in common. The majority of these specialized habitats are rocky clearings that occur naturally in timbered areas. Most occur on steep, south- and west-facing slopes of hills, where natural forces have created a landscape of protruding or exposed rock formations and thin soil. The combination of shallow, rocky soils and a southern exposure makes for near desert-like conditions on glades through much of the year. As a result, only plants that can thrive in sunny, droughty conditions survive. (Radford, T.)
Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri at 1,772 feet. The topography of Taum Sauk is that of a somewhat flat ridge rather than a peak. While not as impressive at 1,772 feet as other peaks, Taum Sauk and the St. Francois range are true mountains, being the result of a volcanic orogeny. Whereas vertical relief in the rest of the Ozarks region is the result of erosion of sedimentary strata, the St. Francois are an ancient Precambrian igneous uplift several times older than the Appalachians. Geologists believe that Taum Sauk and its neighbors may be among the few areas in the US never to have been submerged in ancient seas. The peaks of the St. Francois range existed as islands in the shallow seaway throughout most of the Paleozoic Era as the sandstones, limestones, and shales typical of the Ozarks were deposited. Weathering and erosion of these ancient peaks provided the clastic sediments of the surrounding rock layers.
The St. Francois Mountains in southeast Missouri are a range of Precambrian igneous mountains rising over the Ozark Plateau. This range is one of the oldest exposures of igneous rock in North America. The Ozark highlands are the most significant highland region in central North America. This region also contains the three largest single-conduit springs in the United States. Largest extent of glade communities in North America (historical extent of open woodlands rather than closed forests). This area also contains the world’s largest active lead/zinc mining district. Although sometimes referred to as the Ozark Mountains, the region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau.
Enjoy the views from here, I like the fall time personally.
**Logging requirements**
DO NOT POST ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG.
Send the following answers to me via email.
- The text "GC62KV6 Glade overview" on the first line
- How big of an area is this glade area in front of you?
- Based on the rest of the landscape around you, what is this glade lacking?
- What is the predominate feature of the glade?
- What is the predominate color of this feature?
- Why is the glade only here and not all over the rest of the hill here?
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