| Ouachita Mountains | |
|---|---|
 The Ouachita Mountains near Caney Creek, Arkansas | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Magazine |
| Elevation | 2,753 ft (839 m) |
| Coordinates | 35°10′01″N 93°38′41″W / 35.167016203°N 93.644725919°W |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Choctaw for "large bison"[1] or "big hunt",[1] or Caddo[2] |
| Geography | |
 Level III ecoregions in the region, with the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion marked as (36) (full map) | |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Arkansas and Oklahoma |
| Parent range | U.S. Interior Highlands |
| Borders on | Arkansas Valley (37), Mississippi Alluvial Plain (73), South Central Plains (35) |
The Ouachita Mountains (/ˈwɒʃɪtɔː/), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, one of the important orogenic belts of North America.[3] The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the northeast, where they make a poorly understood connection with the Appalachians and to the southwest, where they join with the Marathon uplift area of West Texas.[3] Together with the Ozark Plateaus, the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands.[4] The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m).[2][5]
The Ouachita Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The region has been subdivided into six Level IV ecoregions.[6][7]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ety2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cole, S.R.; Marston, R.A. (2009). Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Morris, R.C. (1974). "Sedimentary and Tectonic History of the Ouachita Mountains". Special Publications of SEPM. 22: 120–142.
- ^ "A Tapestry of Time and Terrain". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
- ^ "MAG". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, A.J.; Foti, T.L.; Chapman, S.S.; Omernik, J.M.; et al. Ecoregions of Arkansas (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs).
- ^ This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, A.J.; Omernik, J.M.; Butler, D.R.; Ford, J.G.; et al. Ecoregions of Oklahoma (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 14, 2020. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs).
