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Physiographic Map of Texas

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Physiographic Map of Texas Central High Plains ks PHYSIOGRAPHIC MAP OF TEXAS rea B ian 1996 nad Ca AMARILLO BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN University Station, Box X Austin, Texas 78713-8924 (512) 471-1534 s r e b m Southern i T High Plains DALLAS n r e t s Guadalupe e Peak W MIDLAND EL PASO s in la P l a t s s e a i r o i C a r r o Stockton P i AUSTIN r d e Plateau n t n la I k c la HOUSTON Pecos B Canyons ent lcones Escarpm Ba SAN ANTONIO es iri ra P al st a o C R IO G R A 0 50 100 150 200 miles N D CORPUS E CHRISTI 0 100 200 300 kilometers BROWNSVILLE PROVINCE MAX. ELEV. (ft) MIN. ELEV. (ft) TOPOGRAPHY GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE BEDROCK TYPES Gulf Coastal Plains Coastal Prairies 300 0 Nearly flat prairie, <1 ft/mi to Gulf Nearly flat strata Deltaic sands and muds Interior Coastal Plains 800 300 Parallel ridges (questas) and valleys Beds tilted toward Gulf Unconsolidated sands and muds Blackland Prairies 1000 450 Low rolling terrain Beds tilted south and east Chalks and marls Grand Prairie 1250 450 Low stairstep hills west; plains east Strata dip east Calcareous east; sandy west Edwards Plateau Principal 3000 450 Flat upper surface with box canyons Beds dip south; normal faulted Limestones and dolomites Pecos Canyons 2000 1200 Steep-walled canyons Limestones and dolomites Stockton Plateau 4200 1700 Mesa-formed terrain; highs to west Unfaulted, near-horizontal beds Carbonates and alluvial sediments Central Texas Uplift 2000 800 Knobby plain; surrounded by questas Centripetal dips, strongly faulted Granites; metamorphics; sediments North-Central Plains 3000 900 Low north-south ridges (questas) West dip; minor faults Limestones; sandstones; shales High Plains Central 4750 2900 Flat prairies slope east and south Slight dips east and south Eolian silts and fine sands Canadian Breaks 3800 2350 Highly dissected; local solution valleys Southern 3800 2200 Flat; many playas; local dune fields Basin and Range 8750 1700 North-south mountains and basins Some complex folding and faulting Igneous; metamorphics; sediments QAd8544 Physiography of Texas Geologists study the natural scenery of west of Fort Worth, the plateaulike surface is eastern rocks and soils weather tan to buff. Texas and sort its variations into distinctive well exposed, and numerous streams dissect Live oak–ashe juniper parks grade westward physiographic provinces. Each province or land that is mostly flat or that gently slopes into mesquite–lotebush brush. landscape reflects a unified geological his- southeastward. There, silver bluestem–Texas High Plains. The High Plains of Texas tory of depositional and erosional processes. wintergrass grassland is the flora. Primarily form a nearly flat plateau with an average Each physiographic province is distinguished sandstones underlie the western margin of the elevation approximating 3,000 feet. Extensive by characteristic geologic structure, rock and Grand Prairie, where post oak woods form the stream-laid sand and gravel deposits, which soil types, vegetation, and climate. The eleva- Western Cross Timbers. contain the Ogallala aquifer, underlie the plains. tions and shapes of its landforms contrast sig- Edwards Plateau. The Balcones Escarp- Windblown sands and silts form thick, rich soils nificantly with those of landforms in adjacent ment, superposed on a curved band of major and caliche locally. Havard shin oak–mesquite regions. The Physiographic Map of Texas dis- normal faults, bounds the eastern and south - brush dominates the silty soils, whereas sand- plays seven physiographic provinces and their ern Edwards Plateau. Its principal area includes sage–Havard shin oak brush occupies the sand principal subdivisions; the accompanying table the Hill Country and a broad plateau. Stream sheets. Numerous playa lakes scatter randomly describes their major physical differences. The erosion of the fault escarpment sculpts the Hill over the treeless plains. The eastern boundary is following descriptions selectively emphasize Country from Waco to Del Rio. The Edwards a westward-retreating escarpment capped by a those characteristics that distinguish provinces Plateau is capped by hard Cretaceous limestones. hard caliche. Headwaters of major rivers deeply and their subdivisions. Local streams entrench the plateau as much as notch the caprock, as exemplified by Palo Duro Gulf Coastal Plains. The Gulf Coastal 1,800 feet in 15 miles. The upper drainages of Canyon and Caprock Canyons State Parks. Plains include three subprovinces named the streams are waterless draws that open into box On the High Plains, widespread small, Coastal Prairies, the Interior Coastal Plains, canyons where springs provide permanently intermittent streams dominate the drainage. and the Blackland Prairies. The Coastal Prairies flowing water. Sinkholes commonly dot the The Canadian River cuts across the province, begin at the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Young limestone terrane and connect with a network creating the Canadian Breaks and separating deltaic sands, silts, and clays erode to nearly of caverns. Alternating hard and soft marly the Central High Plains from the Southern flat grasslands that form almost imperceptible limestones form a stairstep topography in the High Plains. Pecos River drainage erodes the slopes to the southeast. Trees are uncommon central interior of the province. west-facing escarpment of the Southern High except locally along streams and in oak mottes, The Edwards Plateau includes the Plains, which terminates against the Edwards growing on coarser underlying sediments of Stockton Plateau, mesalike land that is the Plateau on the south. ancient streams. Minor steeper slopes, from highest part of this subdivision. With westward- Basin and Range. The Basin and Range 1 foot to as much as 9 feet high, result from decreasing rainfall, the vegetation grades from province contains eight mountain peaks that are subsidence of deltaic sediments along faults. mesquite–juniper brush westward into creosote higher than 8,000 feet. At 8,749 feet, Guadalupe Between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, broad bush–tarbush shrubs. Peak is the highest point in Texas. Mountain sand sheets pocked by low dunes and blowouts The Pecos River erodes a canyon as ranges generally trend nearly north-south and forming ponds dominate the landscape. deep as 1,000 feet between the Edwards and rise abruptly from barren rocky plains. The Interior Coastal Plains comprise al- Stockton Plateaus. Its side streams become Plateaus in which the rocks are nearly ternating belts of resistant uncemented sands draws forming narrow blind canyons with horizontal and less deformed commonly flank among weaker shales that erode into long, nearly vertical walls. The Pecos Canyons include the mountains. Cores of strongly folded and sandy ridges. At least two major down-to-the- the major river and its side streams. Vegetation faulted sedimentary and volcanic rocks or of coast fault systems trend nearly parallel to the is sparse, even near springs and streams. granite rocks compose the interiors of moun- coastline. Clusters of faults also concentrate Central Texas Uplift. The most character- tain ranges. Volcanic rocks form many peaks. over salt domes in East Texas. That region is istic feature of this province is a central basin Large flows of volcanic ash and thick deposits characterized by pine and hardwood forests having a rolling floor studded with rounded of volcanic debris flank the slopes of most for- and numerous permanent streams. West and granite hills 400 to 600 feet high. Enchanted mer volcanoes. Ancient volcanic activity of the south, tree density continuously declines, pines Rock State Park is typical of this terrain. Rocks Texas Basin and Range province was mostly disappear in Central Texas, and chaparral brush forming both basin floor and hills are among explosive in nature, like Mount Saint Helens. and sparse grasses dominate between San the oldest in Texas. A rim of resistant lower Volcanoes that poured successive lava flows Antonio and Laredo. Paleozoic formations (see the Geology of Texas are uncommon. Eroded craters, where the On the Blackland Prairies of the innermost map) surrounds the basin. Beyond the Paleozoic cores of volcanoes collapsed and subsided, Gulf Coastal Plains, chalks and marls weather rim is a second ridge formed of limestones like are abundant. to deep, black, fertile clay soils, in contrast those of the Edwards Plateau. Central live oak– Gray oak–pinyon pine–alligator juniper with the thin red and tan sandy and clay soils of mesquite parks are surrounded by live oak–ashe parks drape the highest elevations. Creo- the Interior Gulf Coastal Plains. The blacklands juniper parks. sote bush and lechuguilla shrubs sparsely have a gentle undulating surface, cleared of most North-Central Plains. An erosional surface populate plateaus and intermediate elevations. natural vegetation and cultivated for crops. that developed on upper Paleozoic formations Tobosa–black grama grassland occupies the From sea level at the Gulf of Mexico, the forms the North-Central Plains. Where shale low basins. elevation of the Gulf Coastal Plains increases bedrock prevails, meandering rivers traverse The Physiographic Map of Texas is a useful northward and westward. In the Austin– stretches of local prairie. In areas of harder guide to appreciate statewide travel. Texas San Antonio area, the average elevation is bedrock, hills and rolling plains dominate. abounds with vistas of mountains, plateaus, about 800 feet. South of Del Rio, the western Local areas of hard sandstones and limestones plains, hills, and valleys in which many rock end of the Gulf Coastal Plains has an elevation cap steep slopes severely dissected near riv- types and geologic structures are exposed. of about 1,000 feet. ers. Lengthy dip slopes of strongly fractured A variety of vegetation grows, depending on Grand Prairie. The eastern Grand Prai- limestones display extensive rectangular pat- local climate. rie developed on limestones; weathering and terns. Western rocks and soils are oxidized red erosion have left thin rocky soils.
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