The Ouachita Mountains extend 186 miles east and
west, between Little Rock (Pinnacle Mountain), Arkansas, and Atoka,
Oklahoma. Lying south of the Arkansas River and the Ozark Mountains,
the Ouachitas include Mount Magazine, Petit Jean, Nebo Mountain,
the Fourche Range, the Cossatot Range, Black Fork Mountain, Jackfork
Mountain and the Potato Hills. Rich Mountain and Winding Stair Mountain
are among the highest points in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Composed mostly of sandstone and shale, the Ouachitas are the result
of extreme lateral pressure, causing tight folding and faulting.
Due to erosion, these mountains stand about one-third of their original
height.
Several geological faults are located along the Talimena Byway.
The Winding Stair fault extends along the lower south face of Rich
Mountain. The Honess Fault forms the valley of Big Creek between
Rich Mountain and Black Fork Mountain. Briery Creek follows Briery
Fault to the north of Black Fork Mountain. The fault then cuts between
the west end of Rich Mountain and Spring and Honess Mountains, dissecting
the Robert S. Kerr Arboretum tract.
You may find references to rock glaciers along the drive. These
are not true "glaciers." One theory believes that many
years ago, these rock flows may have had ice cores. The south slope
of Black Fork Mountain exemplifies these formations.
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