Oklahoma's only geo-site is 12 miles from our campsite in a road-cut on I-35 through the Arbuckle Mountains. At the onset of the Paleozoic era, 540 million years ago, the world was radically different. The continents were smaller and barren of plant and animal life. Because Earth twirled faster, the days were shorter and there were more than 365 per year. Proto-North America was little more than a fair-sized landmass straddling the equator, bathed by a warm, shallow sea that teemed with evolving species. A handful of bowl-shaped depressions were beginning to alter the low-relief topography and one was the Arbuckle Basin.
Throughout the following 200 million years, the slowly sinking Arbuckle Basin filled with limestone and dolomite, which eventually exceeded 15,000 feet in thickness. During the birth of the Rocky Mountains the entire flat-lying sedimentary column was folded and faulted, thrusting the igneous basement rock upward, and now made visible in the road-cut, and the Arbuckle Mountains were born.
Hundreds of professional and student geologists visit this road-cut annually for these strata are superb exposures of folded and faulted Paleozoic rocks and the oldest rocks found at the surface anywhere between the southern Appalachians and Rocky Mountains.
From a view-point on I-35 you can see the road passing through the Arbuckle Mountains and the road cuts.
This view-point also recognizes that near this site is the birthplace of the reflection seismic technique of oil exploration. This geophysical method records reflected seismic waves as they travel through the earth helping to find oil bearing formations. It has been responsible for the discovery of many of the world's largest oil and gas fields, onshore and offshore, containing billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
A granite marker at the view-point.
Mr. Spock was quite interested in learning about this process in which geologists create and evaluate energy waves in order to define subsurface rock structures.
Frederick and Spock observing the south-plunging (to the left) lime-stone and cherty shale units of the Mississippian-age Sycamore Formation at mile marker #44 on I-35.
Returning to Chickasaw National Recreation Area, we learned a little bit about its history. In the early 1800s the federal government began moving tribes from east of the Mississippi River - Choctaw, Chickasaw, and others - to this area. In 1855, land that is now this park was deeded to the Chickasaw Nation. By the late 1890s, settlers had moved into the adjacent area and hotels and bathhouses promoted the park's mineral springs. Concerned that overuse would deplete the area's unique natural resources, in 1902 the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations sold the springs and a 640-acre buffer to the Department of the Interior.
In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built pavilions, roads, trails, and waterfalls, including this stonework at Hillside Springs located along the Bison Pasture Trail.
A close-up of Hillside Spring.
The Bison Pasture Trail passes their watering hole which is surrounded by blooming redbuds. The state tree of Oklahoma, blooming redbuds are everywhere and make a glorious sight. I tried to get a picture of all the huge, platter-sized turtles that were at the water's edge. Unfortunately they didn't show up in the picture.
We walked most of the way around the loop trail before we found the bison. There were 11 cows enjoying the sun.
Leaving the park we missed our turn and soon ended up in the adjacent horse country. Pastures with horses, a training track and this attraction - The National Museum of Horseshoeing Tools. I wonder of Governor Lincoln Chafee knows about this?
The entrance at the museum was this beautiful iron-work gate. It was getting late so we didn't explore this opportunity.
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