Chapter 1:

Where in the World is Oklahoma?

STUDY PRESENTATION
© 2013 Clairmont Press
Section 1: What is Geography?
Section 2: Geographic Regions
Section 3: Oklahoma’s Natural Resources
Section 4: Oklahoma’s Climate

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 Daily Warm-Up

1. What reasons would you give to try to convince

someone to move to Oklahoma?
2. If you could live anywhere in the state, where would you
live and why?

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 Section 1: What is Geography?

➢ Essential Question:
• How does geographic location affect our state?

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 Section 1: What is Geography?

➢ What terms do I need to know?

• geography
• latitude
• longitude

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 Introduction
➢ geography: the study of
Earth’s physical features
and how people interact
with them
➢ all life affected by
geography, and geography
is affected by life
➢ helps us learn about
ourselves, history,
relationships, and the
globe

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 Location
➢ Oklahoma is located between
94°29' and 103° W longitude.
➢ It lies between 33°39' and 37°N
latitude.
➢ The 1829 Missouri Compromise
set 36°30' N latitude as the
boundary where slavery could
exist and included the territory
that became our state.

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 Oklahoma Geographic Statistics
Area (mi2) About 70,000
Widest (miles) 464
Longest (miles) 320
Rank (U.S. states) 18
# of Counties 77
Relative Location about halfway between Los Angeles, CA
and Washington, DC

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 Section 2: Geographic Regions

➢ Essential Question:
• How do Oklahoma’s geographic regions differ?

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 Section 2: Geographic Regions
➢ What terms do I need to know?
• erosion
• basin
• topography
• mesa
• butte
• ecosystem
• plateau

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 Section 2: Geographic Regions

➢ Is Geography important
to our state, why do you
think that?

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Section 2: Geographic Regions

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High Plains

This marker in Black Mesa State

Park and Nature Preserve marks
the state’s highest point.

Regions Map
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 High Plains
➢ Panhandle and land along part of the western
border
➢ a few hardy grasses and grains can be grown
➢ Black Mesa in Cimarron County formed by
prehistoric volcano eruption in southeastern
Colorado
➢ Antelope Hills rise in gypsum peaks south of the
Canadian River.
➢ Region favored by stargazers due to lack of
electric lights
➢ Wildlife: quail, dove, duck, wild turkey, pheasant,
deer, elk, antelope, and prairie dog
➢ Lake Optima and Beaver Dunes State Park: great
recreational opportunities
➢ Guymon: largest city in the region
➢ Major economic producers: cattle, hog feed lots,
This marker in Black Mesa State
farming, ranching, petroleum & natural gas Park and Nature Preserve marks
the state’s highest point.

Regions Map
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High Plains

Regions Map
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High Plains

Regions Map
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High Plains

This marker in Black Mesa State

Park and Nature Preserve marks
the state’s highest point.

Regions Map
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Ogallala

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Ogallala

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Gypsum Hills

Regions Map
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 Gypsum Hills
➢ The hills cover a large area from the Kansas border to
the southwestern corner of the state.
➢ Features are a result of the evaporation of ancient
seas.
➢ The area named for the white gypsum buttes.
➢ Buttes, Springs and caves found in the region include
the Alabaster Caverns and Selman Bat Cave.
➢ Rich soils produce winter wheat, hay, alfalfa,
soybeans, & cotton.
➢ Cattle are the primary livestock.
➢ Oil and natural gas are in many areas.

Regions Map
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Red Bed Plains

Regions Map
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 Red Bed Plains
➢ Red-orange shale and clay soil partly formed from ancient
shallow seas; salt deposits were left when the seas
evaporated.
➢ State rock: the rose rock is found near Noble.
➢ The Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge: only place
in the world one can dig for hourglass selenite crystals; a
major resting site for thousands of migratory birds
➢ Roman Nose State Park: once a Cheyenne campground
➢ Little Sahara State Park: over 1,600 acres of sand dunes
ranging from 25 – 75 feet high
➢ Fertile soil ideal for growing wheat, hay, peanuts, and
cotton – grasslands for cattle and horses
➢ Oil and natural gas wells dot the countryside.
➢ Oklahoma City: state’s largest city (532,517)
➢ Middle of the state, a major resting area for migratory
birds.
Regions Map
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 Red Bed Plains

Great Salt Plains

Regions Map
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Red Bed Plains (Arcadia)

Regions Map
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Little Sahara

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Wichita Mountains

Regions Map
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 Wichita Mountains
➢ 500 million years ago mountains began to
form from ancient lava flows.
➢ Peaks are now eroded by climatic forces.
➢ Huge granite boulders are popular for rock
climbing.
➢ The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was
set aside from the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache
Reservation in 1901.
➢ The area around the base of the mountains is
a mixed grass prairie.
➢ Longhorn cattle, elk, deer, wild turkey, and
numerous smaller animals and birds
➢ The town of Medicine Park is a planned resort
of homes and shops made of granite
cobblestones.
➢ Meers began as a mining camp resulting from
stories of gold.
A large granite “knob” in the
Wichita Mountains is shaped by
forces of erosion.

Regions Map
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Wichita Mountains

Regions Map
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 Sandstone Hills
➢ The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve: north of Pawhuska in the Flint Hills, one
of North America’s former major ecosystems
➢ Sandstone and shale are main rocks with sandstone hills up to 400 feet
➢ Buffalo graze on tall bluestem, Indian grass, and switchgrass
➢ Oilman, Frank Phillips - responsible for Woolaroc Wildlife Preserve and
Museum
➢ Poultry and egg farms, ranching, oil, and natural gas are important
industries.
➢ 1920s: the Osage Indians among the wealthiest people in the country
due to the discovery of oil
➢ Coal mining spurred growth in the McAlester area.
➢ Part of metropolitan Tulsa is in the region.
➢ Most important oil fields in the world have been found in this region.

Regions Map
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Arbuckle Mountains

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 Arbuckle Mountains
➢ The range runs east to west and is part of a
very old mountain system.
➢ Exposed granite in Murray County is 1.4
billion years old.
➢ The region is composed of limestone,
dolomite, sandstone, and shale.
➢ Mineral resources are limestone, dolomite,
glass sand, granite, sand and gravel, shale,
iron ore, lead, zinc, tar sands, oil and gas.
➢ Initial Point Mark: established in 1870 to
divide most of the state into townships
and sections.
➢ The Chickasaw National Recreation Area is
the oldest park in Oklahoma.
➢ Turner Falls Park has two natural
swimming pools and a 77-foot waterfall.
Turner Falls is in south-central
Oklahoma.

Regions Map
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Chickasaw Nat. Recreation Area (Sulphur, OK)

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Chickasaw Nat. Recreation Area (Sulphur, OK)

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Chickasaw Nat. Recreation Area (Sulphur, OK)

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Prairie Plains

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 Prairie Plains
➢ The prairie plains contain many hard
sandstone hills and ridges.
➢ Rich soil grows everything from
strawberries to tomatoes.
➢ Water is a major feature of region.
➢ Eufaula and Oologah are important lakes.
➢ The Oklahoma Aquarium is in Jenks.
➢ Port of Catoosa: international shipping
port and the most inland, ice-free port in
the United States.
➢ The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River
Navigation System covers 445 river miles.
➢ The region includes Tulsa, the state’s
second largest city.
➢ Major coal areas and most is surface
mined. The Eufaula Dam was constructed
by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.

Regions Map
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Prairie Plains

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 Ozark Plateau
➢ The plateau is part of the Ozark Mountain chain
of Missouri and Arkansas.
➢ Northeastern corner of the state, has many rich
prairies and wooded areas.
➢ Much of the region is heavily wooded with oak,
hickory, and elm.
➢ Many fruits, berries, and vegetables are grown
in area.
➢ Lead and zinc were mined in past.
➢ The Illinois and Grand are two main rivers.
➢ The Pensacola Dam created the Grand Lake O’
the Cherokees.
Regions Map
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Ozark Plateau

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Ouachita Mountains

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 Ouachita Mountains
➢ The region has towering pine and hardwood trees and is
some of the roughest land in the state.
➢ Ouachita-Ozark was once a part of a mighty mountain range
from the Appalachian Highlands to southwest Texas.
➢ Rich Mountain is the highest peak in the region at 2,666 feet.
➢ The mountains once provided safety for Indian people and
hideouts for outlaws.
➢ Very popular parks in the region: Beavers Bend, Robbers
Cave, Spiro Mounds, Heavener Runestone, Talimena, Clayton
Lake & Lake Wister.
➢ Talimena Drive is known for its fall foliage.
➢ Grazing lands, small farms, and lumbering are important to
the region’s economy.
➢ Large tourist destination...Broken Bow, Hochatown, etc.

Regions Map
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 Red River Plains
➢ The Red River Plains is a southeastern region that lies along
the Red River and has rich, sandy soils, very low elevation,
and a long growing season.
➢ The area was ideal for melons, squash, corn, and pumpkins
used by early Indians.
➢ Red River dams provide better flood control and more area
available for farming.
➢ The eastern part of region includes cypress swamps and
forests.
➢ Lakes include the Texoma, Murray, and Hugo.
➢ “Great Raft”: 150-mile jam of logs & debris along the Red
River in early 1800s
➢ Forts Towson, Washita, and Arbuckle became centers for
Choctaw and Chickasaw cotton plantations.

Regions Map
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Red River Plains

Oklahoma is
on the left
and Texas is
on the right

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 Rivers and Lakes
(page 529)
Rivers: Lakes:
Arkansas Eufaula
Cimarron Texoma
North and South Canadian Grand
Kiamichi Great Salt Plains
Salt Fork Broken Bow
Washita Robert Kerr
Red Thunderbird

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 Welcome back from your 3 day
weekend!
1. Have your regions chart out on your
desk.
2. Choctaw Country County quiz
tomorrow
3. Today: We will label the regions and
rivers of Oklahoma.

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 Section 3: Oklahoma’s Natural
Resources

➢ Essential Question:
• How do Oklahomans make use of the state’s
natural resources?

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 Section 3: Oklahoma’s Natural
Resources
➢ What terms do I need to know?
• natural resources
• irrigation
• drought
• fossil fuels
• wildcatter
• aquifer

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 Soils
➢ One of state’s important natural resources
➢ Soil: composed of organic matter, loose rock
material, water, and air
➢ Mollisols: largest soil group of Oklahoma
➢ Port silt loam soil: named as one of Oklahoma’s
state symbols
➢ Good for growing alfalfa, grains, cotton and other
sown crops, range, pasture, and woodland
➢ Soil types: sand, silt, or clay
➢ 1920s: new technology produced more crops
➢ The Dust Bowl (1930s) affected the panhandle of
Oklahoma.
➢ U.S. Soil Conservation Service (1935) was created to
manage erosion and use soils wisely.

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 Vegetation
➢ Western part of the state - early settlers found grasses
as tall as the wagon bed
➢ Paths cleared: allowed children to walk to school
➢ Climate changes and humans cause a tug-of-war
between grasslands & woodlands
➢ 20% of the land, about 10 million acres, is forested;
about 140 tree species native to the state
➢ 6 million acres of commercial forest
➢ Oak & pine: most valuable timber commercially
➢ Trees: milled into fiberboard, plywood, & paper
➢ By 1956 the U.S. Forest Service estimated only 15% of
original hardwoods remained.
➢ Forests slowly being reforested with new trees, better
management, and wildlife containment.
➢ Cedar wood products: mulch, litter box chips, lumber,
and insect repellent
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Mineral Resources: Oil and Natural Gas
➢ First oil seepages spotted by Indians; petroleum produced in
1882
➢ Nellie Johnston No. 1 (1887) near Bartlesville: first major oil
discovery; wildcatters streamed in the territory
➢ 1901: Red Fork field near Tulsa first well to be financially
significant
➢ The Glenn Pool (1905): another early successful oil well
➢ Tulsa became known as the “Oil Capital of the World”
➢ By statehood, Oklahoma produced 40 million barrels of oil a
year.
➢ 1920: production up to more than a billion barrels a year
➢ 1928: oil boom moved to Oklahoma City
➢ 1930: “Wild Mary Sudik” began gushing out oil and natural gas
➢ Oklahoma: ranks in the top six states in the nation in oil
production and top three in natural gas
➢ 2004: output = 171,000 barrels a day

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 Mineral Resources: Coal
➢ Coal dug first by hands of Indians and sold
by the basket
➢ 1873: commercial coal mining began in
Oklahoma
➢ Coal deposits all in the eastern part of the
state including Arkoma Basin
➢ Most mining done in surface operations;
nearly 1.6 million tons of coal produced in
Hartshorne and McAlester

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 Mineral Resources: Nonfuel Minerals
➢ Zinc, lead, manganese, and iron mined in the past
➢ Sand and gravel are found throughout the state and are used for building
construction and roadways.
➢ Oklahoma granite called “grey gold”: found mainly in the Arbuckle &
Wichita mountains
➢ The state capitol built of granite from Tishomingo and black granite from
Cold Springs.
➢ Limestone is mined in more than 30 counties and used for making
cement and fertilizer.
➢ Clay found in the state is used for making bricks to build homes and
buildings and for pottery.
➢ Glass is produced from silica sands from south-central Oklahoma.
➢ Oklahoma is 3rd in the country in helium production: a byproduct of
natural gas wells.
➢ Gypsum is used to make drywall and plaster for construction, cement,
chalk, dental molds, surgical casts, paint filler, toothpaste, soil additives,
tofu, and plaster of Paris.
➢ Oklahoma is the only state that produces iodine.

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 Mineral Resources: Salt
➢ State’s salt resources in use for centuries
➢ Salt plains: contained within several
counties in northwestern Oklahoma
➢ Eastern part of the state: numerous salt
springs
➢ Removing the salt from the springs requires
boiling the water until the water
evaporates, leaving the salt.
➢ Salt on the plains: only needs to be loaded

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 Groundwater
➢ One of the most valuable resources to human life
➢ Underground basins called aquifers: porous gravel, rock
and sand that hold water that seeps down from rainfall,
lakes, and ponds
➢ Nearly half Oklahoma’s water is taken from aquifers.
➢ Ogallala aquifer: runs from Texas into the edge of South
Dakota & from portions of five other states
➢ Stretches across the Panhandle & part of northwestern
Oklahoma
➢ Ogallala aquifer is perhaps the most important aquifer in
the state and provides millions of gallons of water used to
irrigate fields.
➢ Water is being used for irrigation and development faster
than it can be replenished by rainfall, a major ecological
problem for the future.

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 Waterways
➢ More than 500 rivers and streams or 78,578 miles; 34 major reservoirs
➢ Hundreds of lakes and ponds supply 60% of water consumed
➢ Much water used for agricultural irrigation
➢ Surface water used for municipal water supplies, mining, and recreation
➢ Manmade lakes and dams were an effort to provide water for city,
industrial, & agricultural growth and flood control; more manmade
lakes than any other state in the nation
➢ Eufaula and Texoma are the state’s largest lakes.
➢ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and
the Grand River Dam Authority are responsible for building the lakes.
➢ Western streams tend to be wide and sandy with high gypsum and salt
concentrations.
➢ Streams in the east receive more rainfall and are generally deeper with
rock banks and more rapid flow.
➢ Rivers in Oklahoma usually flow from northwest to southeast.
➢ The Arkansas and the Red Rivers have large drainage systems in
Oklahoma.

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 Section 4: Oklahoma’s Climate
➢ Essential Question:
• How has climate affected life in Oklahoma?

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 Section 4: Oklahoma’s Climate
➢ What terms do I need to know?
• weather
• climate
• elevation
• tornado

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 Temperatures
➢ Average temperature: about 60°F
➢ Winters: short and mild
➢ Below-freezing temperatures about 60 days
in the south and 95 days in the north
➢ January: coldest month averaging 36°F
➢ Summers: long and hot
➢ July and August: temperatures exceed 90°F
➢ Indian Summer: periods that extend high
temperatures into fall and provide long
growing season for agriculture – 168 days in
north to 225 days along the Red River

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 Precipitation
➢ Great variation in rainfall influenced by latitude and
elevation.
➢ Southeastern section averages 51 inches of rain per
year
➢ The Panhandle: about 15 inches per year
➢ Snowfall averages two inches in the southeast and up
to 30 inches in the Panhandle.
➢ Hail storms, torrential rain, and lightning all cause
damage.
➢ Water control projects are a great help to flood-prone
areas.
➢ Severe weather can result in dangerous lightning –
about $1 million/year in Oklahoma

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 Tornadoes
➢ Oklahoma is a part of
“Tornado Alley.”
➢ Funnels result with winds
rotating counterclockwise.
➢ They are usually less than
a quarter-mile wide but
may be two miles wide.
➢ Average 54 per year
➢ 1999: most active with 145
➢ 1988: only 17
➢ The National Severe
Storms Laboratory is
located in Norman. A truck was wrapped around a utility pole as
a result of a tornado near Moore, OK in
1999.

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 Climate and the Economy
Drought, Tornadoes,Floods
➢ Winds are both damaging
and appreciated.
➢ They provide power for
windmills to pump water
and generate electricity to
rural homes.
➢ Wind “farms” consist of
giant wind turbines that
generate electricity when
the wind blows.
➢ Transmission lines move
electricity to the consumer. The Blue Canyon wind farm is
located near Lawton, OK.

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**Have your study guides
out. We are studying
today!!

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Image Credits
Slide 1: Daniel Mayer on Wikimedia Commons; Slide 2: Public Domain; Slide 3: Gilderian on Wikimedia Commons; Slide 15:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Slide 17: Emerson Biggins on Wikimedia Commons; Slide 18: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
Slide 36: NOAA; Slide 37: James Fleeting; Image Credits Slide: Thomas Jones on Wikimedia Commons; all others public
domain

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