Smoky Hills
Encyclopedia
The Smoky Hills are an upland
region of hill
s in the central Great Plains
of North America
. They are located in the central United States
, encompassing north-central Kansas
and a small portion of south-central Nebraska
. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass
and mixed-grass prairie
. The Smoky Hills were formed by sedimentary deposits during the Cretaceous
period and consist of chalk
, limestone
, and sandstone
rock outcroppings.
. It occupies nearly all of north-central Kansas, bordered on the west by the High Plains
, on the northeast by the Dissected Till Plains
, on the east by the Flint Hills
, and on the south by the Arkansas River
lowlands. The region extends into south-central Nebraska, bordered on the north by the Rainwater Basin
. It consists of three belts of hills, all running southwest to northeast, which correspond to the underlying geological formations (see Geology). The Smoky Hills proper comprise the easternmost belt; the two western belts are known as the Blue Hills. The hills of the westernmost belt are also known as the Chalk Bluffs. The Blue Hills escarpment
forms the boundary with the High Plains to the west. The Environmental Protection Agency divides the region into two ecoregions, the Smoky Hills proper constituting one in the east and the Blue Hills and Chalk Bluffs constituting the other, the Rolling Plains and Breaks ecoregion, in the west.
The Republican
, Saline
, Solomon
, and Smoky Hill River
s flow eastward through the Smoky Hills from their sources in the High Plains. Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dam
med these rivers at points in the Smoky Hills for flood control
and irrigation
purposes, creating several reservoir
s. These include Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Kanopolis Lake, Kirwin Reservoir, Waconda Lake
, Webster Reservoir, and Wilson Lake
.
Land use in the Smoky Hills consists primarily of cropland and rangeland
. The region is sparsely populated with numerous communities of varying size, but no large cities. The two largest communities in the Smoky Hills region are Salina, Kansas
and Hays, Kansas
.
(sandstone
), the Greenhorn Limestone
and the Niobrara Chalk.
The Dakota Formation forms the eastern region. This area includes the Smoky Hill buttes, which are capped by sandstone and provide a sharp contrast with the surrounding plains. One of the most notable buttes is Coronado Heights
in Saline County
. There are concretions at Rock City
in Ottawa County
and Mushroom Rock State Park
in Ellsworth County
. These are cemented by calcium carbonate
.
The Greenhorn Limestone region in the central region is made up of thin (usually less than 6 inches), chalky limestones beds alternating with thicker beds of grayish shale
. This area is known as post rock country due to the practice of early settlers using limestone for buildings and fenceposts since trees were scarce.
The chalk
beds of the Niobrara Chalk are exposed in bluffs of the western Solomon
, Saline
, and Smoky Hill River
s and in an irregular belt in the west. This area includes such Kansas landmarks as Castle Rock
and Monument Rocks
in Gove County
. The chalk beds are known for the late nineteenth and early twentieth century excavations of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of marine reptiles such as the plesiosaur
s and mosasaur
s found in the uppermost member of the Niobrara Chalk, the Smoky Hill Chalk
.
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
region of hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
s in the central Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. They are located in the central United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, encompassing north-central Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and a small portion of south-central Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
and mixed-grass prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
. The Smoky Hills were formed by sedimentary deposits during the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period and consist of chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rock outcroppings.
Geography
The Smoky Hills region is part of the Plains Border subregion of the Great PlainsGreat Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. It occupies nearly all of north-central Kansas, bordered on the west by the High Plains
High Plains (United States)
The High Plains are a subregion of the Great Plains mostly in the Western United States, but also partly in the Midwest states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains...
, on the northeast by the Dissected Till Plains
Dissected Till Plains
The Dissected Till Plains are physiographic sections of the Central Lowlands province, which in turn is part of the Interior Plains physiographic division of the United States, located in southern and western Iowa, northeastern Kansas, the southwestern corner of Minnesota, northern Missouri,...
, on the east by the Flint Hills
Flint Hills
The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a band of hills in eastern Kansas stretching into north-central Oklahoma, extending from Marshall County, Kansas and Washington County, Kansas in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Osage County, Oklahoma in the south...
, and on the south by the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
lowlands. The region extends into south-central Nebraska, bordered on the north by the Rainwater Basin
Rainwater Basin
The Rainwater Basin is a 4,200 mi.2 region of shallow lakes, marshes and other wetlands located south of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. In the spring and fall months, millions of migratory birds pass through the region to feed and rest...
. It consists of three belts of hills, all running southwest to northeast, which correspond to the underlying geological formations (see Geology). The Smoky Hills proper comprise the easternmost belt; the two western belts are known as the Blue Hills. The hills of the westernmost belt are also known as the Chalk Bluffs. The Blue Hills escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
forms the boundary with the High Plains to the west. The Environmental Protection Agency divides the region into two ecoregions, the Smoky Hills proper constituting one in the east and the Blue Hills and Chalk Bluffs constituting the other, the Rolling Plains and Breaks ecoregion, in the west.
The Republican
Republican River
The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, flowing through the U.S. states of Nebraska and Kansas.-Geography:...
, Saline
Saline River (Kansas)
The Saline River is a tributary of the Smoky Hill River in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas. The river takes its name from the French translation of its Native name Ne Miskua, referring to its salty content.-Geography:The...
, Solomon
Solomon River
The Solomon River, often referred to as the "Solomon Fork", is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a tributary of the Smoky Hill River.-Names:...
, and Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
s flow eastward through the Smoky Hills from their sources in the High Plains. Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med these rivers at points in the Smoky Hills for flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
and irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
purposes, creating several reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s. These include Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Kanopolis Lake, Kirwin Reservoir, Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake is a reservoir near Glen Elder, Kansas in northwestern Mitchell County and extending westward into northeastern Osborne County. It is fed by the Solomon River, of which both forks form the lake. Cawker City is located on the north shore of the lake, as is Glen Elder State Park. Waconda...
, Webster Reservoir, and Wilson Lake
Wilson Lake (Kansas)
Wilson Lake or Wilson Reservoir is a lake in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border of Russell County and Lincoln County. It is a reservoir formed by the 130 ft high Wilson Dam on Saline River. The dam was built in 1964 for flood control...
.
Land use in the Smoky Hills consists primarily of cropland and rangeland
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
. The region is sparsely populated with numerous communities of varying size, but no large cities. The two largest communities in the Smoky Hills region are Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
and Hays, Kansas
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
.
Geology
The region is divided into three regions based on the underlying rock outcroppings: The Dakota FormationDakota Formation
The Dakota Formation is a geologic formation composed of sedimentary rocks deposited on the western side of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. F.B. Meek and F.V. Hayden named it for exposures along the Missouri River near Dakota City, Nebraska...
(sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
), the Greenhorn Limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and the Niobrara Chalk.
The Dakota Formation forms the eastern region. This area includes the Smoky Hill buttes, which are capped by sandstone and provide a sharp contrast with the surrounding plains. One of the most notable buttes is Coronado Heights
Coronado Heights
Coronado Heights is a hill northwest of Lindsborg, Kansas. It is alleged to be near the place where Francisco Vasquez de Coronado gave up his search for the seven cities of gold and turned around to return to Mexico....
in Saline County
Saline County, Kansas
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 55,606...
. There are concretions at Rock City
Rock City, Kansas
Rock City is a park located on hillsides overlooking the Solomon River in Ottawa County, Kansas. It is 3.6 miles south of Minneapolis, Kansas and just over 0.5 mile west of Kansas highway K-106 and the Minneapolis City County Airport on Ivy Road at...
in Ottawa County
Ottawa County, Kansas
Ottawa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,091. The largest city and county seat is Minneapolis...
and Mushroom Rock State Park
Mushroom Rock State Park
Mushroom Rock State Park, located in the Smoky Hills region of Kansas, is noted for its mushroom rock formations. These rocks were formed through a process of nonuniform erosion and weathering in which a hard mass of Dakota Sandstone resisted erosion while the underlying softer stone weathered...
in Ellsworth County
Ellsworth County, Kansas
Ellsworth County is a county located in Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,497. Its county seat and most populous city is Ellsworth.-19th century:...
. These are cemented by calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
.
The Greenhorn Limestone region in the central region is made up of thin (usually less than 6 inches), chalky limestones beds alternating with thicker beds of grayish shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
. This area is known as post rock country due to the practice of early settlers using limestone for buildings and fenceposts since trees were scarce.
The chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
beds of the Niobrara Chalk are exposed in bluffs of the western Solomon
Solomon River
The Solomon River, often referred to as the "Solomon Fork", is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a tributary of the Smoky Hill River.-Names:...
, Saline
Saline River
Saline River may refer to several rivers:In Canada:*Saline River , a tributary of the Mackenzie RiverIn Italy:*Saline , an Italian river in AbruzzoIn the United States:...
, and Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
s and in an irregular belt in the west. This area includes such Kansas landmarks as Castle Rock
Castle Rock (Kansas)
Castle Rock is a large limestone pillar in Gove County, Kansas reaching nearly 70 feet tall, within the Smoky Hills region.-Description:Castle Rock was a landmark on the Butterfield Overland Despatch route . The chalk was deposited in the area by an ancient inland sea. The formation was formed by...
and Monument Rocks
Monument Rocks (Kansas)
Monument Rocks are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. It is a National Natural Landmark. It was the first landmark chosen by the US Department of the Interior as a national natural landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft. and include...
in Gove County
Gove County, Kansas
Gove County is a county located in Northwest Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,695...
. The chalk beds are known for the late nineteenth and early twentieth century excavations of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of marine reptiles such as the plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
s and mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
s found in the uppermost member of the Niobrara Chalk, the Smoky Hill Chalk
Smoky Hill Chalk
The Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk formation is a Cretaceous conservation Lagerstätte, or fossil rich geological formation, known primarily for its exceptionally well-preserved marine reptiles. The Smoky Hill Chalk Member is the uppermost of the two structural units of the Niobrara...
.