Travertine Creek, in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, located in the foothills of the Arbuckles near Sulphur.

Turner Falls, nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains of South Central Oklahoma.

The Arbuckle Mountains are an ancient mountain range in south-central Oklahoma in the United States. The Arbuckles date back to 540-440 million years ago in the latest Precambrian and earliest Paleozoic eras.

Geology

Geologically the Arbuckles are an elongate anticline structure with an orientation or strike of west-northwest. The core of the structure consists of Proterozoic extrusive and intrusive rocks, the Colbert rhyolite porphyry and the Tishomingo granite (age dated at 1374 Ma), which are overlain and flanked by early Paleozoic limestones and sandstones which are very steeply dipping to near vertical in orientation. Pennsylvanian to Permian conglomerates were deposited after the orogenic buckling had uplifted and deformed the older strata.

The west trending structure of the Arbuckles and the parallel trending Wichita Mountains is at almost right angle to the regional tectonic trend of the mid-Paleozoic structure from the Ouachitas south to the Marathon Uplift. The Arbuckles are thought to have originated along a failed rift or aulacogen in the Precambrian basement which was uplifted and folded during the Ouachita Orogeny.

Hydrology and karst features

Underlying the Arbuckle Mountains is the Arbuckle Simpson aquifer, housing some of the purest spring water in the world and providing water to the Blue River and Honey Creek which flows over Turner Falls south of Davis.

As a result of the karst topography, standing water is rarely found atop the Arbuckle Mountains, the water seeps through the fracture cracks creating elaborate limestone caverns throughout the Arbuckle Mountains. Today the Arbuckles have gradually eroded to their present heights of 300-500 feet above the surrounding terrain or 1300-1400 feet above sea level.

Location and tourism

The range is approximately 35 miles east-to-west and 10-15 miles north-to-south. The main part of the range is located in northern Carter County and southern Murray County, approximately 15 miles north of Ardmore and 5 miles south of Davis on Interstate 35. The eastern flank of the ridge is approximately 5 miles south of Sulphur on U.S. Highway 177.

Popular recreation areas in the Arbuckle Mountains include Turner Falls Park, the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, one of the most popular national park facilities in the United States, and Lake of the Arbuckles. Turner Falls is located 5 miles south of Davis, whereas Chickasaw NRA is located in the city of Sulphur.

The Arbuckle Mountain area is the proud host of Okla Suave, a one-of-a-kind, annual celebration where families can celebrate their rich traditions and cultures while enjoying beautiful mountain scenery.

References

• James S. Aber, Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma
• Robert W. Allen, 2002, Complex Structural Features of the Ardmore Basin
• USGS America's Volcanic Past: Oklahoma

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