Caprock Escarpment | |
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Coordinates: 34°54′35″N 104°04′08″W / 34.90972°N 104.06889°W | |
Location | New Mexico and Texas, United States |
Age | Quaternary |
Geology | Caliche |
Elevation | 502 m (1,647 ft) |
The Caprock Escarpment is a term used in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico to describe the geographical transition point between the level High Plains of the Llano Estacado and the surrounding rolling terrain.[1]
In Texas, the escarpment stretches around 200 mi (320 km) south-southwest from the northeast corner of the Texas Panhandle near the Oklahoma border. The escarpment is especially notable, from north to south, in Briscoe, Floyd, Motley, Crosby, Dickens, Garza, and Borden Counties.
In New Mexico, a prominent escarpment exists along the northernmost extension of the Llano Estacado, especially to the south of San Jon and Tucumcari, both in Quay County, New Mexico. Along the western edge of the Llano Estacado, the portion of the escarpment that stretches from Caprock to Maljamar, New Mexico, is called the Mescalero Ridge.[2][3]
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[wind] To this day, the landscape of the Texas Panhandle evokes images of the old West. This is a land of Kiowa and Comanche Indians, legendary pioneer ranchers, and wide-open spaces. The J.A. Ranch was over a million acres. This was originally part of the J.A. Ranch, established by John Adair. Charles Goodnight was a partner with him. Southeast of Amarillo, where the high plains end in the dramatic red bluffs and canyons of the Caprock escarpment, the legacy of Goodnight lives on. The buffalo were getting hunted off. They were going extinct. And Charles Goodnight, his wife, used to wake up at night and she would hear the bleats of the baby calves at night after the mamas were slaughtered during the day. And she just said one night, 'Charles, you've got to do something,' 'we've got to save these animals. They are fixing' 'not to be anymore.' So they went out and started with 6 head and they grew to over 200. In Caprock Canyons State Park, on this land where the buffalo once roamed, a bit of Western history has been restored. [buffalo snort] Today, Caprock Canyons is home to the direct descendents of the last free range Southern Plains Bison. And buffalo are only one facet of the park. We have excellent hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. In fact, Caprock Canyons has one of the most unique trail systems in the state. In addition to miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding possibilities within the park, there's an extensive trailway just adjacent that was created from an abandoned railroad line. The trailway was originally a railroad that come from Estelline. The trail is 64 miles long. There's over 40 bridges or trestles. The tunnel's over 700 feet long. There's thousands of free-tailed bats that come in to stay in our colony every year at the tunnel at the trailway. From bats to bison, and from horseback riding to hiking and biking, Caprock Canyons State Park offers a complete Texas experience for all who visit. "That's pretty nice." But it just may be the scenery that brings people back. [wind] This place draws people in summer, winter, fall, spring. It's the natural beauty that we have here at Caprock Canyons State Park. From the high prairie to the colorful cliffs and canyons, this landscape keeps a powerful hold on those who call it home. I've been part of Caprock Canyons all my life, you know, since the park has been here. I feel like I'm part of it. [music] For more information about Texas state parks and historic sites, visit our website or call 1-800-792-1112.
Description
The escarpment is made of caliche—a layer of calcium carbonate that resists erosion.[1] In some places, the escarpment rises around 1,000 ft (300 m) above the plains to the east. The escarpment's features formed by erosion from rivers and streams, creating arroyos and highly diverse terrain, including the large Palo Duro Canyon southeast of Amarillo, Texas.[1] One will notice the change in elevation of several hundred feet while crossing the Caprock Escarpment on Interstate 40 between Adrian, Texas and San Jon, New Mexico.
The overall slight upslope, and in some areas, convergent, terrain of the Caprock is implicated in altering local weather and climate, such as enhancing precipitation and promoting thunderstorm initiation and organization.[4][5]
Parks
Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, located near Quitaque, Texas, opened in 1982. A 65-mi (105-km) trail was developed within the park in 1992. Along the trail is Clarity Tunnel, home to a large colony of Mexican free-tailed bats.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Carroll, H.B. "Caprock". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Price, A.P. 1977. Mescalero Sandhills of Cochran and Yoakum Counties, Texas. Master's thesis, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 253 pp.
- ^ Henderson, D. 2006. An Introduction to the Mescalero Sands Ecosystem. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University, 42 pp.
- ^ Walter, Kevin R.; C. C. Weiss; A. H.P. Swift (25 Oct 2005). "The Moisture Route of Palo Duro Canyon". 11th Conference on Mesoscale Processes / 32nd Conference on Radar Meteorology. Albuquerque, NM: American Meteorological Society.
- ^ Marshall, Timothy P. (1980). Topographic Influences on Amarillo Radar Echo Climatology. M.S. thesis. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University. hdl:2346/22163.
External links
- Caprock from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Public domain images of the Llano Estacado, West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico