Kansas is home to farm land and ancient ground formations.
While Kansas may not be known for its ancient ground formations, it is filled with antediluvian geological wonders. Many of the formations available to explore in Kansas were deposited by the seas that covered Kansas 300 to 100 million years ago. The majority of formations are made up of sandstone and limestone.
Ozarks
The Ozark caves are located in the Ozark National Forest.
Located in the southeast corner of Kansas, the Ozarks are a series of limestone caves formed in the Mississippian period or 330 million years ago. During this time, Kansas was actually a marine habitat, which allowed limestone to be deposited. The Ozark Plateau is 55 square miles. Schermerhorn Cave, found in Schermerhorn Park, is one of the largest Ozarks caves at about half a mile long, and has a stream running through it.
Mushroom Rocks
Rock formations shaped like mushrooms can be found in Mushroom Rock State Park in Ellsworth County, Kansas. Mushroom State Park is one of the smallest state parks in Kansas. The rocks are composed of sandstone and were created about 100 million years ago by the Cretaceous Sea that bordered this area. According to the Kansas Geological Survey, circulating water allowed "limey cement" to form between grains of sand and create these hard structures, or concretions. The soft part of the bottom of the structure erodes faster, leaving a mushroom shape.
Red Hills
The Red Hills, or Gypsum Hills, are geological formations akin to the red canyons of the southwestern United States. Iron oxide in the sandstone, shale and siltstone is responsible for the red color of buttes and mesas of the Red Hills. The material was deposited 290 million years ago during the Permian period. Travelers to the area can observe both of these red hills, which lack abundant vegetation and prairie land dotted with farms from the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway.
Chalk Monoliths
Chalk monoliths are in Gove County.
Gove County, Kansas, is home to chalk monolith formations that began more than 80 million years ago. These chalk monoliths are also referred to as Monument Rocks or Chalk Pyramids and Castle Rock Badlands by local residents. The chalk monoliths are still being carved and changed by erosion. In 2001, the tallest spire collapsed after a thunderstorm. The chalk, or Dakota sandstone, Greenhorn Limestone and Niobrara Chalk are filled with fossils of single-cell golden brown algae deposited by ancient seas.
Tags: million years, ancient ground, ancient ground formations, chalk monoliths, County Kansas
