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Article: AN INTRODUCTION TO The Geology of Missouri.
- Article from:
- Rocks & Minerals
- Article date:
- November 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Missouri is known as the "Show-Me State," which has nothing to do with its geology, but it is also known as the "Cave State," which says volumes about its geology. Missouri is in the nation's midsection, its eastern boundary formed by the Mississippi River, which has cut its valley into a succession of sedimentary rock strata ranging in age from Ordovician through Tertiary-Quaternary. The northwestern boundary is the Missouri River, which also bisects the state into northern and southern halves that differ greatly. Northern Missouri is mostly covered by glacial drift and loess from Pleistocene glaciation, whereas southern Missouri is largely a carbonate terrane rich in ...