Driving south from Jefferson City, Missouri, one soon encounters the first ridge of the Ozarks. Extending across southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma and extreme southeastern Kansas, the Ozarks are an uplifted plateau of horizontal, Paleozoic sediments that have been dissected into a maze of ridges and valleys by tributaries of the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers. The Ozark Plateau rose in concert with the St. Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri, some 300 million years ago; the latter have eroded from a core of ancient, Precambrian granite and represent the highest elevations in the State.
Since most of the Ozark Plateau is composed of soluble limestones and dolomites, caves, springs, sinkholes, natural bridges and other karst features are common throughout the region. Its many streams are popular for fishing, kayaking and rafting and the Plateau's oak-hickory-pine forests are home to gray fox, wild turkey and black bear.
