Edwards Plateau Region () (2024)

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Edwards Plateau Region ()? ›

The Edwards Plateau Ecological Region of Texas extends in the southwestern regions of Northcentral Texas and includes portions of Concho, Tom Green, Irion, Sterling, Glassco*ck, Reagan, and Irion counties and an separate area to the north in co*ke, Taylor, and Nolan counties.

The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region forming the crossroads of Central, South and West Texas, United States. It is named in honor of Haden Edwards.

Cretaceous limestones and dolomites characterize most of the Edwards Plateau and produce a karst topography with abundant sinkholes, caves, and springs. Several of Texas's major rivers emanate from these springs. Soils are primarily shallow calcareous clays and loams, commonly with limestone outcrops.

Edwards Plateau is located in western Texas and is the southernmost extension of the Great Plains. Bounded by the Pecos River to the west and the Colorado river to the east, Edwards Plateau also borders the Llano Estacado to the north.

Approximately 1,250 square miles of Edwards Limestone is exposed at the ground surface and composes the Recharge Zone where water enters the Aquifer. Surface water from springs and streams originating on the Contributing Zone reaches the Recharge Zone where much of the flow sinks into the Edwards Limestone.

The Plateau Indians traditionally inhabited the high plateau region between the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Canadian Coast Ranges on the west. It includes parts of the present-day U.S. states of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The Great Plateau is the starting region in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild where Link begins his adventure. It is one of the smallest regions, located just below the Central Hyrule region.

Renowned for its beautiful water carved canyons and steep hillsides forested with oak and juniper, the Hill Country—as the Edwards Plateau region is known by conservation scientists and most Texans—encompasses 36,680 square miles in Central Texas.

The average annual temperature varies from 57 to 70 ˚F with summer temperature reaching around 100 ˚F. According to the Thornwaite (1931) climate classification, the Edwards Plateau is a meso-thermal, semiarid to arid climate.

The Rio Grande and the Colorado and Pecos rivers are the major rivers than cut through the Edwards Plateau area (Figure 1-3). The headwaters of the Guadalupe, Nueces, and San Antonio rivers are also located in the Edwards Plateau area (Figure 1-3).

What caused the Edwards Plateau? ›

Tectonic uplift along geological faults millions of years ago formed the plateau. The plateau's rocks host the Edwards Aquifer, a highly permeable limestone aquifer that provides water to surrounding counties.

Although large predators now are uncommon on the Edwards Plateau, bear and mountain lions occasionally are spotted in western portions of the plateau. Other intriguing mammals are more common, such as javelinas, ringtails, bobcats, armadillos, raccoons, opossums and badgers.

The Edwards Plateau region comprises an area of central Texas commonly known as the Texas Hill Country. It is a land of many springs, stony hills, and steep canyons.

The Edwards Plateau Ecological Region of Texas extends in the southwestern regions of Northcentral Texas and includes portions of Concho, Tom Green, Irion, Sterling, Glassco*ck, Reagan, and Irion counties and an separate area to the north in co*ke, Taylor, and Nolan counties.

Nearly 24 million acres dominated by Ashe juniper, oaks and honey mesquite comprise the beautifully rugged, semi arid region of the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. Much of the region overlays the immense underground reservoir of the Edwards Aquifer which feeds many crystal clear streams.

The Edwards Plateau is characterized by a combination of tall, medium and short grasses, often intermixed into a woodland or forest setting with hardwood trees such as escarpment live oak, Texas oak, honey mesquite and with coniferous Ashe juniper.

The Colorado Plateau is centered on the four corners area of the Southwest, and includes much of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Originally named by John Wesley Powell, the Colorado Plateau comprises a series of tablelands (plateaus or mesas) located within an immense basin surrounded by highlands.

The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River.

The Canadian Plateau is composed of the territories between the Coastal Range and the Rocky Mountains, south to the International Boundary and north to the headwaters of the Fraser River at 54º latitude.