Oklahoma:
Land of Contrasts
Chapter 2:
Where in the World is Oklahoma?
(and why do I need to know this?)
1
Section 1: What is geography?
 study of the physical features of the earth and
how the environment affects humans.
 shapes the way people live, the jobs they
do, the food they eat, the clothes they wear
and more.
 Studies how people affect their
surroundings.
 As people expanded across the land - they clear forests,
dam rivers, introduce new species of insects, plants, and
animals, and destroy some native plants and animals.
“If you don’t like the weather…wait ten
minutes, it’ll change” Will Rogers
How does geographic location affect our
state?
Location, Location, Location!!!!
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Located between 94º 29' and 103º W
longitude.
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Also lies between 33º 39' and 37º N
latitude.
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1829 Missouri Compromise: set the
36º 30' N latitude as the boundary
where slavery could exist – included
the territory that became our state
Longitude =
the long part
of the ladder
– going up
Latitude – horizontal like
the rungs on a ladder
“laddertude”
33º 39' and 37º N latitude.
94º 29' and 103º W longitude.
Oklahoma Geography Statistics
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Nearly 70,000 square miles (69,903 sq. miles)
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1224 square miles covered by water
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Over 10 million acres are cover by forest
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Most of the state is part of a giant oval
grassland that extends from Canada to
Mexico.
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Known as the Great Plains and for many years
the Great American Desert, it acts as a barrier
between the species of the eastern and
western forest regions.
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Widest east-west border: 464 miles
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Longest north-south border: 320 miles
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Ranking: 18th in size in the U.S.
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Larger than any state east of the
Mississippi River Oklahoma: halfway
between Los Angeles, California on the
West Coast – Washington, D.C. to the
east
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77 counties Largest OSAGE COUNTY
Where and What Are
The Great Plains?
Don’t forget the animals!!!
The land is diverse – what
about the climate???
Temperatures
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Average temperature: about 60ºF
Oklahoma is often referred to as being part of
the SUNBELT.
Winters: short & mild
Below-freezing temperatures: approx. 60 days
in the south & 95 days in the north
Record cold -20 degrees 1905
January: coldest month averaging 36ºF
Summers: long & hot. 120 degrees in 1934
July & August: temperatures exceed 90º F
Indian Summer: periods that extend high
temperatures into fall & provide long growing
season for agriculture – 168 days in north to
225 days along the Red River
Precipitation
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Great variation in rainfall: influenced by its latitude
and elevation
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Southeastern section averages 51 inches of rain per
year
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1957: Kiamichi Mountain Tower in the Ouachitas –
recorded over 84 inches
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The Panhandle: about 15 inches per year
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Snowfall: averages only about 2 inches in the
southeast & up to 30 inches in the Panhandle
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Hail storms, torrential rain, & lightning all cause
damage
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Water control projects great help to flood-prone areas
Line of Semi-Aridity
…and Natural Resources
Vegetation
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Western part of the state: grasslands of bluestem,
buffalo grass
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20% of the land about 10 million acres forested about
140 tree species native to the state
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6 million acres of commercial forest
Oak & pine: most valuable timber commercially
Trees: milled into fiberboard, plywood, & paper
By 1956: U.S. Forest Service estimated only 15% of
original hardwoods remained
Forests slowly being reforested with new trees, better
management, & wildlife containment
Last 70 years: forest of red cedar trees emerging in
western Oklahoma
Cedar wood products: mulch, litter box chips, lumber,
& insect repellent
Mineral Resources
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Mineral Resources: includes fossil fuels – formed
in the ground from the remains of dead plants
and animals
Fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, and coal
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Oil & Natural Gas
First oil seepages spotted by Indians Used for
medicinal purposes.
Petroleum produced in 1882
Nellie Johnston No. 1 (1887) near Bartlesville: first
major oil discovery; wildcatters streamed in the
territory
1901: Red Fork field near Tulsa first well to be
financially significant
The Glenn Pool (1905): another early successful oil
well. At one time this well produced 3% of the worlds
oil.
Tulsa became known as the “Oil Capital of the World”
By statehood, Oklahoma producing 40 million barrels
of oil a year
1920: production up to more than a billion barrels a
year
Oklahoma: ranks in the top six states in the nation in
oil production and top three in natural gas
2004: output = 171,000 barrels a day
Coal
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Coal dug first by hands of Indians & sold by
the basket
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1873: commercial coal mining began
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Coal deposits all in the eastern part of the
state including Arkoma Basin
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Most mining done in surface operations;
nearly 1.6 million tons of coal produced in
Hartshorne and McAlester
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The Pioneer Coal Miner Memorial in
McAlester: honor thousands who worked the
mines & those who lost their lives
Non-fuel Minerals
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Previous mining = Zinc, lead, manganese, & iron
Sand & gravel – building construction & roadways
Oklahoma granite called “grey gold”: Arbuckle &
Wichita mountains
Limestone mined in more than 30 counties; used for
making cement and fertilizer
Clay found in the state used for making bricks to build
homes and buildings and for pottery
Glass produced from silica sands from south-central
Oklahoma
Oklahoma 3rd in the country in helium production: a
byproduct of natural gas wells
Gypsum: used to make drywall and plaster for
construction, cement, chalk, dental molds, surgical
casts, paint filler, toothpaste, soil additives, tofu, and
plaster of Paris
Only state that produces Iodine
Salt
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State’s salt resources in use for centuries
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Great Salt plains: contained within several
counties in northwestern Oklahoma
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Eastern part of the state: numerous salt
springs
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Removing the salt from the springs requires
boiling the water until the water evaporates,
leaving the salt
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Early 1815: salt already a commodity in the
territory
Soils
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One of state’s important natural resources
Food, some clothing, & shelter come from plants
grown in soil
Soil: composed of organic matter, loose rock material,
water, and air
Mollisols: largest soil group of Oklahoma
Port silt loam soil: named as one of Oklahoma’s state
symbols
Good for growing alfalfa, grains, cotton & other sown
crops, range, pasture, and woodland
Soil types: sand, silt, or clay
1920s: new technology produced more crops
The Dust Bowl (1930s): affected the panhandle of
Oklahoma
U.S. Soil Conservation Service (1935) created to
manage erosion and use soils wisely
Climate and the Economy
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Winds: both damaging & appreciated
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Provide power for windmills to pump water
& generate electricity to rural homes
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Possible replacement for fossil fuels
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Wind “farms” consist of giant wind turbines
that generate electricity when the wind
blows
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Transmission lines move electricity to the
consumer
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Speaking of wind……
Estimated “Wind
Resource”
Tornadoes
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Oklahoma = more than average number
“Tornado Alley”
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Form from clashing air masses producing
funnels with winds rotating counterclockwise
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Less than a ¼ mile wide to 2 miles wide
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Since 1950: average 54 yearly
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1999: most active with 145
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1988: only 17; lowest number for a year
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The National Severe Storms Laboratory is
located in Norman
Waterways
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500+ rivers and streams (78,578 miles;
34 major reservoirs)
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Hundreds of lakes & ponds supply 60%
of water consumed
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Much of water for agricultural irrigation
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Surface water used for municipal water
supplies, mining, & recreation
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Lakes
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Manmade lakes and dams - to provide water for
city, industrial, & agricultural growth and flood
control; more manmade lakes than any other
state in the nation
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Two largest lakes -Eufaula & Texoma
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, and the Grand River
Dam Authority responsible for building the lakes
Streams and Rivers
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Western streams: tend to be wide and sandy with high
gypsum & salt concentrations
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Eastern streams: receive more rainfall – generally
deeper with rock banks and more rapid flow
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Northwest to southeast flow
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Arkansas and the Red Rivers are the largest
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Arkansas = 328 miles in Oklahoma (begins in the Rocky
Mountains) carries 2/3 of the state’s runoff water
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Red River = 592 miles : forms the southern boundary
of the state
Illinois River – near Talequah
Blue River – near Tishomingo
So what exactly is there to
do out in the Great Plains??
Map Exercise
 Using your textbook – pg 520 – Identify
and color the 77 counties of Oklahoma.
 With a black marker or pen – outline the
county you live in
 Write the Longitude and Latitude of
Oklahoma on the corresponding lines of
the map