Land clearing and forestry mulching in Hot Springs and the Ouachitas

Ouachita ridges to the north, coastal plain to the south

Two of Arkansas's seven Level III ecoregions split this region. 28 of the 40 towns sit in the Ouachita Mountains, and 12 sit in the South Central Plains.

The line between them runs through Hot Spring and Clark counties. Bismarck and Amity are still on the Ouachita side, while Malvern, Arkadelphia, and Gurdon are on the plains. The EPA splits the two into seven smaller ecoregions, and each one below has its own rock, soil, and natural cover.

1. Central Mountain Ranges

   Ouachita Mountains, ecoregion 36b, 8 towns

   Around Hot Springs, Royal, Pearcy, and Glenwood, steep east-west ridges stand on hard sandstone and novaculite, a local chert. Rock outcrops and shallow, stony soils are widespread, and the hot springs rise here beside igneous rock. The natural cover is oak, hickory, and pine, with springs and seeps common.

   Towns hereBonnerdale, Caddo Gap, Glenwood, Hot Springs, Hot Springs National Park, Mountain Pine, Pearcy, and Royal

2. Central Hills, Ridges, and Valleys

   Ouachita Mountains, ecoregion 36c, 9 towns

   Hot Springs Village, Jessieville, and Mount Ida sit in lower, more open country of folded sandstone, shale, and novaculite. Loblolly and shortleaf pine share the woods with upland oak, hickory, and pine. Pasture is much more common here than in the high ranges.

   Towns hereHot Springs Village, Jessieville, Lonsdale, Mount Ida, Norman, Oden, Pencil Bluff, Sims, and Story

3. Athens Plateau

   Ouachita Mountains, ecoregion 36a, 11 towns

   West and south, around Mena, Wickes, and Kirby, low ridges and hills rest mostly on shale. Pine plantations cover far more of this ground than the rugged ranges, with pasture and hayland between them. Cattle and broiler chickens are important farm products here.

   Towns hereAmity, Bismarck, Cove, Grannis, Hatfield, Kirby, Langley, Mena, Newhope, Vandervoort, and Wickes

4. Blackland Prairie

   South Central Plains, ecoregion 35h, 5 towns

   Around Gurdon, Okolona, and Delight, level to rolling ground carries dark soils formed from marl, chalk, and limestone. It was once a mix of woodland, savanna, and prairie. Today hayland and pasture dominate, more than anywhere else in Arkansas's South Central Plains.

   Towns hereBeirne, Curtis, Delight, Gurdon, and Okolona

5. Cretaceous Dissected Uplands

   South Central Plains, ecoregion 35d, 3 towns

   Arkadelphia, Murfreesboro, and Antoine sit on nearly level to hilly ground cut by more streams than the rest of the plains. Under it lie sandy, clayey, or gravelly deposits that are often limy. Oak, hickory, and pine are the native cover, and woods and pasture are both common now.

   Towns hereAntoine, Arkadelphia, and Murfreesboro

6. Tertiary Uplands

   South Central Plains, ecoregion 35a, 2 towns

   Around Malvern and Whelen Springs, rolling hills rest on poorly packed sand, silt, and gravel. Loblolly and shortleaf pine grow on loamy, well-drained soil, and commercial plantations now hold most of that pine.

   Towns hereMalvern and Whelen Springs

7. Floodplains and Low Terraces

   South Central Plains, ecoregion 35b, 2 towns

   Donaldson and Friendship sit on nearly level river ground with natural levees, swales, and oxbow lakes. Large parts of it flood often. Forested wetlands are typical, with some pasture.

   Towns hereDonaldson and Friendship

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