Geography of Texas
South Central United States | |
Coordinates | 31°N 100°W / 31°N 100°W |
---|---|
Area | |
• Total | 268,581 sq mi (695,620 km2) |
Coastline | 367 mi (591 km) |
Highest point | Guadalupe Peak, 8,749 feet (2,667 m) |
Lowest point | Gulf of Mexico, sea level |
The geography of Texas is diverse and large. Occupying about 7% of the total water and land area of the U.S.,
By residents, the state is generally divided into
Some
Physical geography
Texas covers a total area of 268,581 square miles (695,622 km2). The longest straight-line distance is from the northwest corner of the panhandle to the Rio Grande river just below Brownsville, 801 miles (1,289 km).[1] The greatest east–west distance is 773 miles (1,244 km) from the extreme eastward bend in the Sabine River in Newton County to the extreme western bulge of the Rio Grande just above El Paso.[4] The largest continental state is so expansive that El Paso, in the western corner of the state, is closer to San Diego, California, than to the Houston/Beaumont area, near the Louisiana state line; while Orange, on the border with Louisiana, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida, than it is to El Paso. Texarkana, in the northeastern corner of the state, is about the same distance from Chicago, Illinois, as it is from El Paso, and Dalhart, in the northwestern corner of the state, is closer to the state capitals of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming than it is to Austin, its own state capital.[5]
The geographic center of Texas is about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of
With 10 climatic regions, 14 soil regions, and 11 distinct ecological regions, regional classification becomes problematic with differences in soils, topography, geology, rainfall, and plant and animal communities.[9]
Coast and estuaries
Much of the 367-mile (591 km) Gulf coastline of Texas is paralleled by the Texas barrier islands, many of which enclose a series of estuaries where the state's rivers mix with water from the Gulf of Mexico. These water bodies include some of the largest and most ecologically productive coastal estuaries in the United States and contribute significantly to the ecological and economic resources of Texas.[10]
Coastal Plains
The
North Central Plains
The North Central Plains are bounded by the Caprock Escarpment to the west, the Edwards Plateau to the south, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east. This area includes the North Central Plains around the cities of Abilene and Wichita Falls, the Western Cross Timbers to the west of Fort Worth, the Grand Prairie, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east of Dallas. With about 35 to 50 inches (890 to 1,270 mm) annual rainfall, gently rolling to hilly forested land is part of a larger pine-hardwood forest of oaks, hickories, elm and gum trees.[11] Soils vary from coarse sands to tight clays or shet rock clays and shales.[13]
Great Plains
The
Texas's
Mountains and basins
The
Climate
Geology
Texas is mostly
Resources
With a large supply of
- Asphalt-bearing rocks, mainly cretaceous limestones, occur in Bexar, Burnet, Kinney, Uvalde, and other counties.
- Cement is produced in Bexar, Comal, Dallas, Ector, Ellis, El Paso, Harris, Hays, McLennan, Nolan, Nueces, Potter, and Tarrant counties. Historically, Texas' Portland cement output accounts for about 10% of the annual United States production.[citation needed]
- With an abundance of various types of clays, Texas is one of the leading producers of clays.
- Bituminous coal occurs primarily in Coleman, Eastland, Erath, Jack, McCulloch, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Throckmorton, Wise, and Young counties of Texas. Lignite, or brown coal, occurs in deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain.
- Fluorspar or fluorite is an important industrial mineral used in the manufacture of steel, aluminum, glass, and fluorocarbons. It occurs at several localities in the Trans-Pecos and Llano regions of Texas.
- Collecting tektitesare all commonly collected.
- Deposits of graphite occur in the Llano region and was previously produced in Burnet County.
- Bat guano occurs in numerous caverns in the Edwards Plateau and in the Trans-Pecos region and to a more limited extent in Central Texas.
- Gypsum is extensively developed in Texas where the main occurrences are in the Permian Basin, the Cretaceous Edwards Formation in Gillespie and Menard counties, and the Gulf Coast salt domes of Harris County and previously Brooks County.
- Texas is the leading producer of helium solely from the Cliffside gas field near Amarillo.
- Deposits of iron ore are present in northeastern Texas as well as several in Central Texas.
- Elements of the rhyoliticand related igneous rocks in the Trans-Pecos area of Texas. A deposit containing several rare-earth minerals was exposed at Barringer Hill in Llano County before it was covered by the waters of Lake Buchanan.
- Limestones, abundant in many parts of Texas, are used in the manufacture of lime. Plants for the production of lime are operating in Bexar, Bosque, Burnet, Comal, Deaf Smith, Hill, Johnson, Nueces, and Travis counties.
- Magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and other mineral salts are present in the Upper Permian Basin and in the underlying playas of the High Plains.
- Manganese is known to occur in Precambrian rocks in Mason and Llano counties, in Val Verde County, in Jeff Davis County, and in Dickens County.
- Mica is present in Precambrian pegmatite in the Llano region.
- Common opal occurs on the Texas Coastal Plain.
- Salts occurs in large quantities in salt domes in the Texas Coastal Plain and with other evaporites in the Permian Basin of West Texas, as well as near Grand Saline, Texas.
- Sands used for industrial purposes commonly have been found in the Texas Coastal Plains, East Texas, north central Texas, and Central Texas; and sand mines have opened in the Shinnery (dunes) ecosystem of northern West Texas and the eastern part of the West Wingtip.
- The discovery of silver in Texas has been credited by some to Franciscans who discovered and operated mines near El Paso about 1680. Documented silver production started in the late 1880s at the Presidio Mine, in Presidio County. Texas produced 32,663,405 troy ounces of silver between 1885 and 1955.
- Sulfur occurs in the caprocks of salt domes in the Gulf Coastal Plain, in Permian-age bedded deposits in Trans-Pecos Texas.
- In the past, uranium was produced from surface mines in Atascosa, Gonzales, Karnes, and Live Oak counties. All uranium mines are closed and Texas is no longer a producer.[19]
- The Barnett Shale, located in the Fort Worth basin, has gained attention in recent years as a source of natural gas. Controversy regarding drilling and exploration rights is an issue.
Regions
There are several different methods used to describe the geographic and geological differences within the state, and there are often subdivisions within a region which more accurately describe both the terrain and the culture.[20] Because there is no single standard for subdividing the regions of Texas, many accepted areas either overlap or seem to contradict others. All are included for completeness.
- Big Bend
- Blackland Prairies
- Brazos Valley
- Canadian River Valley
- Central Texas
- Concho Valley
- Coastal Bend
- Cross Timbers
- East Texas
- Edwards Plateau
- Gulf Coast (of the US)
- Llano Estacado[22]
- North Texas
- Northeast Texas
- Permian Basin
- Piney Woods
- Red River Valley
- Rio Grande Valley
- South Plains[23] The vernacular term 'South Plains' is part of Llano Estacado, listed above.
- South Texas
- Southeast Texas
- Texas Hill Country[24]
- Texas Panhandle
- Texas Urban Triangle
- Trans-Pecos
- West Texas
Geographical regions that extend into Texas
- Southwestern United States
- Southern United States
- Deep South
- Black Belt
- Great Plains
- Chihuahuan Desert
- High Plains
- Piney Woods
See also
- List of rivers of Texas
- List of lakes in Texas
- List of regions of the United States
- List of ecoregions in the United States (EPA)
References
- ^ a b "Texas' Natural Environment". Texas Almanac. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ Nova Lomax, John (March 3, 2015). "Is Texas Southern, Western, or Truly a Lone Star?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ Cox, Mike (December 31, 2014) [November 4, 2004]. "New Geography: Remapping of the Lone Star State & Place Name Tweaking of Several Counties and County Seats". Texas Escapes.com. Texas Tales. Retrieved 2006-07-15.
- ^ "Texas Almanac". Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ "StateMaster". Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ "Netstate". Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ "About.com". Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ "Tx Parks and Wildlife". Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ "Tx Environmental Profiles". Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ "Bays & Estuaries". Texas Water Development Board. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "LoneStarInternet". Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ a b c "Tx Environmental Profiles". Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ "The Rolling Plains Region". Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- ^ "USDA Houston Black" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-07-14.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Tx Parks and Wildlife". Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ "The Office of the State Climatologist". Archived from the original on 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ "Tx Almanac". Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ "infoplease.com". Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ Garner, L. Edwin. "The Handbook of Texas online". Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ISSN 0016-7428.
- ^ "Regional Reports (2022 Edition)". Comptroller.Texas.Gov. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ Art Leatherwood, "LLANO ESTACADO," Handbook of Texas Online [1], accessed May 02, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ E. H. Johnson, "SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS," Handbook of Texas Online [2], accessed May 03, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Terry G. Jordan, "HILL COUNTRY," Handbook of Texas Online [3], accessed May 01, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
External links
- The State of Texas website
- Annual precipitation map
- Texas A&M brief, The Climate of Texas
- TNRIS—the Texas Natural Resources Information System
- Big Bend National Park in context of earth's history
- Rio Grande WebCam