The Ozarks: Highlands, Not Lowlands Near the Mississippi

The Ozarks are a highland region — not low-lying land near the Mississippi River.

Geography

• Location: Southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas.
• Area: ~122,000 km² (47,000 sq mi).
• Elevation: 300–750 m (1,000–2,500 ft); highest: Mount Magazine (AR) 839 m / Taum Sauk (MO) 540 m.
• Geology: Dissected plateau — Paleozoic limestone, dolomite, sandstone; karst (caves, springs, sinkholes).

Relation to Mississippi River

• The Mississippi forms the eastern boundary of the Ozark region (eastern Missouri/Arkansas border).
• The Ozarks lie west of the river — separated by the alluvial plain (Delta).
• Major Ozark rivers (White, Black, Current, Eleven Point, Buffalo) flow *south/east* to the Mississippi — but the highlands themselves are distinct from the floodplain.

Subregions

• Boston Mountains (AR/OK): Highest, most rugged.
• Springfield Plateau (MO): Gentle, agricultural.
• Salem Plateau (MO/AR): Karst, springs (Big Spring, Mammoth Spring).
• St. Francois Mountains (MO): Igneous knobs (Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk) — Precambrian core.

The Ozarks are an ancient, eroded dome — a "mountain" region by Midwestern standards, but geologically a plateau.