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The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the American Southeast and Southwest. Its elevations range from 980–2,460 ft. Because of its karst topography, the area also features a number of caverns, such as Inner Space Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns, Bracken Cave, Longhorn Cavern State Park, Cascade Caverns, Caverns of Sonora and Cave Without a Name. The deeper caverns of the area form several aquifers which serve as a source of drinking water for the residents of the area. Wonder Cave in San Marcos was formed by an earthquake along the Balcones Fault.
Considering all that, what area outside Texas is geographically most like the Texas Hill Country?
I've traveled all over. And the Edwards plateau and hill country region is pretty unique... I'm almost certain there is not another area in North America quite like it and certainly not as large and possibly even the world. This is why I think certain things that can only be found here or are concentrated here. Such as the biggest concentration of mountain juniper in the world (Commonly known as mountain cedar) and why it's allergens torment the residents of the area so mercilessly in December and January. Also the gargantuan bat colony in Austin. The area is very unique. I just hope all the growth of the area doesn't ruin it. There are only so many areas in the world that have aquifers underneath nevermind those that are as large as the Edwards aquifer.
Certainly parts of California have very special microclimates, and many of the western states. I'll say on the east coast maine, new hampshire and north carolina/virginia have some really neat regions.
I've never been to the Hill Country, but from the way your describe it, it sounds a lot like the northern Shenandoah area, including Luray Caverns, in the northern part of Virginia, maybe 30 miles or so west of Washington.
The Arbuckles in Oklahoma are the closest thing I've seen, but they aren't quite as rugged and certainly don't have as much to them as the Hill Country has.
It has the same limestone geology and quite similar vegetation. However, the hill country definitely has a lot more topographical variation. I think the Yucatan is quite flat.
The Hill Country is essentially a drier version of the Ozarks. I think the Ozarks might be more densely wooded to the point of being a vine tangled jungle in places. My recollection of the Hill Country was that it was more open and almost savanna in places. The original timber was harvested in the Ozarks and the topsoil washed away exposing the rocky soil. There are 5000 caves in the Missouri Ozarks (and I would guess much the same in Arkansas). Both regions are ravine-cut limestone or dolomite plateaus rather than mountain ranges. There is an ancient (1.48 billion years old) mountain range under the Ozarks that is exposed as the granite and rhyolite St. Francois Mountains in southeastern Missouri. The Hill Country is similarly underlaid by a precambrian igneous dome.
The underlying topography of the Hill Country isn't really all that unique. It's karst. You can find it all over the world. Domestically some other examples are the Driftless Area, the Ozarks, the Black Hills, and the Mammoth Cave area. I find the Hill Country to be a more barren and prominent version of the Driftless Area. More elevation and less vegetation. The Black Hills have two massive caves (Wind Cave and Jewel Cave) that are likely connected.
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the American Southeast and Southwest. Its elevations range from 980–2,460 ft. Because of its karst topography, the area also features a number of caverns, such as Inner Space Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns, Bracken Cave, Longhorn Cavern State Park, Cascade Caverns, Caverns of Sonora and Cave Without a Name. The deeper caverns of the area form several aquifers which serve as a source of drinking water for the residents of the area. Wonder Cave in San Marcos was formed by an earthquake along the Balcones Fault.
Considering all that, what area outside Texas is geographically most like the Texas Hill Country?
East San Diego County for sure. We have multiple features close to the same.
The Hill Country is essentially a drier version of the Ozarks. I think the Ozarks might be more densely wooded to the point of being a vine tangled jungle in places. My recollection of the Hill Country was that it was more open and almost savanna in places. The original timber was harvested in the Ozarks and the topsoil washed away exposing the rocky soil. There are 5000 caves in the Missouri Ozarks (and I would guess much the same in Arkansas). Both regions are ravine-cut limestone or dolomite plateaus rather than mountain ranges. There is an ancient (1.48 billion years old) mountain range under the Ozarks that is exposed as the granite and rhyolite St. Francois Mountains in southeastern Missouri. The Hill Country is similarly underlaid by a precambrian igneous dome.
Yes, I was going to say the Ozarks.
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