Red Hills :Rocks and Minerals
The rugged topography of the Red Hills doesn't fit the stereotypical portrait of the Kansas landscape. Located in southern Kansas, mostly in Clark, Comanche, and Barber counties, the Red Hills are part of the Permian deposits that geologists call red beds. They get their color from iron oxide (rust), which turns bright red when exposed to oxygen.
During the latter part of the Permian Period, about 260 million years ago, several thousand feet of brick-red shales, siltstones, and sandstones--along with interbedded layers of gypsum and dolomite--were deposited in Kansas. These Permian deposits have been exposed by erosion along the southern border of the state, forming a series of relatively flat-topped red hills, capped by light-colored gypsum or dolomite.
During the latter part of the Permian Period, about 260 million years ago, several thousand feet of brick-red shales, siltstones, and sandstones--along with interbedded layers of gypsum and dolomite--were deposited in Kansas. These Permian deposits have been exposed by erosion along the southern border of the state, forming a series of relatively flat-topped red hills, capped by light-colored gypsum or dolomite.
Source:Kansas Geological Survey staff,April 1999
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