Southeastern Oklahoma Research Articles

Organic geochemistry of the Woodford Shale, southeastern Oklahoma: How variable can shales be?

Woodford Shale samples, obtained from a cored outcrop in southeastern Oklahoma, were geochemically analyzed to determine vertical variations of organic facies, thermal maturity, and an evaluation of their depositional environments. Total organic carbon values ranged from 5.01 to 14.81%, indicating a good source rock potential. In this area, the Woodford Shale is marginally mature, as indicated by vitrinite reflectance values. Rock-Eval data revealed that the samples are dominated by type II kerogen. Biomarker ratios, based on pristane, phytane, steranes, and hopanes, show a mix of marine and terrigenous organic matter. High-salinity conditions and water density stratification also prevailed during deposition of this formation, as indicated by the presence of gammacerane. The Woodford Shale was subdivided into lower, middle, and upper members based on the integration of geochemical and geologic data. Moreover, the presence and extent of photic zone anoxia (PZA) were determined by the presence of aryl isoprenoids. The lower and upper Woodford Shale members were deposited under dysoxic to suboxic conditions and episodic periods of PZA. The middle member was deposited under anoxic conditions and persistent PZA. In addition, aryl isoprenoids helped infer the position of the chemocline during deposition of the different members. The relative hydrocarbon potential parameter was used in determining transgressive and regressive cycles within the Woodford Shale. This study undoubtedly demonstrates the significant lithologic and chemical variability that occurs within shales. The application of this workflow to regional studies can have a direct influence on exploration and production activities in shale-gas systems.

Mammals from Le Flore County, Oklahoma

We report five new records of mammals for Le Flore County, Oklahoma, and additional records of Sorex longirostris for the state. Records for 14 other species, some not reported from the county or state in decades, provide new information on distributions in southeastern Oklahoma.

A Cache of Maud Arrow Points and Other Artifacts from the Jim Clark site, Red River County, Texas

In the winter of 2010, I was contacted by Robert Perino, son of the late Greg Perino, a well-known archaeologist who had worked extensively since the late 1960s along the Red River in southwest Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma, and northeast Texas in the Caddo archaeological area. According to Robert Perino, Greg Perino had found a cache of 30 Maud arrow points at the Jim Clark site in Red River County, Texas, in 1975, and recorded the discovery in a journal, along with a ground stone celt and a ceramic vessel. It is not known with certainty if this cache was associated with a Caddo burial eroding out of the site, but it seems likely that this is the case, as burials are common in Caddo sites along the river in various archaeological contexts, and that these artifacts were all that were either exposed, or remained, of a particular disturbed burial. The purpose of this article is to put these findings on record, in the hope that they provide a measure of useful information for those studying the native history of the Caddo peoples that lived along this section of the Red River before A.D. 1700. The discovery of the cache has not been previously reported in the Caddo archaeological literature, and the Jim Clark site itself has not been formally recorded. Its exact location was not noted by Greg Perino in his journal , but it is likely that it is along a Red River alluvial terrace or natural levee not far from the Bentsen-Clark site (41RR41) (or perhaps even part of it), as a portion of that Early and Late Caddo period cemetery and village site is on land owned by Jim Clark. Other prehistoric Caddo sites in the immediate vicinity of the Bentsen-Clark site that have been recorded include 41RR74 and 41RR75, although whether these sites have Caddo burials, or when they were occupied in the Caddo era, is not known. The Rowland Clark site (41RR77) is only a few miles upstream on the Red River.

Mountain Fork Archaeology: A Preliminary Report on the Ramos Creek Site (34MC1030)

In May-June of 2010, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Archeological Survey co-sponsored a field school at the Ramos Creek site (34MC1030) in southeastern Oklahoma. Ramos Creek is located in the Ouachita Mountains along the Mountain Fork, a tributary of the Little River. Recently identified by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), this site is the northernmost known site with a Caddo component along this stream (Figure 1). The best-known Caddo sites identified for this drainage were tested during the Oklahoma River Basin Survey project of the 1960s and today are covered by the man-made Broken Bow Lake. Archaeological investigations along the Mountain Fork have been conducted by Wyckoff, Klinger and Cande, Perttula, and Perttula and Nelson. This past summer’s work at Ramos Creek is part of a broader research program addressing several questions: What was the relationship of Ramos Creek to sites further downstream, including the multimound Woods Mound Group? How were the Caddo sites in this drainage organized politically and what social dynamics shaped their history? Is there a better way of understanding the socio-political organization of these communities than applying models used in other parts of the Caddo area and the wider Southeast? How were these communities related to those living in other parts of the Caddo archaeological area, including the rest of the Ouachita Mountains, the Little River Valley, the Red River Valley, and the Arkansas Valley?

The Economic Impact Of Water Resource: Broken Bow Lake In Mccurtain County In Southeastern Oklahoma

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Oklahoma has had water problems in the past, when most cities and towns relied mostly on wells pumping water to irrigate their agricultural lands and to provide water for municipal and industrial purposes. One of the fundamental elements of the social accounting method, especially the macroeconomic analysis and planning in the developed market economies, is the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The Social Accounting Matrix could be defined as a system of accounts integrated in the form of matrix, consistently including data on production and income generation on one hand, and on the revenues and expenditures of various institutional groups and classes in society on the other. The present study presents a frame work for using a Social Accounting matrix (SAM) technique to analyze the economic impacts of Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County. The SAM has been used in developing countries to explore the interaction between macro-policy and structure adjustment. Using multiplier analysis, results of the present study can be used to illustrate how this frame work can capture the essential structural features of McCurtain County and sort out the direct and indirect links through which macro-shocks affect the systems (Sherman Robinson).</span></p>

GEOPHYSICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE CLEMENT SITE, A CADDO MOUND COMPLEX IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA

Since the 1960s, few professional archaeological excavations have been conducted at Caddo sites in southeastern Oklahoma. This article summarizes the initial phase of a research program designed to increase our knowledge of this area. Geophysical and archaeological investigations at the Clement site (34Mc8) were conducted during the summer of 2008 by the University of Oklahoma. These revealed deep middens, intact mound stratigraphy, and architecture, and suggest that Clement had multiple Caddo occupations spanning approximately 300 years.

Effects of Planting Density and Seed Source on Loblolly Pine Stands in Southeastern Oklahoma

Abstract Since the early 1970s, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations have been established west of the native range of the species in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma, using faster-growing seed sources from coastal North Carolina (NCC) rather than Oklahoma or Arkansas (O/A). Although the NCC sources outperform O/A sources early in stand development, it is not known how these provenances will perform later in stand development when density-dependent mortality is occurring. We tested the effects of planting density (1,075, 1,680, 2,990, and 6,725 trees ha−1) and seed source (NCC and O/A) on stand and tree attributes for 25-year-old plantations located on a droughty, mountain soil in southeastern Oklahoma. Survival decreased with increasing stand density but did not differ among sources. Average tree diameter also decreased with increasing planting density (25.5 to 15.8 cm), and, again, the pattern was consistent across provenances. Average tree heights decreased with stand density (18.6 to 16.8 m); however, the NCC seed source was taller than the O/A seed source (18.4 versus 17.0 m). This resulted in NCC stands maintaining greater stand volume than O/A stands (329 versus 301 m3 ha−1). Basal area was similar among seed sources and did not significantly differ among densities (average 49.0 m2 ha−1). These results indicate that over 25 years, the NCC seed source performed better than the regional seed source even when grown under extremely high densities and experiencing density-dependent mortality.

Reflux Dolomite Crystal Size Variation in Cyclic Inner Ramp Reservoir Facies, Bromide Formation (Ordovician), Arkoma Basin, Southeastern Oklahoma

Reflux Dolomite Crystal Size Variation in Cyclic Inner Ramp Reservoir Facies, Bromide Formation (Ordovician), Arkoma Basin, Southeastern Oklahoma

Yellow Rails Wintering in Oklahoma

Yellow Rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) were recently discovered to migrate through southeastern Oklahoma in small numbers during fall with a few records into December and a single record in January. We made seven trips (3 in Nov 2008 and 1/month from Dec 2008 through Mar 2009) to Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain County (Oklahoma) to catch and band Yellow Rails. Twenty-five Yellow Rails were banded and birds were observed during each month. Rails were encountered in areas dominated by Sporobolus spp. averaging 44 cm in height in areas with 4 cm or less of standing water. Yellow Rails appear to overwinter in small numbers in McCurtain County, Oklahoma ∼300 km north of the Gulf Coast.

The Toxicity of Extracts of Tephrosa virginiana (Fabaceae) in Oklahoma

The Hale Scout Reservation is located in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a region of high plant diversity in the state. A vascular plant inventory yielded 463 species of vascular plants in 288 genera and 99 families. The largest families were the Asteraceae (with 65 species) and Poaceae (56). The flora consisted of 120 annuals, 1 biennial, and 342 perennials. Forty-two non-native species were collected, representing 8.8% of the flora. Sixteen species tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were present: Amorpha ouachitensis (S1), Aristolochia serpentaria (S1), Baptisia nuttalliana (S2), Brachyelytrum erectum (S1), Brasenia schreberi (S1), Carex ouachitana (S1), Chionanthus virginicus (S2), Clematis crispa (S1), Didiplis diandra (S1S2), Galium arkansanum (S2), Houstonia ouachitana (S1), Juncus repens (S1), Modiola caroliniana (S2), Monotropa hypopithys (S1), Muhlenbergia bushii (S1), and Ribes cynosbati (S2) (Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, 2010).

The Vascular Flora of Hale Scout Reservation, LeFlore County, Oklahoma

The Hale Scout Reservation is located in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a region of high plant diversity in the state. A vascular plant inventory yielded 463 species of vascular plants in 288 genera and 99 families. The largest families were the Asteraceae (with 65 species) and Poaceae (56). The flora consisted of 120 annuals, 1 biennial, and 342 perennials. Forty-two non-native species were collected, representing 8.8% of the flora. Sixteen species tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were present: Amorpha ouachitensis (S1), Aristolochia serpentaria (S1), Baptisia nuttalliana (S2), Brachyelytrum erectum (S1), Brasenia schreberi (S1), Carex ouachitana (S1), Chionanthus virginicus (S2), Clematis crispa (S1), Didiplis diandra (S1S2), Galium arkansanum (S2), Houstonia ouachitana (S1), Juncus repens (S1), Modiola caroliniana (S2), Monotropa hypopithys (S1), Muhlenbergia bushii (S1), and Ribes cynosbati (S2) (Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, 2010).

Effect of Thinning on Aboveground Biomass Accumulation and Distribution in Naturally Regenerated Shortleaf Pine

Abstract The accumulation and relative distribution of standing biomass to different aboveground tree components was investigated in 46–53-year-old naturally regenerated shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) stands growing in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma that were thinned to different levels 16 years previously. The thinning levels were 50% full stocking, 70% full stocking, and a 140% full stocking unthinned control. After 16 years, the unthinned controls had more total aboveground biomass, bole wood, bark, and foliage standing biomass per hectare but had less branch standing biomass than the more heavily thinned stands. Foliage biomass as a proportion of total stand biomass was similar among the three treatment levels. Bark biomass proportion was significantly less in thinned to 50% treatment compared with the other treatments. Bole wood biomass proportion in thinned to 50% treatment was significantly less than in the control. The proportion in branches was significantly greater in the thinned treatments compared with the proportion in the unthinned control. These results suggest that thinning increases biomass distribution to branches at the expense of stems, after 16 years of postthinning stand growth.

Ouachita, Appalachian, and Ancestral Rockies deformations recorded in mesoscale structures on the foreland Ozark plateaus

Mesoscale structures in Paleozoic rocks of the Ozark plateaus reveal four Pennsylvanian deformation episodes in midcontinent North America. The two earliest episodes can be assigned to progressive northwestward docking of the Ouachita terrane with North America. Early extensional structures (Event 1) indicate a northwest/southeast maximum horizontal stress (Hmax) during Early Pennsylvanian Ouachita terrane advance. Event 2 extensional and strike-slip structures indicate Hmax across the Ozark plateaus that varies systematically from north-northwest/south-southeast in the south to northeast/southwest in the north. This suggests development of a slip-line deformation field in response to minor northeastward lateral escape of lithospheric blocks away from the northwestward-moving Ouachita terrane's leading edge, which acted as an indenter in western Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma, and Texas. Younger contractional and strike-slip structures of Event 3 indicate northeast/southwest Hmax across the entire Ozark plateaus, and deformation orientation and intensity are not readily assigned to Ouachita foreland deformation and may be related to Middle Pennsylvanian Ancestral Rockies contractional deformation. Finally, Event 4 contractional structures indicate northwest/southeast Hmax consistent with southern Appalachian late stage convergence. Deformation episodes are localized along basement fault zones, particularly at major bends, suggesting minor restraining-bend uplifts along strike-slip faults. Geometries of conjugate normal fault and hybrid shear joint arrays indicate localized areas of high differential stress consistent with basement block uplift at these bends. High-angle faults reactivated in a reverse sense and bedding-parallel veins suggest tensile minimum stresses and pore fluid pressures exceeding lithostatic stress, consistent with brine pulses driven into the midcontinent during Late Paleozoic orogeny (as proposed by other authors).

Use of preserved museum fish to evaluate historical and current mercury contamination in fish from two rivers in Oklahoma, USA

We examined the effects of a commonly used preservation technique on mercury concentration in fish tissue. After fixing fish muscle tissue in formalin followed by preservation in isopropanol, we found that mercury concentration in fish muscle tissue increased by 18%, reaching an asymptote after 40 days. We used formalin-isopropanol-preserved longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) from the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History to examine historical changes and predict current mercury concentrations in fish from two rivers in southeastern Oklahoma. Glover River was free-flowing, while Mountain Fork River was impounded in 1970 and a coldwater trout fishery was established upstream from the collection site in 1989. Mercury concentrations in longear sunfish from Glover River showed no historical changes from 1963 to 2001. Mercury concentrations in longear sunfish from Mountain Fork River showed no change from 1925 to 1993 but declined significantly from 1993 to 2003. We also compared mercury concentrations of the most recently collected longear sunfish in the museum to mercury concentrations of unpreserved fish collected from the rivers in 2006. Concentrations of mercury in museum fish were not significantly different from mercury concentrations in unpreserved fish we collected from the rivers. Our study indicates that preserved museum fish specimens can be used to evaluate historical changes and predict current levels of mercury contamination in fish.

The Vascular Flora of The Cucumber Creek Nature Preserve, Leflore County, Oklahoma

Abstract The Cucumber Creek Nature Preserve is located in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a region of high plant diversity in the state. An inventory of the preserve yielded 341 taxa of vascular plants in 231 genera and 98 families. The largest families were the Asteraceae (46) and Poaceae (27). The flora consisted of 52 annuals, 1 biennial, 287 perennials, and 95 woody taxa. Sixteen exotic species were collected, representing 4.7% of the flora. Twenty-five species were present that are tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory: Actaea pachypoda, Carex cephalophora, C. latebracteata, C. ouachitana, C. striatula, Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis, Chionanthus virginicus, Dirca palustris, Fraxinus quadrangulata, Galium arkansanum, Halesia tetraptera, Hamamelis vernalis, H. virginiana, Hypericum gentianoides, Ilex opaca, Iris cristata, Magnolia tripetala, Mitchella repens, Panax quinquefolius, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Polygala polygama, Ribes cynosbati, Spigelia marilandica, Stachys e...

Using SWAT to Target Critical Source Sediment and Phosphorus Areas in the Wister Lake Basin, USA

Problem statement: Wister Lake is located in the San Bois Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma, USA. The reservoir is primarily used as a water supply and flood storage to over 40,000 residents in the area. Due to high levels of phosphorus and sediment, Wister Lake is listed as a high priority basin for the State of Oklahoma. To help address these water quality problems, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission provided cost share funds for landowners in the basin to implement conservation practices. Approach: The objective of this study was to identify or target agricultural land that contributed disproportional pollutant losses, i.e. critical source areas. Results: Implementing conservation practice in these critical source areas allowed optimal placement conservation practices. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to identify critical source areas of phosphorus and sediment in the Wister Lake basin. SWAT predicted 57,000 metric tons a year of sediment and 84,000 kilograms a year of total phosphorus from upland areas in the basin. Eighty-five percent of the pollutant load originated from just 10% of the basin. Conclusion/Recommendations: This allowed the OCC to identify and contact specific agricultural producers to recruit into their water quality program, which optimized the use of limited cost share funds.

Composition and Structure of Bottomland Forest Vegetation at the Tiak Research Natural Area, McCurtain County, Oklahoma

Although southeastern Oklahoma has substantial areas of bottomland forest, few studies exist of this vegetation type. We analyzed forest community structure at the Tiak Research Natural Area of the Ouachita National Forest on the Upper Gulf Coastal Plain. Vegetation data were collected from 24 12m x 8m macroplots. Percent cover data were recorded for ferns, fern-allies, and herbaceous angiosperms. Tree sapling and shrub species were recorded in diameter classes, and numbers of stems in estimated height classes were recorded for midlevel and canopy trees. One hundred fifty-two taxa of woody and herbaceous plants were encountered. Toxicodendron radicans and Arundinaria gigantea were the common understory species. Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Carpinus caroliniana, Carya alba, C. texana, Cornus florida, Fraxinus americana, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Nyssa sylvatica were common as mid-level species. Quercus lyrata and Q. phellos were the most common canopy layer trees.

Vascular Plants of Southeastern Oklahoma From the Sans Bois to the Kiamichi Mountains

The author grew up in the prairie region of Kay County where he learned to appreciate proper management of the soil and the native grass flora. After graduation from college, he moved to Eastern Oklahoma State College where he took a position as Instructor in Botany and Agronomy. In the course of conducting botany field trips and working with local residents on their plant problems, the author became increasingly interested in the flora of that area and of the State of Oklahoma. This led to an extensive study of the northern portion of the Oauchita Highlands with collections currently numbering approximately 4,200. The specimens have been processed according to standard herbarium procedures. The first set has been placed in the Herbarium of Oklahoma State University with the second set going to Eastern Oklahoma State College at Wilburton. Editor’s note: The original species list included habitat characteristics and collection notes. These are omitted here but are available in the dissertation housed at the Edmon-Low Library at OSU or in digital form by request to the editor.

Tree Biomass Equations for Naturally Regenerated Shortleaf Pine

Abstract Aboveground tree-level and branch-level biomass component equations were fitted by nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression, for even-aged naturally regenerated shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) in southeastern Oklahoma. Data were obtained from 46- to 53-year-old trees growing in stands that had previously been thinned to densities ranging from 50% of full stocking to overstocked unthinned stands. Stand density affected some of the parameter estimates for trees growing in thinned stands versus unthinned stands. Equations based on dbh alone gave biomass estimates that were not significantly different from those obtained with equations based on dbh, height, and/or crown width. The fitted tree-level biomass component equations were additive in the sense that predictions for biomass components were constrained by the estimation process to sum to total tree biomass. These equations can be used to estimate aboveground tree or tree component biomass for naturally regenerated shortleaf pine in the dbh range of 7–40 cm in southeastern Oklahoma and have potential for application in other shortleaf pine growing areas.

Native American Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners in Southeastern Oklahoma

Abstract This study attempts to characterize the Native American forest landowners in a three-county area of southeastern Oklahoma through a mail-out landowner survey. The total forestland owned by the survey respondents totaled to 12,211 ac with a mean of 140 ac. However, 56% of the respondents own less than 80 ac. More than one-half of the Native American respondents live on or adjacent to their forestland and only 17% are absentee landowners. Almost 60% of the landowners indicated personal reasons as their primary reason for owning their forestland followed by 19% for economic uses and 17% for recreational uses. Over one-half of these landowners indicated they have harvested their forest sometime in the past. Of the 45% that have not harvested their forest in the past, 31% indicated that either stumpage prices were too low or that their trees were not mature yet. Although most Native American forest landowners are involved in managing their forestland, lack of knowledge on forest management and harvesting strategies is an impediment to more effective, active management.