Editing Arkansas (section)

===Terrain===
[[File:Buffalo national river steel creek overlook.jpg|thumb|The [[Ozarks]] rise behind a bend in the [[Buffalo National River|Buffalo River]] from an overlook on the Buffalo River Trail.]]

Arkansas can generally be split into two halves, the highlands in the northwest and the lowlands of the southeast.<ref>Smith 1989, p. 15.</ref> The highlands are part of the Southern Interior Highlands, including [[The Ozarks]] and the [[Ouachita Mountains]]. The southern lowlands include the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]] and the [[Arkansas Delta]].<ref>Smith 1989, pp. 15–17.</ref> This split can yield to a regional division into northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast, and central Arkansas. These regions are broad and not defined along county lines. Arkansas has seven distinct natural regions: the Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, [[Arkansas River Valley]], Gulf Coastal Plain, [[Crowley's Ridge]], and the Arkansas Delta, with [[Central Arkansas]] sometimes included as a blend of multiple regions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arkansas Regions |url=http://www.arkansasheritage.com/discover/natural_environments/regions.aspx |website=Discover Arkansas History |publisher=The Department of Arkansas Heritage |access-date=June 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614023536/http://www.arkansasheritage.com/discover/natural_environments/regions.aspx |archive-date=June 14, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Arkansas Delta, Desha County, AR.jpg|thumb|The flat terrain and rich soils of the Arkansas Delta near [[Arkansas City, Arkansas|Arkansas City]] are in stark contrast to the northwestern part of the state.]]

The southeastern part of Arkansas along the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]] is sometimes called the Arkansas Delta. This region is a flat landscape of [[River delta|rich alluvial soils formed by repeated flooding]] of the adjacent Mississippi. Farther from the river, in the southeastern part of the state, the Grand Prairie has a more undulating landscape. Both are fertile agricultural areas. The Delta region is bisected by a geological formation known as [[Crowley's Ridge]]. A narrow band of rolling hills, Crowley's Ridge rises {{convert|250|to|500|ft|m}} above the surrounding alluvial plain and underlies many of eastern Arkansas's major towns.<ref>Smith 1989, p. 19.</ref>

Northwest Arkansas is part of the [[Ozark Plateau]] including the [[Ozark Mountains]], to the south are the [[Ouachita Mountains]], and these regions are divided by the [[Arkansas River]]; the southern and eastern parts of Arkansas are called the Lowlands.<ref>Federal Writers' Project 1987, p. 6.</ref> These mountain ranges are part of the [[U.S. Interior Highlands]] region, the only major mountainous region between the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the [[Appalachian Mountains]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Ozark Mountains |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica |url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/437144/Ozark-Mountains |access-date= January 2, 2013 }}</ref> The state's highest point is [[Mount Magazine]] in the [[Ouachita Mountains]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Arkansas's Highpoint Information |url= http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/!userfiles/pdfs/MM%20Highpoint%20bro%2005.pdf |publisher= [[Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism]] |access-date= January 2, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130306172243/http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/!userfiles/pdfs/MM%20Highpoint%20bro%2005.pdf |archive-date= March 6, 2013 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> which is {{convert|2753|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref name="sh" />

[[File:Cedar Falls Trail, Petit Jean State Park 010.jpg|thumb|Cedar Falls in [[Petit Jean State Park]]]]

Arkansas is home to many [[List of caves in Arkansas|caves]], such as [[Blanchard Springs Caverns]]. The State Archeologist has catalogued more than 43,000 Native American living, hunting and tool-making sites, many of them Pre-Columbian burial mounds and rock shelters. [[Crater of Diamonds State Park]] near [[Murfreesboro, Arkansas|Murfreesboro]] is the world's only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public for digging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/history/ |title=Crater of Diamonds: History of diamonds, diamond mining in Arkansas |publisher=Craterofdiamondsstatepark.com |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821235457/http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/history/ |archive-date=August 21, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://geology.com/gemstones/united-states-diamond-production.shtml |title=US Diamond Mines—Diamond Mining in the United States |publisher=Geology.com |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724122236/http://geology.com/gemstones/united-states-diamond-production.shtml |archive-date=July 24, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Arkansas is home to a dozen Wilderness Areas totaling {{convert|158444|acre|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |title= List Wilderness Areas in Arkansas |url= http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/stateView?state=AR |publisher= [[University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation]] Wilderness Institute, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute |access-date= January 2, 2013 |archive-date= December 31, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121231150303/http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/stateView?state=ar |url-status= dead }}</ref> These areas are set aside for outdoor recreation and are open to hunting, fishing, hiking, and primitive camping. No mechanized vehicles nor developed campgrounds are allowed in these areas.<ref>{{cite book |title= Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer |year= 2004 |publisher= DeLorme |page= 12 |location= Yarmouth, Maine }}</ref>