Editing Muhlenberg County, Kentucky (section)

===Features===
[[File:Lake_Malone_(SUNP0134).jpg|thumb|right|Lake Malone]]

The two primary aquatic features of Muhlenberg County are the [[Green River (Kentucky)|Green River]] and [[Lake Malone]]. The northern area of the county's geography includes gently rolling hills, river flatlands, and some sizeable [[bald cypress]] swamps along Cypress Creek and its tributaries. The southern portion consists of rolling hills with higher relief. The southern part of the county is dotted with deep gorges. This area is known for many [[sandstone]] formations. Several north-south-oriented [[Fault (geology)|faults]] cross the county's midpoint. Coal is found in these faults, across the county's central part. Most remaining deposits reside deep underground; previous near-surface deposits have now been exhausted by [[surface mining|strip mining]]. In former years, it was common to see machines such as the "Big Brother" Power Shovel (pictured on the right) throughout the county. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Muhlenberg County was the state leader in coal production and sometimes the top coal producer in the United States. Strip mining was criticized in the song "[[Paradise (John Prine song)|Paradise]]" by [[John Prine]].<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/DEy6EuZp9IY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20081215035828/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEy6EuZp9IY Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web |title=Paradise by John Prine |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEy6EuZp9IY |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:Bighog1wiki.jpg|thumb|The Bucyrus Erie 3850-B Power Shovel named "Big Brother" went to work next door to Paradise Fossil Plant for Peabody Coal Company's Sinclair Surface Mine in 1962. When it started work it was received with grand fanfare and was the largest shovel in the world with a bucket size of 115 cubic yards. After it finished work in the mid-1980s, it was buried in a pit on the mine's property, where it remains.]]

[[Sandstone]] is the county's most abundant rock type, although [[limestone]] becomes more common toward the southern area of the county. Two mines for extracting [[iron ore]] have been attempted, at  [[Airdrie, Kentucky|Airdrie]] on the banks of the [[Green River (Kentucky)|Green River]], and at Buckner Furnace south of [[Greenville, Kentucky]]. Both iron ore mines were extant in the late 19th century and early 20th century; neither were successful.

====Green River====
The {{convert|300|mi|km|0}}-long Green River is a tributary of the [[Ohio River]]. It provides a commercial outlet for goods (primarily [[coal]]) to be shipped from the county to the major trade centers along the [[Mississippi River]].

====Lake Malone====
Lake Malone ({{convert|788|acre|km2}}) is in southern Muhlenberg County near Dunmor. It, and a portion of the surrounding hardwood forest, form [[Lake Malone State Park]], maintained by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. The lake's surface extends into two neighboring counties, [[Todd County, Kentucky|Todd]] and [[Logan County, Kentucky|Logan]]. There are [[sandstone]] cliffs and natural sandstone formations along the lake shore including a [[Natural arch|natural bridge]], although the bridge itself is not inside the park boundary.