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River Hills

Ecoregion in MO, IL, IA

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Smooth to moderately dissected, forested river side-slopes and bluffs, some loess-covered hills, and areas with karst features are characteristic of the River Hills ecoregion. This region, which lies along the Missouri River as well as the Mississippi River, is a transition zone between the loess-covered and till-covered plains to the north (Ecoregion 40) and the lighter colored, rocky soils of the more dissected interior Ozark Highlands (39) regions. The River Hills are less forested than interior areas in the Ozarks. Ridges and valleys have a deep soil mantle but the steep slopes are stony with frequent rock outcrops. Loess, which can be thick in some areas, mantles the ridges and uplands. Deep, sandy and silty, moderately to poorly drained alluvium covers the river valleys. Paleozoic bedrock is relatively resistant to erosion along the Missouri River, and consequently the Missouri River alluvial valley is relatively narrow in this region, a contrast to the wide plain of neighboring 47d. Land cover throughout this region is varied, with row crops, improved pasture, woodland, and oak and mesic mixed hardwood forests.

— EPA

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