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Shale Hills

Ecoregion on Cumberland Plateau, Appalachian Mountains in AL

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The Shale Hills ecoregion, sometimes called the Warrior Coal Field, has more shale and less sandstone than 68e. The soils generally have silt loam surfaces rather than sandy loams and have a silty clay or clayey subsoil. Although it has the lowest elevations in ecoregion 68, the surface features are characterized by extensive hills and mostly strongly sloping topography. The shale, siltstone, and sandstone are relatively impermeable, and streams do not have the base flow found in more permeable adjacent areas, such as 65i or 67f. The region is mostly forested, but coal mining is a major industry, and the extensive open-pit mines have altered the landscape, soils, and streams.

— EPA

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