Knobs region

USGS physiographic map of Kentucky showing the location of the Knobs

The Knobs Region or The Knobs is located in the US state of Kentucky. It is a narrow, arc-shaped region consisting of hundreds of isolated hills. The region wraps around the southern part of the Bluegrass region in the north central to northeastern part of the state. The western end of the Knobs region begins near Louisville, Kentucky and continues southeastward through Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, LaRue, Marion, Taylor, Casey and Lincoln counties before turning northeast and running along the Pottsville Escarpment and the Appalachian Plateau. The Knob arc has a length of 230 miles (370 km).[1]

Many of the hills are conical and up to several hundred feet high, some with capstones that form cliffs. The monadnocks formed from the eroding margins of the Pennyroyal Plateau to the south and the Cumberland Plateau to the east. The caprock is Mississippian Harrodsburg Limestone and the slopes are Bordon Formation shales of Devonian to Mississippian age.[2][3]

Location

The Knobs is a narrow, 230-mile (370 km) long,[1] arc-shaped region consisting of hundreds of isolated hills located in the US state of Kentucky. The region wraps around the southern part of the Bluegrass region in the north central to northeastern part of the state. The western end of the Knobs region begins near Louisville, Kentucky and continues southeastward through Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, LaRue, Marion, Taylor, Casey and Lincoln counties before turning northeast and running along the Pottsville Escarpment and the Appalachian Plateau.

Composition

Many of the hills are conical and up to several hundred feet high. Some have harder capstones that form cliffs as the softer stone underneath has worn away. The hills are monadnocks resulting from the erosion of the margins of the Pennyroyal Plateau to the south and the Cumberland Plateau to the east. The Mississippian Harrodsburg Limestone forms the caprock and the Bordon Formation shales of Devonian to Mississippian age form the slopes.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 The Kleber, John E., ed., Kentucky Encyclopedia, University Press of Kentucky, 1992, pp. 521-2 ISBN 978-0-8131-1772-0
  2. 1 2 The Knobs Region, Kentucky Geological Survey
  3. 1 2 Newell, Wayne L., USGS Professional Paper 1151-H: The Geology of Kentucky: Physiography, USGS, 2001


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