From: http://www.conservation.mo.gov/fish/watershed/james/landuse/170lufig.htm

The quality of water draining through a watershed is affected the physical features within the watershed primarily land cover -  forest, grassland, agriculture, and urban areas or cities. James River Basin  land cover consists of 30% hardwood forest, 63% agriculture and 7% urban areas.  (MoDNR 1995).  The table below shows additional categories of land cover:

Forestry species consist (mostly) of oak and hickory trees. Blackjack oak, black oak, white oak, post oak, black hickory, and shagbark hickory are common types of trees found in the oak/hickory forest on hilltops, ridges, and steep slopes (EPA 1981).

Farmers raise dairy and beef cattle. The beef industry is a major component of the economy.  Therefore, the most prominent agricultural land cover is pasture used for cattle grazing.  Some agricultural land is used for row crops.

The Ozark Dome and the St. Francois Mountains were created over 500 million years ago by volcanic activity .St. Francois Mountains are the highest point of the Ozark Dome.  A shallow sea covered the area surrounding the St. Francois Mountains, including the area we now know as the James River Basin.  As the sea rose and receded, it left behind layers of sediment that eventually became rock over many years.   This is termed ‘sedimentary rock’.   These rock layers near the St. Francois Mountains make up Springfield and Salem plateaus (see figure).   Weathering processes have eroded away the top layers, making the older layers more visible. 

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/fish/watershed/james/geology/170gefig.htm

In the James River Basin, the oldest rock layer is Jefferson City Cotter dolomite.  Dolomite is a type of limestone made of magnesium and calcium carbonate.  All of the limestone layers were created by sedimentation of small invertebrate animals, called crinoids, that lived and died in the shallow sea.  The Jefferson City/Cotter dolomite is composed of brown, fine crystals of dolomite with some chert and sandstone.   The next layer is Compton limestone, which is a grayish green limestone, followed by Northview shale with siltstone.  This layer is composed of particles nearly as fine as clay.  The shale can be seen along road cuts and streambeds where the layers have been exposed.  Shale is a blue-grey rock that crumbles when exposed to weathering.  This layer also acts as an aquitard*, which results in springs and seeps occurring around the border of the layer. Next is the Pierson formation, composed of grayish brown limestone, followed by Elsay limestone, which is a medium grey limestone.  Finally, Burlington/Keokuk limestone, characterized by light grey limestone with a lot of crinoids, is found on the surface.  (MoDNR 1995a). 

If you live in the James River Basin, you probably know that the area is known for having a lot of caves.   This is because of all of the limestone layers that make up the geology of the area. Limestone is very soluble in water, so rain slowly dissolves it away, making passageways for the water to pass through.  This type of topography is termed Karst.  If a cavity has dissolved near the earth’s surface, it could cave in, creating a sinkhole.  Many sinkholes are found in the James River Basin (insert sinkhole map).

*Aquitard: a geologic formation that prevents the flow of water through it.  Water typically flows around it.