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Ecoregion 47e : Steeply Rolling Loess Prairies

Ecoregion Map
Ecoregion Characteristics
Landform Description
Open low hills. Elevation 1000-1500 ft.
Surficial Materials
Thick loess.
Soils
Mollisols (Hapludolls) {Monona-Ida-Hamburg}
Climate
Annual precipitation 27-32 in. Freeze free: 150-160 days.
Potential Vegetation
Bluestem prairie, oak-hickory forest
Predominant Land Use
Cropland, some deciduous forest on hills
Rolling hills with thick loess deposits and underlying glacial till distinguish the Steeply Rolling Loess Prairies ecoregion from the flat Missouri Alluvial Plain to the west. Land clearing has promoted vast sheet erosion and gullying and consequent re-deposition of loess in the valley bottoms. Potential natural vegetation is tallgrass prairie with woodland in narrow valleys and stream reaches. Most of the region is prime farmland and cropland is extensive.