Taum Sauk Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest point in the U.S. state of Missouri, 1772 feet (540 m) above mean sea level. The topography of Taum Sauk is that of a somewhat flat ridge rather than a peak.
While not as impressive at 1772 feet as other peaks, Taum Sauk and the St. Francois range are true mountains, being the result of a volcanic orogeny. Whereas vertical relief in the rest of the Ozarks region is the result of erosion of sedimentary strata, the St. Francois are an ancient Precambrian igneous uplift several times older than the Appalachians. Geologists believe that Taum Sauk and its neighbors may be among the few areas in the US never to have been submerged in ancient seas. The peaks of the St. Francois range existed as islands in the shallow seaway throughout most of the Paleozoic Era as the sandstones, limestones, and shales typical of the Ozarks were deposited. Weathering and erosion of these ancient peaks provided the clastic sediments of the surrouding rock layers.
Missouri has created a 7448 acre (30 km²) state park on the mountain which has a rustic campground and a paved trail to the highpoint. A lookout tower from which a good view can be had is available to the public; the dense forest on the mountain obscures the view from most other vantage points. This park, the Bell Mountain Wilderness Area, and nearby Johnson's Shut-ins State Park make up part of a large wilderness area that is very popular with hikers and backpackers. A reservoir is located at the top of the mountain. The Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail is considered by many to be the most scenic and appealing.
Mina Sauk Falls, the highest waterfall in Missouri, is on Taum Sauk and can be visited by hiking a rugged trail that makes a three-mile loop from the highpoint parking area. These falls normally have water cascading over them only during times of wet weather. At other times they are reduced to a trickle or less.
The Taum Sauk pumped storage plant, which failed on December 14, 2005 sending a flash flood 20 feet deep down the Black River, is not actually on Taum Sauk Mountain. It is on Proffit Mountain, about five miles southwest.
Taum Sauk State Park is in the same jurisdiction with Johnson's Shut-ins State Park and the complex is the second largest state park in Missouri (Lake of the Ozarks is larger). Jerry Toop, superintendent of the combined park, his wife and their three young children were swept away in the December 14 disaster when a wall of water obliterated their home in a matter of minutes. All five survived but their problems were compounded by improper treatment for Hypothermia which resulted in severe burns.
See also
- Geography of Missouri
- Missouri National and State Parks
- Taum Sauk pumped storage plant
- List of tallest mountains of U.S. states
References
Unklesbay, A.G; & Vineyard, Jerry D. (1992). Missouri Geology — Three Billion Years of Volcanoes, Seas, Sediments, and Erosion. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0-8262-0836-3.
