Nature
17
La Petite Roche ("the Little Rock") is a rock outcropping on the Arkansas River that served as a navigation point during the early exploration of what would become the state of Arkansas. Sometimes called the Point of Rocks, it is the first rock on the Arkansas River when ascending from the Mississippi. Here the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains first touch the river, creating a natural plateau above the flood plain. The rock is sandstone, a sedimentary rock made of compacted particles originally deposited in a deep marine environment more than 300 million years ago, and it is part of what geologists call the Jackfork Formation. The Little Rock is also the place where three of the state's natural divisions adjoin: the Ouachita Mountains, the coastal plain, and the Mississippi alluvial plain or Delta. This junction brings a diversity of plant and animal life to the area.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Little Rock, Arkansas · United States
