When the sea retreated, erosion set in. Because chert is much harder and more resistant to weathering than limestone, erosion of the softer limestone has left a thick blanket of chert gravel on the hilltops and ridges. The thin and rocky soil of the region, combined with steep slopes, makes most of the region unsuitable for farming. Cropland is restricted to the valley floors of Shoal Creek and Spring River. Many of the hillsides are covered with hardwood forests, predominantly oaks and hickories, along with other trees, shrubs, and vines.
Water flows over Mississippian limestone in Cherokee County.
Like the rest of southeast Kansas, the Ozark Plateau averages more than 40 inches of precipitation a year, making it one of the wettest places in the state. Water also affects the landscape of the region. Percolating through the joints and fractures of the Mississipian limestones, water creates caves and feeds seeps and springs, which in turn drain into clear streams that flow over gravel beds in steep-walled valleys. These stream valleys produce the region's topographic relief.