Today's word is escarpment. It is a geological term referring to the edge or steep slope between two landmasses formed either by erosion or uplift. A higher plateau might have harder surface rock while the adjacent lower plains erode faster. After driving for hours along one landmass, it is this transition edge which becomes visually more interesting as we come upon a new landmass. Highway scenic overlooks are frequently at an escarpment.
One such escarpment, which caught the attention of early European explorers in 1821 was the Gloss Mountains. They are not really mountains, but rather a series of mesas and buttes overlooking the plains to the east. The capstone rock of the mesas is gypsum, so one finds selenite crystals scattered around. From a distance those crystals caused the "mountains" to glitter in the sunshine. So, they called this escarpment the Glass Mountains. Over time as place names were being recorded, there was a typo. The word "glass" was wrongly changed to "gloss". The state of Oklahoma established a 640-acre park at this escarpment for us all to enjoy as we are travelling. It is a nice place to stretch your legs, take in the views and consider how misnomers can take hold.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
