The loess-rich region in Kentucky located in western Kentucky as the northern extent of the Gulf Coastal Plain is known as what?

• A. Pennyroyal Plateau
• B. Bluegrass Region
• C. Jackson Purchase
• D. Western Coal Field

Answer: (C)

Kentucky's loess-rich western edge that marks the northern extent of the Gulf Coastal Plain is the Jackson Purchase. This region sits along the Mississippi River in the far west and owes its fertility to deep loess soils deposited by ancient winds. Its flat to gently rolling landscape stands out next to central Bluegrass with limestone-based soils, the Pennyroyal Plateau’s karst features, and the rugged Western Coal Field. The name Jackson Purchase comes from the 1818 land acquisition that opened the area to settlement, which is why this western block is identified this way.