Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and New River Gorge National River: Geologic resources inventory report
Thornberry-Ehrlich TL. 2017. Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and New River Gorge National River: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2017/1532. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report synthesizes discussions from a scoping meeting held in 2004 and a follow-up conference call in 2016 (see Appendix A). Chapters of this report discuss the geologic setting, distinctive geologic features and processes within Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and New River Gorge National River, highlight geologic issues facing resource managers, describe the geologic history leading to the present-day landscape, and provide information about the previously completed GRI map data. Posters (in pocket) illustrate these data. Rock-rimmed deep gorges, stunning vistas, cascading waterfalls, stirring rapids, and forested slopes—the landscapes of Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and New River Gorge National River are breathtaking. The geologic story responsible for these features is no less intriguing. The cultural resources connected with the geology at the parks are vast and reflect thousands of years of human history from American Indians, to the early homesteaders, to the dramatic transformation brought on by the coal-mining industry. The Bluestone, Gauley, and New rivers continue to carve their deep gorges through the gently undulating bedrock of the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province. Unlike the intensely folded and faulted rocks of the Valley and Ridge province to the east, the Appalachian Mountain-building orogenies of the Paleozoic did not strongly change the sedimentary layers deposited in the longstanding Appalachian Basin. Instead, those mountains supplied vast amounts of sediment that would become the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks on display at the parks today. Over 40 million years of geologic history, from about 347 million to 307 million years ago, is recorded in the mixes of sandstones, siltstones, claystones, and limestones that line the gorges. Vast lagoons and swamps of the Pennsylvanian were the source of the organic material that would later be buried and squeezed into the celebrated coal resources ubiquitous in this part of West Virginia. Weathering, erosion, and slope movements continue to change the landscape. Surficial geologic units such as alluvium, colluvium, and residuum are testament to this ongoing evolution. This GRI report was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new fieldwork in association with its preparation. Bedrock and surficial geologic maps were developed for each of the parks by the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey and West Virginia University. The six maps cover all areas within park boundaries and are available in GIS (ArcMap) and Google Earth-compatible formats. Posters illustrate these data and are included with this report.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Thornberry-Ehrlich, Trista
- Date of Issue
- 2017-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- BLUE , ERMN , GARI , GRD , GRI , NERI , NRSS
- Keywords
- Abandoned Mineral Lands, and Protection, Bedrock Exposures, BLUE, Bluestone National Scenic River, Clay, Coal Mining, Disturbed Lands, Earthquakes, Erosion and Slope Movement Hazards and Risks, Faults, Flooding, Fluvial Features, Folds, GARI, Gauley River National Recreation Area, Geologic Features, Geologic Features and Processes, Geologic History, Geologic Processes, Geologic Resource Management Issues, Geologic Resources Division, Geologic Resources Inventory, GRD, GRI, Karst, Map Units, Monitoring, National Park Service, NERI, New River Gorge National River, NPS, Oil and Gas, Paleontological Resource Inventory, Resource Management, Seismic Activity, Stream Channel Morphology, West Virginia, Wetlands