Petroglyph National Monument: Geologic resources inventory report
KellerLynn K. 2017. Petroglyph National Monument: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2017/1547. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report synthesizes discussions from a scoping meeting in 2006 and a follow-up conference call in 2017 (see Appendix A). Chapters of this report discuss the monument’s geologic setting and significance, including distinctive geologic features and processes within Petroglyph National Monument; describe the geologic history leading to the present-day landscape; highlight geologic issues facing resource managers; and provide information about the previously completed GRI map data. Although authorized for the protection of more than 20,000 petroglyphs (prehistoric or historic rock carvings), Petroglyph National Monument also contains significant geologic resources. The petroglyphs themselves were etched into a geologic resource—basaltic (characteristically dark volcanic rock rich in iron and magnesium) bounders—that tumbled off the West Mesa escarpment (erosional margin). The monument is located west of downtown Albuquerque within the Albuquerque volcanic field and contains the Albuquerque volcanoes—a line of cinder and spatter cones that developed as a result of a fissure eruption about 156,000 years ago. The monument contains five volcanoes that formed along a fissure near the center of the Rio Grande rift—a tear in the North American continent that is the result of regional stretching of Earth’s crust. Three volcanoes—Vulcan, Black, and JA—are accessible from a small parking area off Atrisco Vista (formerly known as Paseo del Volcan) on the western side of the monument. The two other volcanoes in the monument—Bond and Butte—are farther north. The monument also contains a series of lava flows and cinder deposits around vents (openings at Earth’s surface through which magma erupts and volcanic gases are emitted). The two oldest lava flows form the eastern margin of West Mesa. This report is supported by two GRI GIS data sets of the bedrock and surficial geology of Petroglyph National Monument. Connell (2006) was the source map used in compiling a GRI GIS data set (petr_geology.mxd) that covers the entire monument at a scale of 1:50,000. Terminology and map units by Connell (2006) are used in this report. Connell (2006) mapped sixteen 7.5-minute quadrangles that make up the Albuquerque–Rio Rancho metropolitan area and vicinity. Four of these quadrangles—Volcano Ranch, Los Griegos, Albuquerque West, and La Mesita Negra SE—are part of the GRI GIS data. In addition, the GRI team converted Shroba et al. (2003) into a GRI GIS data set (mnse_geology.mxd) that covers the southwestern area of the monument at a scale of 1:24,000. Shroba et al. (2003) mapped the La Mesita Negra SE 7.5-minute quadrangle. These two mapping projects—Connell (2006) by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and Shroba et al. (2003) by the US Geological Survey—interpreted the monument’s geology slightly differently. Because the map by Connell (2006) covers the entire monument, this report primarily followed that interpretation. Notable differences between the two mapping projects are highlighted in the report, however.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- KellerLynn, Katie
- Date of Issue
- 2017-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GRD , GRI , NRSS , PETR
- Keywords
- Abandoned Mineral Lands, Caves and Karst, Disturbed Lands, Earthquakes, Eolian Processes, Erosion, Geologic Features, Geologic Features and Processes, Geologic History, Geologic Processes, Geologic Resource Management Issues, Geologic Resources Division, Geologic Resources Inventory, GRD, GRI, Lava Tubes, Map Units, National Park Service, New Mexico, NPS, Paleontological Resources, PETR, Petroglyph National Monument, Resource Management, Rockfall, Seismic Processes, Volcanic Hazards, Volcanic Processes
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Windblown Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Hillslope Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Stream/River Channel Characteristics , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Cave/Karst Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Volcanic Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Seismic Activity , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Soil Quality | Soil Function and Dynamics