NOTES FROM THE FIELD GEOLOGIC RESOURCES INVENTORY GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL MONUMENT, CO
Heise B. 1999. NOTES FROM THE FIELD GEOLOGIC RESOURCES INVENTORY GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL MONUMENT, CO
Park resource specialist Andrew Valdez led NRPC staff on an afternoon field trip explaining the park’s geology and identifying resource concerns and ongoing research. The sand that makes up the dunes is the primary resource of the park. The sand is constantly recycled as it is caught up in a complex cycle of winds alternately crossing the San Luis Valley to the west and the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east. Maintaining that cycle is essential to the preservation of the dunes. There are three geologic components to the park and dune system; a stable sand sheet surrounding the dunes; the active dune fields, and a sabka system (internally drained evaporative basin) to the west of the park. There are some xxx miles2 of dunes in the field, of which xx miles2 are in the park. Additionally, there are metamorphic crystalline rocks exposed in the northeast corner of the park which, while having no impact on the dunes, non the less represent a significant geologic feature. We observed sites where the sand lapped onto the bedrock as well as onto alluvial fans extending from the mountain front.
- Type
- Administrative
- Authors
- Heise, Bruce
- Date of Issue
- 1999-12
- Units
- GRD , GRI , GRSA , ROMN
- Keywords
- Colorado, Geologic Issues, Geologic Mapping, Geologic Resource Evaluation, Geologic Resources Inventory, Geology, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Meeting, Notes
- Subjects
- 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 | Geomorphology | Lake Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Cave/Karst Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Seismic Activity , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Paleontology | Paleontology