Montezuma Castle National Monument: Geologic resources inventory report
KellerLynn K. 2019. Montezuma Castle National Monument: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2019/2022. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report synthesizes discussions from a scoping meeting held in 2006 and a follow-up conference call held in 2017 (see Appendix A). Chapters of this report highlight the monument’s geologic setting and significance, describe its distinctive geologic features, outline the geologic history leading to the present-day landscape, summarize the geologic issues facing resource managers, and provide information about the associated GRI GIS map data. The “Geologic Setting and Significance” chapter of this report discusses the Castle and Well Units in detail. That chapter summarizes connections between geologic resources and other park resources and describes the regional geologic setting of the monument, which is related to both the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range physiographic provinces. The “Geologic Features and Processes” chapter further discusses Montezuma Well. In addition, that chapter discusses the trackways at Elephant Hill and other paleontological resources. Furthermore, the monument’s bedrock (Verde Formation), surficial deposits (terrace gravel and alluvium), and other rocks of significance for the monument’s geologic story are highlighted; these include nearby Early Proterozoic rocks more than 1.7 billion years old, Paleozoic sedimentary strata, and lava flows (Hickey Formation) that cover mesa tops in the headwaters of Wet Beaver Creek. Figure 7 in the “Geologic Features and Processes” chapter is a geologic time scale based on the international chronostratigraphic chart (International Commission on Stratigraphy 2018). The figure shows geologic eras, periods, and epochs, which are referred to throughout this report, in the context of geologic time. Similarly, table 1 displays...
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- KellerLynn, Katie
- Date of Issue
- 2019-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GRD , GRI , IMR , MOCA , NRSS , SODN
- 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 | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Geothermal Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Cave/Karst Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Paleontology | Paleontology