Grand Canyon National Park: Geologic resources inventory report
Graham JP. 2020. Grand Canyon National Park: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2020/2195. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2279886
This report synthesizes discussions from a scoping meeting held in 2001 and a follow-up conference call in 2015 (see Appendix A). Chapters of this report discuss the geologic setting, distinctive geologic features and processes within Grand Canyon National Park, 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 illustrate these data. Each year, over 4.5 million visitors experience the iconic landscape of Grand Canyon National Park either from the canyon rim, the park trails, or from the river. The serenity found in slot canyons or in the 4,931 km2 (1,904 mi2) portion of the park managed as wilderness contrasts dramatically with the dynamic rapids that, for many visitors, define the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. Established in 1919, Grand Canyon National Park is not only a keystone in the national park system but also a World Heritage Site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. To form Grand Canyon, the Colorado River incised sedimentary rock strata and bedrock of the southwestern Colorado Plateau, a physiographic province that includes a vast tableland of plateaus, basins, and steep-walled canyons carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Flowing 1.6 km (1 mi) below the canyon rim, the Colorado River meanders past sheer cliffs and step-like ledges and slopes that represent nearly 2 billion years of Earth history. The western portion of Grand Canyon National Park lies in the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province to the west. The many geologic features associated with the two physiographic provinces and the processes responsible for them, along with paleontological and cave resources, are fundamental geologic resources in the park. In addition, Grand Canyon National Park preserves evidence of at least 12,000 years of human occupation. As part of America’s geologic heritage, the Grand Canyon remains entwined with, and inseparable from, our country’s history and culture. Geologic features enrich aesthetic, artistic, cultural, ecological, economic, educational, recreational, and scientific values. The geologic features in the park document an exceptional diversity of depositional environments, tectonic deformation, ancient animal and plant life, ise and fall of sea levels, the complex interaction of groundwater and rock, and the transformative power of the Colorado River. The geologic features and processes described in this report include...
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Graham, John
- Date of Issue
- 2020-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/nrr-2279886
- Units
- GRCA , GRD , GRI , IMRO , NRSS , SCPN
- Keywords
- Arizona, Geologic Features, Geologic History, Geologic Map, Geologic Processes, Geologic Resource Management, Geologic Resource Management Issues, Geologic Resources Division, Geologic Resources Inventory, Grand Canyon National Park, GRCA, GRD, GRI, National Park Service, NPS, Resource Management
- 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 | 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 , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Paleontology | Paleontology