Mojave National Preserve and Castle Mountains National Monument: Geologic and Soil Resources Inventory Summary
Harrington M. 2025. Mojave National Preserve and Castle Mountains National Monument: Geologic and Soil Resources Inventory Summary. National Park Service
This document summarizes the status of National Park Service (NPS) Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) and Soil Resources Inventory (SRI) deliverables for Mojave National Preserve (MOJA) and Castle Mountains National Monument (CAMO). It also provides information on current geology and soil resources management concerns with a focus on identified inventory needs related to geologic heritage, geohazards, and related soil features and processes. This document is intended to assist preserve and monument staff with prioritizing technical assistance or new inventory and assessment funding requests in the near term (roughly 1–5 years). The GRI hosted a baseline scoping meeting for Mojave National Preserve in 2003. Castle Mountains National Monument was created after baseline scoping meetings were completed. Baseline bedrock and surficial geologic maps were delivered to the Preserve in 2011. Surficial mapping is being updated by the USGS over the next few years, and issues with the bedrock data are being triaged. No baseline bedrock or surficial geologic maps have been delivered to the Monument. SRI has not yet delivered any products to the Preserve or Monument. Geologic heritage resources of particular interest include Indigenous connections, ranching, mining, homesteading, railroading, military, geotourism, paleontology, volcanic features, stratotypes, and Zzyzx. Inventory needs include documenting prominent Indigenous quarries, conducting paleontological surveys, inventorying military trackway scars, and documenting prominent geologic features. Soils in the Preserve and Monument have been mapped by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Inventory needs include mapping the extent of desert pavement, assessing the rate of soil erosion following large fires, and monitoring biological soil crusts following restoration efforts. Geohazards include extreme erosion from large precipitation events, rockfalls, earthquakes, mining hazards, and flash flooding. Inventory needs include drafting risk assessment maps for preserve and monument infrastructure in floodplains and flood event impact assessments. Additional guidance for preserve and monument staff regarding proposal processes and timeframes for the new Inventories and Assessment (I&A) program is available on the GSRI and I&A SharePoint sites.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Harrington, Matthew
- Date of Issue
- 2025-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CAMO , GRI , MOJA , MOJN , PWR , SRI
- Keywords
- Geologic Features, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Heritage, Geologic History, Geologic Processes, GIS, GSRI, Map Units, Paleontology, Resource Management, Sand Dunes, Volcanic Features
- 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 | 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 | 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