Geomorphology and glacial geology, Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas and vicinity, Sequoia National Park, California

Wahrhaftig, Clyde; Moore, James; Tinsley, John

A discussion of the geomorphology and glacial geology of the Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Includes geomorphology of the Kaweah Basin; glacial geology; volume of the Wolverton ground-water basin; surficial geology and geomorphology of the Crescent Creek basin in relation to acid precipitation; geology of Emerald Lake basin in relation to acid precipitation; and seismic refraction studies of the thickness of alluvium in the Wolverton ground-water basin and beneath Crescent Meadow. This report on the Geomorphology and Glacial Geology of the Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas and vicinity is partial fulfillment of an agreement between the Geological Survey and the National Park Service to provide geologic information on part of Sequoia Park for water-supply and other purposes. As written, this report is designed to fill three needs: (1) To provide geologic background for an assessment of the ground-water potential of the Wolverton basin and of the impact of withdrawing water from that basin on the drainage basin of Sherman Creek. This material is provided in the section on Volume of the Wolverton Ground-water Basin and in Seismic Refraction Studies of the Thickness of Alluvium in the Wolverton Ground-water Basin and beneath Crescent Meadow.(2) To provide geologic background relevant to the use of the drainage basins above the lower end of Crescent Meadow and of the cirque containing Emerald Lake for monitoring the effect of atmospheric pollution and acid precipitation on Sequoia National Park. This material is presented in the sections on Surficial Geology and Geomorphology of Cresecent Creek basin in relation to acid precipitation and Geology of Emerald Lake basin in relation to acid precipitation.(3) To provide background information on the evolution of the landscape of the Giant Forest Lodgepole area of Sequoia National Park for the use of the interpretive ranger staff of the park. This information is presented in the sections on Geomorphology of the Kaweah Basin and Glacial Geology. These are the two longest parts of the report, because an attempt was made to write them to be clearly understood by persons of normal college education who have not had any training in geology. Much background material had to be included to clarify the relation of the evidence in the Sierra Nevada and the events inferred therefrom to our knowledge of, for example, glacial advances in other parts of the world. These two sections are also useful background for understanding the other parts of the report.

Geomorphology and glacial geology, Wolverton and Crescent Meadow areas and vicinity, Sequoia National Park, California

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