Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring Gulf Coast Network
Kenworth JP, Santucci VL, Visaggi CC. 2007. Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring Gulf Coast Network. National Park Service
Paleontological resources, or fossils, are any remains of past life preserved within a geologic context. There are two main types of fossils: body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils are the physical remains of an actual organism (shells, bones, teeth, plant leaves, etc.) while trace fossils (burrows, coprolites, footprints, trackways, etc.) preserve evidence of an organism’s activity or behavior. Fossils are non-renewable natural resources that possess great scientific, educational, and interpretive value. The establishment of baseline paleontological resource data is essential for the appropriate management of fossils found within National Park Service (NPS) areas. Although more than 180 NPS areas have been identified with paleontological resources, few parks have adequate baseline paleontological resource data. In conjunction with the NPS Geologic Resources Division and the NPS Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program, paleontological resource inventories have been initiated in dozens of parks Servicewide and are further described in the Methodology and Inventory Strategies section of this report. This report presents paleontological resource inventory and monitoring data compiled for the parks of the Gulf Coast I&M Network (GULN).
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Kenworth, Jason; Santucci, Vincent; Visaggi, Christy
- Date of Issue
- 2007-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GRD
- Keywords
- BITH, GUIS, Gulf coast, JELA, NATR, PAAL, PAIS, Paleontological Inventory, SAAN, VICK