National Parks Test 2

resource significance, volcanic features: primary resources

park units set aside specifically for their volcanic features

resource significance, volcanic features: high significance

park units with volcanic resources as major features of their landscape and ecosystems

resource significance, volcanic features: moderate significance

park units with volcanic resources that contribute to their ‘geodiversity’

volcanic age: active/recent

parks with eruptions in the Holocene (the last 10,000 years) or that have been identified as being potentially active during that time

volcanic age: young

most recent eruption in the Pleistocene (10,000-2.6 million years ago)

volcanic age: cenozoic

parks with volcanoes or volcanic rocks dating to the cenozoic (2.6-65 million years ago)

volcanic age: older

parks with volcanoes or volcanic rocks older than the cenozoic

volcanic landform type: volcano / volcanic center

parks with volcanic vents and / or related features

volcanic landform type: volcanic deposit

parks with only volcanic rocks or other deposits distal from the vent that produced them

volcanic landform type: ash beds / sedimentary

parks with ash beds in sedimentary sequences

convergence of tectonic plates

leads to subduction where one plate slides under another

melting crust feeds ______

subsurface magma chambers, creating a chain of volcanoes near the convergence zone

the current setting in the pacific NW

cascade mountains (WA, OR, CA): Juan de Fuca and Gorda Plates are being subducted below North America

Mount Mazama

destroyed during an enormous explosive eruption 7,700 years ago. the summit collapsed during the eruption, forming large volcanic depression (caldera)

formation of crater lake

the caldera filled with rain and meltwater

• more recent activity created Wizard Island, which projects 764 feet above the lake’s surface

North American-Pacific Plates: Alaska and the Aleutians

contain over 100 volcanoes / volcanic fields that have been active in the last two million years. Over 40 of these have been active in historic time.

Alaskan volcanoes make up about ___% of all active volcanoes in the US and ___% of all active above-water volcanoes on earth

80%, 8%

Islands formed as the Pacific plate drifted northwest over a _________

hot spot: a hot plume of rising magma that creates localized volcanism (not formed by subduction)

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

extremely fluid lava, Mauna Loa is the world’s largest shield volcano, and Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The Yellowstone Hotspot

a plume of superheated material that formed ca. 17 to 18 million years ago in the NW US

flood basalts

massive accumulations of lava covering vast areas and formed by an outpouring of large volumes of fluid basalt lava through fissures

• when the hot spot plume of yellowstone broke through the crust, it produced immense flood basalts

craters of the moon

between ca. 8-10 million years ago, the Yellowstone Hotspot was located beneath what is now Craters of the Moon NM

Unlike Hawaii, the Yellowstone Hotspot has produced large, explosive _____ forming eruptions because of differences in the magma chemistry

caldera

Yellowstone: Geothermal Features

fueled by its underlying hotspot, Yellowstone is one of the world’s largest volcanic systems, containing half of the world’s geothermal features

Hot Springs

spring with temperature above body temperature (98.6 °F)

Geyser

a spring characterized by an intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam

pluton

a large body of intrusive igneous rock (eg. granite) that forms when magma cools and solidifies underground. these can be exposed by uplift and erosion (tectonic processes)

• Half Dome, Yosemite (CA) - mile below surface, pushed up by creation of Sierra Nevada

• Denali, Denali NP (AK)

• Devil’s Tower, Devil’s Tower NM (WY)

Definition of a Desert

a) that receive an average annual precipitation of < 10” 

b) in which more water is potentially lost through evapotranspiration (evaporation and plant usage) then falls as precipitation

• dry, under a foot of precipitation

• ex. Antarctica is a desert

orographic uplift

as air is forced to rise over mountains, it cools, condenses, and forms rain on the windward side of the range

• when it descends on the back (leeward) side, it warms and dries creating a ‘rain shadow’ effect

rain shadow

shadow behind mountains where there isn’t rain

• blocks out moisture

• ex. Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada 

  • Death Valley (big trees from Sequoia NF, then Inyo NF, High Sierras meadows

North American Deserts Map

• Great Basin

• Mojave

• Sonoran

• Chihuahuan

temp: cold deserts

found in more northerly areas and at higher elevations; mildly hot summers and cold winters

temp: hot deserts

extreme high temps, sparse vegetation; generally found in more southerly areas and at lower elevations

western deserts

hot with low humidity

seasonality of precipitation: northern deserts

more winter precipitation due to the passage of fronts and storm systems

• ex. Great Basin

  • cool, moist

  • cold desert, winter rain

seasonality of precipitation: southern deserts

more summer precipitation due to thunderstorms fueled by surface heating and convection that tap into moisture pulled into the region by the North American Monsoon

• ex. Saguaro NP

  • hot, dry

  • more rain in summer months

what differentiates north american deserts?

temperature

seasonality of precipitation

adaptations of saguaro

1. root system: for getting water

2. succulence / ‘ribs’: for storing water

3. spines: for retaining water

to live in a desert with a harsh environment what are some adaptations needed?

• Have to have adaptation of living without water at least seasonally

  • ex. Saguaro can be 50-70 ft tall, huge root system (at least 50 ft radius), succulent spongy tissues for storing water, ribs (skeletal) helps to hold up - functions like a bellows and expands when sucking up water

    • Things would grow 2-4 inches after rainstorm

  • Spines on cactus are hollow to allow o2 and co2 to move between

    • Protect cactus

indicator species

a species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment, for example, an ecoregion

indicator species of the deserts: Great Basin

sagebrush

indicator species of the deserts: Mojave

joshua tree

indicator species of the deserts: sonoran

saguaro

indicator species of the deserts: chihuahuan

agave lechuguilla

fennec fox vs. arctic fox

desert / fennec have exaggerated ears

arctic need compact furry features to avoid frostbite

kangaroo rat adaptation

dry urine

desert tortoise adaptation

dig into ground

Death Valley

• largest NPS unit outside of Alaska

• couple inches of rain a year

• many different species

  • mammals, reptiles, birds, plants

    • nocturnal and other adaptations

role of ‘sky islands’ in desert landscapes

Higher geographic zones

• Mountains in death valley

• As you go up it gets colder and wetter

• Snowfall as you go up

• High elevations have different climates - contribute to biodiversity

what is badwater basin and why significant?

• Lowest sea level in north america

• Can walk out to badwater point

  • Boardwalk

• Not as deep as dead sea (1000 ft)

resource protection:

protecting sensitive resources from damage

• PP depends on water

• Can't recover as quickly because they don’t have as much water and take hundreds or thousands of years

biological soil crust:

a complex community of cyanobacteria, mosses, lichens, and other organisms that forms a layer on desert surfaces and aids in carbon and nitrogen fixation, moisture absorption, and soil stabilization.

• Form surface layer to bring in carbon, provide nutrients to soil, fix atmospheric nitrogen, stabilize soils

• Look like little clumps of mud

PS needs to make sure people don't step on them (staying on trails is important)

• Protecting unique resources

human safety issues

animals

• scorpions, rattlesnakes, gila monsters

abandoned mines

heat-related illnesses

immigration safety

issues with drug running

exposure to elements

what is the colorado plateau?

a large plateau centered on the four corners and dominated by tablelands, mesas, buttes, and high mountains that are gashed by river by river canyons and scarred with dry guillies, washes and the beds of intermittent streams

Grand Canyon NP forming process

Step 1:

• uplifted by tectonic processes

• long period of erosion as surface gradually worn down

• remaining strata, hard metamorphic rocks (the Vishnu schist- granite)

• formed the ‘basement’ of the Grand Canyon

Step 2:

• new layers of rock formed as sediments drifted to bottom of prehistoric seas and hardened, forming layers that include old limestone studded with fossils of algae, the earliest life recorded in the canyon

Step 3:

• layers of sedimentary rock were formed from deposits as the ocean continued to advance and retreat

Step 4:

• uplifted by 1.5 miles and faulted creating weaknesses in the sedimentary rock

Step 5:

• downcutting and erosion by the colorado river and its tributaries

the grand staircase

series of broad cliffs carved from slightly dipping rock strata on the western colorado plateau

cultural and historical resources of colorado plateau parks

• river valleys home to prehistoric farmers b/c of access to water and fertile soils

Mesa Verde NP

created to protect remaining homes and villages built by the Pueblan people

• Cliff Palace - largest cliff dwelling in NA

• hunter-gatherer societies

• arrival of corn

• developed pueblos, towers, and kivas

Dark Sky - stars

Chaco Culture NHP

Chaco Canyon was the ceremonial, administrative, economic center of San Juan Basin with more than 100 houses located across the basin

• Chacoan road system: > 400 miles of prehistoric roads 

Hohokam tradition

middle Gila River and lower Salt River watersheds, extending into the Sonoran Desert (southern AZ)

Sinagua tradition

central AZ between Flagstaff and Phoenix

Mogollon tradition

high-altitude desert areas in NM, extreme eastern AZ, northern Mexico and western TX

mountains and the NPS

1. tectonic forces uplifting the mountains

2. the processes of weathering and erosion that reshape the landscape

3. stretching of crust

   1. uplifted areas - ranges

   2. lowered areas - basins

differences between east - west mountains

• vegetation

• shape of mountains is diff b/c appalachins have been eroded for so long

  • longer time to be effected by weathering and erosion

west: subduction, hot spots, rifting

east: ancient plate collision

appalachian plateau / valley and ridge

region of relatively horizontal rock layers that have been cut by streams to form hilly / mountainous terrain

• Catskill, Pocono, Allegheny

long parallel, NE-SW trending ridges and valleys produced by folding and faulting followed by differential erosion of rock strata

NPS emphasis

1. outdoor recreation

2. 18th and 19th century American history and culture

water gap

an opening that flowing water has carved through a mountain range

blue ridge

Region of metamorphic and igneous rocks that were pushed up and thrusted over those of the valley & ridge during Pangea's creation

• NPS emphasis on scenery, recreation, mountain history and culture

piedmont

lower relief area of igenous and metamorphic rocks that were folded by plate convergence along with ‘accreted terranes’ that were added to NA during Pangea

• historic emphasis

New England

part of the appalachian highlands with rock types similar to those found in the Piedmont, but contains more mountains and has been subjected to Pleistone glaciation

• emphasis on colonial history

What was the first NP east of Mississippi?

• Acadia

  • Established as national monument

  • Renamed Lafayette NP

  • Then named Acadia

why do people visit mountain parks in the east?

Outdoor recreation, see undeveloped areas, history / culture, to learn about resources

Coastal Plain:

a low relief plain formed by the deposition, compaction, and lithification of sands, clays, silts, and other sedimentary materials brought in when the area was submerged by the Atlantic ocean

coastal and marine parks

the NPS manages 88 ocean and great lakes across 23 states 

estuaries

partially enclosed areas where seawater mixes with fresh water, resulting in highly productive aquatic ecosystems

• mixture results in very productive ecosystems

salt marshes:

coastal wetlands that are regularly flooded and drained by tidal salt water and dominated by salt tolerant herbaceous plants

• spartina

• north - better adapted to cold water

mangroves:

coastal ‘fringe forests’ where fine sediments with high organic content collect in areas protected from high energy wave action

• subtropical and tropic

  • not northern - warm water

corals

small animals (polyps) related to jellyfish. hard corals build limestone cups around their bases and cement together to make a coral colony

coral reefs

are made of thousands of coral colonies next to and on top of each other

• primarily in shallow, clear coastal zones - warm subtropic areas

• 10 diff NPS units with corals

rocky coastlines

high-energy coasts dominated by erosion, often located on active plate margins with narrow continental shelves

erosion and rocky coastlines

wave energy is concentrated on the shoreline especially exposed headlands

rocky vs. sandy coastlines

• shorelines divided into high relief erosional shorelines and relief depositional shorelines

sea cave

cave formed primarily by wave action

sea arch

rock arch formed by erosion of a headland

sea stack

isolated rock formed by collapse of an arch

formation of sea stacks and arches

1- bedrock with fractures and large fault

2- caves develop as waves erode the faults and fractures near the edge of the water

3- with continuing erosion, the cave becomes open at both ends forming an arch

4- arch collapse leaves behind a sea stack and further erosion turns another cave into an arch

fjord

a long, deep, narrow sea inlet between high cliffs formed by submergence of a glaciated valley

sandy coastlines

coastlines dominated by low-wave energy, a wide continental shelf and deposition. often located along ‘passive’ margins 

sandy coastline features: beach

collection of loose materials deposited against the coastline by waves

sandy coastline features: spit

a sandy deposit protruding from a shoreline and created by longshore sediment transport

barrier island

offshore sandbar islands shaped by wave driven erosion and deposition and separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon or sound

lagoon / sound

low energy environment that may contain mudflats and coastal marshes formed where rivers deposit sediment into the quiet waters behind the barrier island

barrier island

form is affected by water and wind based erosion and deposition

Biscayne NP ecosystems

1. coral reefs

2. mangroves, salt marshes and benthic habitats

3. biscayne bay

4. the northern florida keys

dry tortugas NP

preserves the islands and fort jefferson. it can only be reached by boat or seaplane and visitation is tightly controlled

values of coastal parks

ocean and coastal parks constitute a system of tremendous biological, cultural, historic, and recreational value to the nation, attracting over 88 million annual recreation visits and generating over 4.8 billion in economic benefits to local communities