Great Basin National Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Great Basin National Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/762 ON THE COVER Great Basin is renowned for its dark skies, seen here above Wheeler Peak. Wheeler Peak is the highest point in the park at 3,982 m (13,063 ft) and a dramatic feature in any light. National Park Service photograph by Dan Duriscoe, available on the National Parks Conservation Association Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/npca/3387670026/in/photostream/#. THIS PAGE Eagle Peak looms over the twisted limbs of a bristlecone pine tree. National Park Service photograph available online: http://www.nps.gov/grba/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm (accessed 18 October 2013). Great Basin National Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/762 John P. Graham Colorado State University Research Associate National Park Service Geologic Resources Division Geologic Resources Inventory PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 February 2014 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the US Government. Printed copies of this report are produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is available from the Geologic Resources Inventory website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/ gre_publications.cfm) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Graham, J. P. 2014. Great Basin National Park: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/762. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 148/123598, February 2014 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents Page Lists of Figures and Tables ............................................................................................ v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... ix Credits ........................................................................................................................................................................ ix Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic Resources Inventory Program ......................................................................................................................... 1 Park Setting ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Geologic Setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Overview of the Geologic History Preserved in Great Basin National Park ...................................................................... 3 Geologic Features and Processes .................................................................................. 9 Cave Systems ............................................................................................................................................................... 9 Cave Development ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 Speleothems .............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Metamorphic Core Complex and the Southern Snake Range Décollement .................................................................. 13 Basin and Range Boundary Faults ............................................................................................................................... 18 Igneous Rocks ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Rock Glaciers ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Glacial Features ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Periglacial Features .................................................................................................................................................... 22 Geomorphic Features ................................................................................................................................................. 23 Lexington Arch .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Geology and Cultural Features ................................................................................................................................... 27 Geologic Issues ............................................................................................................ 29 Cave Preservation and Protection ............................................................................................................................... 29 Lehman Cave Restoration Project ............................................................................................................................... 31 Groundwater Withdrawal .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Documenting Glacial Features .................................................................................................................................... 33 Geohazards ............................................................................................................................................................... 34 Paleontological Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Protection ................................................................................. 34 Seismic Activity (Earthquakes) .................................................................................................................................... 35 Reclamation of Abandoned Mineral Lands (AML) ....................................................................................................... 36 Preservation of Rock Art............................................................................................................................................. 37 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 39 A Passive Margin and Paleokarst: Late Proterozoic–Middle Ordovician (550–461 million years ago) ............................. 39 From Global Warming to Global Glaciation: Late Ordovician–Early Devonian (461–398 million years ago) ................... 40 The Antler Orogeny and an Active Tectonic Margin: Middle Devonian–Late Mississippian (398–318 million years ago) 42 The End of an Era and the Emergence of Pangaea: Pennsylvanian–Permian (318–251 million years ago) ..................... 42 Volcanoes and an Ancient Seaway: The Mesozoic (251–66 million years ago) ............................................................. 43 Extensional Tectonics and the Metamorphic Core Complex: The Tertiary (66–2.6 million years ago) ............................ 44 Ice Sculpture and Cave Carving: The Quaternary (2.6 million years ago to the Present) ...............................................