Abraham Lincoln National Historical Park Geologic
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2010/219 THIS PAGE: Knob Creek in the Boyhood Home Unit. The bedrock slabs on the left are likely from the Borden Formation. A young Abraham Lincoln fell into this creek and was pulled out by his friend Austen Gollaher. ON THE COVER: At the Birthplace Unit, the Memorial Building enshrines an early 19th century Kentucky cabin, symbolizing the one in which Abraham Lincoln was born. National Park Service photographs. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2010/219 Geologic Resources Division Natural Resource Program Center P.O. Box 25287 Denver, Colorado 80225 June 2010 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Ft. Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics 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, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U. S. 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). Please cite this publication as: Thornberry-Ehrlich, T. 2010. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park: geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2010/219. National Park Service, Ft. Collins, Colorado. NPS 338/104291, June 2010 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Credits ........................................................................................................................................................................ vi Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Geologic Resources Inventory ............................................................................................................... 1 Park Setting ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Geologic Issues .............................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Caves and Karst ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Fluvial Flooding and Contamination .............................................................................................................................. 7 Mass Wasting .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Disturbed Lands ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Paleontological Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Geologic Features and Processes ................................................................................ 11 Geology and History Connections ............................................................................................................................... 11 Karst Topography and the Pennyroyal Plateau ............................................................................................................ 12 Spring Development and Sinking Spring ..................................................................................................................... 13 Sinkhole Collapse ....................................................................................................................................................... 13 Map Unit Properties .................................................................................................... 18 Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Map Units ................................................................................... 18 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 21 Precambrian (prior to 542 million years ago) ............................................................................................................... 21 Paleozoic Era (542 to 251 million years ago) ............................................................................................................... 21 Mesozoic Era to Present Day (the past 251 million years) ............................................................................................ 22 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 27 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 31 Additional References ................................................................................................. 34 Appendix A: Overview of Digital Geologic Data ....................................................... 36 Appendix B: Scoping Session Participants ................................................................. 39 Attachment 1: Geologic Resources Inventory Products CD ABLI Geologic Resources Inventory Report iii List of Figures Figure 1. Topographic map showing both units of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park ............................ 3 Figure 2. Map and cross section of Kentucky ................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3. Sinking Spring ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 4. Sinking Spring is a primary geologic feature in the park ................................................................................... 10 Figure 5. Generalized block diagram of karst features occurring in the western Pennyroyal karst .................................... 14 Figure 6. Generalized block diagram of karst features occurring in the eastern Pennyroyal karst ..................................... 14 Figure 7. Generalized block diagram of karst features within Larue County .................................................................... 15 Figure 8. Cross-sectional view of the development of a karstic landscape analogous to the Pennyroyal Plateau ............... 16 Figure 9. Cross-sectional diagrams of springs in a karst landscape .................................................................................. 17 Figure 10. Cross-sectional view of the development of sinkholes .................................................................................... 17 Figure 11. Geologic timescale ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Figure 12. Paleogeographic map showing the regional setting of the Illinois basin during the Mississippian Period .......... 25 iv NPS Geologic Resources Division Executive Summary This report accompanies the digital geologic map for Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky, produced by the Geologic Resources Division in collaboration with its partners. It