Geologic Resources Inventory Report, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2011/407 ON THE COVER The rolling topography of Last Stand Hill overlooks the floodplain of the Little Bighorn River. The topography of the area influenced the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn. Photograph by Bob Reece (Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield), courtesy Melana Stichman (Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument). THIS PAGE 7th Cavalry Memorial and Indian Memorial. The 7th Cavalry Memorial (in the foreground) and the Indian Memorial (in the background) help interpret the Battle of the Little Bighorn from both the U.S. Cavalry and Indian perspectives. National Park Service photograph by John Doerner (Little Bighorn Battlefield Nationalii Monument). Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2011/407 National Park Service Geologic Resources Division PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 June 2011 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 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 KellerLynn, K. 2011. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument: geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2011/407. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 381/107967, June 2011 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 Little Bighorn River ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Flooding ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Erosion ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Energy Development .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Land Use and Development ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Geologic Features and Processes ................................................................................ 13 Landforms ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Building Stone ........................................................................................................................................................... 14 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 23 Cretaceous Period (145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago) ........................................................................................ 23 Paleogene and Neogene Periods (65.5 million to 2.6 million years ago) ....................................................................... 23 Quaternary Period (the past 2.6 million years) ............................................................................................................. 23 Geologic Map Data ...................................................................................................... 25 Geologic Maps ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 Source Maps .............................................................................................................................................................. 25 Geologic GIS Data ...................................................................................................................................................... 25 Geology data layers in the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument GIS data....................................................... 25 Overview Graphic of Digital Geologic Data ................................................................................................................. 26 Map Unit Properties Table and Correlation Table ........................................................................................................ 26 Use Constraints .......................................................................................................................................................... 26 Overview Graphic of Digital Geologic Data……………………………………………...27 Map Unit Properties Table…………………………………………………………………..28 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 31 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 35 Additional References ................................................................................................. 40 Appendix: Scoping Meeting Participants ................................................................... 41 Attachment 1: Geologic Resources Inventory Products CD LIBI Geologic Resources Inventory Report iii List of Figures Figure 1. Location map for Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument ......................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Custer National Cemetery in winter ................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3. Meandering channel of the Little Bighorn River .................................................................................................. 9 Figure 4. Meander bends and oxbow lake at Little Bighorn National Monument ............................................................. 10 Figure 5. Oxbox formation ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 6. Soil erosion ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 7. Deep Ravine headcut......................................................................................................................................