Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2013/640 ON THE COVER Beginning about 2000 years ago, the Hopewell peoples constructed innumerable earthworks throughout central United States. Mound City Group (pictured) is one of six areas preserved as part of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (Ohio) that tells the stories of the Hopewell. National Park Service photograph courtesy Hopewell Culture NHP. THIS PAGE A thick exposure of Devonian-aged bedrock is exposed on the slopes of Copperas Mountain. Copperas Mountain is not within Hopewell Culture NHP, but is visible from the Seip Earthworks area. Colored runoff from the sediments may have been used by Hopewell peoples to dye clothes. National Park Service photograph courtesy Hopewell Culture NHP. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2013/640 National Park Service Geologic Resources Division PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 March 2013 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: Thornberry-Ehrlich, T. L. 2013. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park: geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR— 2013/640. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 653/120138, March 2013 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... vii Credits ....................................................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic Resources Inventory Program ......................................................................................................................... 1 Regional Information ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Geologic Issues .............................................................................................................. 7 Flooding and Fluvial Processes ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Disturbed Lands and Mineral Resources ..................................................................................................................... 10 Slope Processes .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Seismic Activity .......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Geologic Features and Processes ................................................................................ 17 Glacial Features ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Geologic Connections to Park Stories ......................................................................................................................... 20 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Sedimentary Bedrock Features ................................................................................................................................... 25 Concretions and Nodules ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 27 Paleozoic Era (542 to 251 Million Years Ago)—Longstanding Marine Deposition and the Rise of the Appalachians ..... 27 Mesozoic Era, Paleogene Period, and Neogene Period (251 to 2.6 Million Years Ago)—Erosion of the Appalachians ... 29 Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 Million to 11,700 Years Ago)—Ice Age Glaciations.................................................................. 29 Holocene Epoch (11,700 Years Ago to Present)—Erosion and Establishment of the Modern Landscape ...................... 31 Geologic Map Data ...................................................................................................... 33 Geologic Maps .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Source Maps .............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Geologic GIS Data ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 Geologic Map Overview Graphics .............................................................................................................................. 34 Map Unit Properties Table .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Use Constraints .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 35 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 41 Additional References ................................................................................................. 45 Geology of National Park Service Areas ...................................................................................................................... 45 NPS Resource Management Guidance and Documents ............................................................................................... 45 Geological Surveys and Societies ................................................................................................................................ 45 U.S. Geological Survey Reference Tools ...................................................................................................................... 45 Regional Geologic Sources ......................................................................................................................................... 45 Appendix: Scoping Meeting Participants ................................................................... 46 2009 Scoping Meeting Participants ............................................................................................................................ 46 2012 Conference Call Participants .............................................................................................................................. 46 HOCU Geologic Resources Inventory Report iii List of Figures Figure 1. Generalized