National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science War in the Pacific National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2012/573 ON THE COVER View of Asan Beach within War in the Pacific National Historical Park. Asan Beach was the site of the U.S. Marine Corps landing on July 21, 1944. THIS PAGE The park’s units range from costal marine areas to beaches to dissected uplands. National Park Service photographs courtesy Daniel A. Brown (War in the Pacific NHP). War in the Pacific National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2012/573 National Park Service Geologic Resources Division PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 September 2012 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. 2012. War in the Pacific National Historical Park: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR— 2012/573. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 474/116864, September 2012 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Credits ........................................................................................................................................................................ vi Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Geologic Resources Inventory ............................................................................................................... 1 Park Setting ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Geologic Setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Cultural History ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Geologic Issues .............................................................................................................. 9 Terrestrial Erosion and Coastal Sedimentation .............................................................................................................. 9 Relative Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Vulnerability ......................................................................................................... 10 Adjacent Development and Disturbed Areas............................................................................................................... 11 Seismicity and Tsunamis ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Mass Wasting ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 Storm Damage .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Visitor Center Stability ................................................................................................................................................ 18 Radon Potential ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Geologic Features and Processes ................................................................................ 19 Karst Features ............................................................................................................................................................ 19 Limestone Forests ...................................................................................................................................................... 23 Wetlands ................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Plate Tectonic Processes ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Connections Between Geology and Park Stories ......................................................................................................... 25 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 29 Pre-Quaternary History of the Pacific Basin (after Condie and Sloan 1998) .................................................................. 29 Eocene through Oligocene Epochs (55.8–23.0 million years ago): Island Arc Volcanism Creates a Framework ............. 29 Miocene through Pliocene Epochs (23.0–2.6 million years ago): Volcanism Slowly Ceases and Carbonates Accumulate30 Pleistocene Epoch through Recent (2.6 million years ago through Present): Sea-Level Changes, Differential Uplift, and Intense Weathering ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Geologic Map Data ...................................................................................................... 33 Geologic Maps .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Source Maps .............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Geologic GIS Data ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 Geologic Map Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Map Unit Properties Table .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Use Constraints .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 35 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 43 Additional References ................................................................................................. 49 Geology of National Park Service Areas ...................................................................................................................... 49 Resource Management/Legislation