GEOL& 115 Geology of the National Parks (= ESS 305 at UW)

Mike Green Outline of Class Plate Tectonics and Other Geologic Processes Geologic Materials (minerals, rocks) Geologic History of North America Passive Margins –caves, intercontinental seas, beaches and dunes, marine depositional systems, eroding mountain belts Convergent Margins –mountain building, accreted terranes, alpine glaciation, volcanoes Divergent Boundaries –continental rifts, Basin and Range Transform Boundaries Hot Spots

Mike Green Field Trip You are required to attend on 14 May (Saturday) – location TBA Transportation (vans) will be provided –You will receive a handout for the trip. At each stop, sketch and describe the outcrop/landscape. Based on your observations, suggest interpretations. –You will provide a short write-up for each field trip. –Trips run from 9:00 am to an estimated 6:00 pm.

Course Objective NATIONAL PARKLANDS Appreciate the interactions of geology and geography in defining these unique features in the US.

Robert D. Lawrence North Cascades National Park, Washington MISSION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1.To preserve features of natural or cultural significance. 2.To make those same features accessible to the public. This year marks the 100 th anniversary of the National Park Service

Mike Green Denali National Park, Alaska Many national parks, monuments, and seashores were set aside to preserve outstanding examples of geological features and processes Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie Arising from within Earth: –Earthquakes –Volcanic activity –Formation of mountain ranges On Earth’s surface: –Actions of wind, water, and ice Erosion Deposition Exposure of older rocks

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie Course Format BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Craton –Nucleus of the continent –Continent grows through accretion onto the craton over time

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Continental Shield –Exposures of very old igneous and metamorphic rocks

Voyageurs National Park, MN

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Continental Platform –Sedimentary deposits from shallow seas lapping against the shoreline of the craton

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format

Mammoth Caves National Park, KY

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format

Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Colorado Plateau –Uplifted part of the continental platform

Grand Canyon Stratigraphy

Bryce Canyon, UT

Zion, UT

Arches National Park, UT

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Foreland Structures –Convergent boundary compression along the edge of the craton

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

Glacier National Park, MT

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Phanerozoic Orogenic Belts –Young mountain ranges that surround the craton

Great Smokey Mountains National Park, TN

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie BUILDING THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT Course Format Phanerozoic Orogenic Belts –Young mountain ranges that surround the craton

North Cascades National Park, WA

Olympic National Park, WA

Mount Rainier National Park, WA

Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument, WA

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005) Parks and Plates ©2005 Robert J. Lillie AGE OF NORTH AMERICAN BASEMENT ROCKS (Billions Years) Rocks are oldest near the center of the continent (continental shield) and tend to get younger outward.