GEOLOGIC RESOURCE INVENTORY MONITORING OF SENSITIVE VOLCANIC FEATURES, CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT & PRESERVE

Protocols are being field-tested for classification and documentation of sensitive geologic features within the recently expanded Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Sensitive geologic features are defined as those that must be preserved unimpaired for future generations to visit and observe. Twenty-seven categories of sensitive features related to volcanism (lava flow surfaces, squeeze-ups, tubes, channels, etc.) have been defined and entered into a GPS data dictionary to survey and classify thousands of individual sites within park boundaries. Classification is based on the premise that selected volcanic features are visible at ground level, occur in sizes on the order of sub-meter to decameter scales, can be accessed by pedestrian or vehicular traffic, and are prone to human activity that could result in degradation or removal. Consideration is also given to features that may, over time, become naturally degraded by chemical or physical reactions related to atmospheric or surficial geologic processes, and to such reactions that may be enhanced by air and water pollution related directly or indirectly to human activities. Sources of primary information collected prior to current surveys include old photographs, written reports, and formal publications. Information that includes digital imagery, feature descriptions, and GPS photopoint locations in selected project areas is necessary to enhance NPS and BLM efforts towards improved resource preservation. Archived data, compiled and managed in a GIS database, provide the basis for periodic revisits to sensitive features and the establishment of archival protocols in other NPS and BLM regions.