INTERPRETIVE GEOLOGIC TRAILS IN NATIONAL PARKS; EXAMPLES FROM DETO AND DEWA

The National Park Service requires scientific data to carry out its mission of management and interpretation of much of the nation’s public lands. Much of the unique scenery of the nation's National Parks is based on their geologic character. Geologic mapping by the USGS, State Geologic Surveys, and academia forms the basis for a variety of potential interpretive publications including interpretive trail guides. Devils Tower National Monument (DETO), in the northwest corner of the Black Hills of South Dakota, is noted for its igneous intrusive monolith. The 2.8-mile Red Rock Trail circumnavigates and offers varied views of the tower. The hiker sees a variety of geologic phenomona, including the varied sedimentary rocks (Spearfish and Gypsum Spring Formations and the members of the Sundance Formation), and the effects of weathering on rocks of varied resistance to erosion. Park management was informed of concerns about stratigraphic uncertainties within some of these units and field investigations by geology majors was encouraged.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA) in the Appalachian Mountains Valley and Ridge province along the border of northeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey is the largest Park facility in the northeastern United States. DEWA attracts more than 4 million visitors yearly within the Boston-Washington urban corridor. Five interpretive trail maps have been prepared and designed for the general public and earth-science teachers. Stops along the trails illustrate many aspects of structural geology (folds, faults, fractures, unconformities), stratigraphy (Ordovician-Devonian sedimentary rocks), paleontology, geomorphology (origin of wind and water gaps), and Wisconsinan glacial geology. My ultimate goal was to coordinate with park officials to add biological and cultural information, and to make these multidisciplinary interpretive trail guides available to the public.