PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE INVENTORY OF WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT: A HOLISTIC APPROACH ON UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Wupatki National Monument, located in north-central Arizona, encompasses over 35,000 acres of land on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Geologic units outcropped on the Monument include the Toroweap (Lower Permian), Kaibab (Lower Permian), and Moenkopi (Early-Middle Triassic) formations. Each of these units preserves evidence of ancient life from brachiopods and trilobites in the Kaibab Formation to trace fossils from a large primitive archosaur of the ichnogenus Chirotherium in the Moenkopi Formation. This report provides a comprehensive paleontological inventory of the park which includes historical discoveries and collections as well as newly discovered paleontological sites. This updated inventory uses photogrammetry to 3D model ichnofossil assemblages in situ in order to systematically and holistically document the park’s unique fossil resources. Additionally, this study uses a revised conditional model which reveals the geomorphological vulnerability of sensitive paleontological sites in the park. New techniques in 3D modeling as well as the use of geospatial data to model site vulnerability utilize developing technology to improve the way paleontological sites are documented, monitored, and managed.