INTERESTED IN A NATIONAL PARK’S GEOLOGY? WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE FROM GEO-TOURISTS TO SERIOUS SCIENTISTS!

The Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) is one of twelve inventories funded under the National Park Service (NPS) Natural Resource Challenge. The goal of the GRI is to increase understanding of the geologic processes at work in parks and provide accurate geologic information for use in park decision-making. Sound park stewardship relies on understanding natural resources and their role in the ecosystem, of which geology is the foundation. The GRI program is a partnership between the NPS and Colorado State University (CSU), and relies heavily upon mapping organizations such as the U.S. Geological Survey and individual state geological surveys in developing its products.

Our poster presents the suite of GIS, report and map products produced by the GRI and suggests four potential use cases from the perspective of different potential interests in a park: park visitor, educator, researcher and park resource manager. The four use cases were designed to highlight the use of different components of the GRI suite of products based on expertise, software availability and/or a specific need. Each GRI product is defined below along with download information and required software to use.