EVALUATING PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES AT CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK AND CUMBERLAND GAP NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Major events in American history are the focus of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (CHCH) and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA) in the southeastern U.S. These parks are also noteworthy due to their geology and paleontology, and interestingly have similar geologic histories. CHCH has administrative units in both Georgia and Tennessee. CUGA is located across parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Both parks contain fossil-bearing strata from the Paleozoic. Cambrian/Ordovician rocks are the oldest strata at CHCH, followed by Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian rocks. Formations mapped at CUGA span much of the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian representing numerous paleoenvironments. Evidence of ancient marine life is preserved within an array of sedimentary rocks at both CHCH and CUGA. Plant fossils are additionally reported at CUGA and could be uncovered at CHCH upon further investigation. Paleontological resources from the Pleistocene/Holocene as found in caves are also documented at both parks. CHCH and CUGA were inventoried prior to 2010 by the National Park Service Paleontology Program for a report on the Cumberland Piedmont Inventory & Monitoring Network. That report indicated a strong potential for the discovery of additional fossils at both parks, but further study had not yet been undertaken until this project. Through a partnership between Georgia State University and the National Park Service, students began to research the geology and paleontology at these parks in more depth as part of a Principles of Paleontology course in Fall 2023. Fossil fact sheets were developed to provide an overview of the geologic history of these parks through literature review, stratigraphic comparisons, and mapping areas for future field investigation. These resources were designed to support park staff in learning more about the fossils at their parks. Many more fossils are likely to be discovered at CHCH and CUGA in the future.