Geodiversity Atlas—Upper Columbia Basin I&M Network Index

Geology and Stratigraphy of the Upper Columbia Basin I&M Network Parks

The Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network (UCBN) consists of nine National Park Service (NPS) units in Idaho, western Montana, central and eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington. The network parks include: Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO; Montana); City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO; Idaho); Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (CRMO; Idaho); Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (HAFO; Idaho); John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (JODA; Oregon); Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LARO; Washington); Minidoka National Historic Site (MIIN; Idaho); Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE; Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington); and Whitman Mission National Historical Site (WHMI; Washington). The UCBN parks occupy more than 344,00 hectares (850,000 acres) of the Columbia Plateau and Snake River Plane geographic regions and preserve a rich diversity of both natural and cultural resources.

Several UCBN parks include notable geologic resources. CIRO preserves very old Precambrian rocks including the granitic Almo Pluton and Green River Complex (see geologic time scale). The reserve provides opportunities to study and learn about a variety of geologic features and processes such as arches, joints, panholes, and tafone formed through weathering, erosion, mass wasting and other geologic processes. CRMO hosts the largest basaltic lava field in the continental United States. At least 60 different lava flows have been mapped, ranging in age from the late Pleistocene into the Holocene. These volcanic sequences in CRMO include more than two dozen volcanic cones and are part of the larger Snake River Plain volcanic province. HAFO and JODA were both established primarily to preserve globally significant Cenozoic paleontological resources.

A Brief Geologic History

A few examples of events and Network resources in each geologic time period are highlighted below, from youngest to oldest.

• See also, Geologic Time Scale - Geology (U.S. National Park Service)

Geology & Soils—Upper Columbia Basin Network Parks

Type Sections—Upper Columbia Basin Network

Fossil Resources—Upper Columbia Basin Network

Between 2002 and 2011, network-based paleontological resource inventories were completed for all the 32 I&M networks, and six of the earliest were completely updated between 2012 and 2016. The report linked below summarizes the paleontological resources of all park units in the Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Network (UCBN). The report provides geologic background and paleontological resource data for each park to support management operations, planning, and science-based decision making as required by NPS management policies and the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (2009).

The full report is available in digital format from

• DataStore - Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring, Upper Columbia Basin Network (nps.gov)

Please cite this publication as:

• Kenworthy, J.P., V. L. Santucci, M. McNerney, and K. Snell. 2005. Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring, Upper Columbia Basin Network. National Park Service TIC# D-259.

The geologic history above is excerpted from a report titled, "National Park Service geologic type section inventory: Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network". Type sections are essential reference locations for the geoscientists who study geologic history and paleontology. A summary of the type sections in each park can be found at the links below.

• Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas (no designated stratotypes identified)

• Big Bend National Park, Texas (contains 31 identified stratotypes)

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico (no designated stratotypes identified)

• Fort Davis National Historic Site, Texas (no designated stratotypes identified)

• Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas (contains 21 identified stratotypes)

• Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, Texas (no designated stratotypes identified)

• White Sands National Park, New Mexico (no designated stratotypes identified)

The full Network report is available in digital format from:

• https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2285306

Please cite this publication as:

• Henderson T, Santucci VL, Connors T, Tweet JS. 2021. National Park Service geologic type section inventory: Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/CHDN/NRR—2021/2249. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado.

NPS Stratotype Inventory

Related Links

• Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Network
• NPS Geodiversity Atlas
• NPS—Geologic Resources Inventory

Geodiversity Atlas pages—by Inventory & Monitoring Network

Geodiversity Atlas pages—by State, U.S. Commonwealth, and Territories