The national parks and monuments of the United States have been called the world’s most magnificent rock collection for good reason. Of the National Park Service’s 189 national parks and monuments, most have geologic features that are described either as “significant” or “spectacular.”
Each year, these remarkable landforms—deep gorges, sheer cliffs, steaming hot springs and geysers, massive sand dunes, volcanic cones and flows, natural bridges, glaciers, stalactite-decorated caves, and colorful stone spires—attract hundreds of millions of visitors. And for those interested in geology, the time to visit the national parks and monuments has never been better, thanks to updated and upgraded geologic explanations.
Historically, geology had long taken a backseat to the parks’ more obvious attractions of scenery and wildlife. But in the 1950s and 1960s, growing numbers of visitors began showing interest in the earth sciences, especially geology. In the early 1990s, the National Park Service began rethinking the role of geology as an attraction. Since then, it has placed greater emphasis on geologic education—in other words, on the science behind the scenery.
AWE-INSPIRING GEOLOGY
Today’s visitors still marvel at the landforms for which the national parks and monuments are famous. But now, more detailed exhibits, improved interpretive signage, and focused ranger programs and lectures make it easier for visitors to learn about the geologic forces that created these remarkable landforms.
The landforms in the national parks and monuments were created by five basic geologic processes: sandstone erosion, volcanics, groundwater dissolution and redeposition, glaciation, and mountain building and faulting.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Rock&Gem Magazine ã® June 2021 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Rock&Gem Magazine ã® June 2021 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands
A short ferry boat ride three miles from Ohioâs Lake Erie coastline is South Bass Island, better known as Put-in-Bay or the âKey West of the North.â
Iowa's Hidden Treasures
Exploring Keokuk Geodes: How They're Made & What's Inside
Agatized CORAL
Florida's Collectible State Stone
Rockhounding Florida's Beaches
Beachcombing serene stretches of Florida can reveal fascinating finds like fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, quartz, agate and even coral fragments.
Collecting Staurolite
Hot Spots In Virginia & Georgia
Pecos Valley Diamonds
New Mexico's Ancient Attraction
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows
Tucson in February becomes the international hub for buying and selling colored gems, rocks, minerals and fossils.
Turquoise in the American Southwest
A Water & Sky Souvenir
Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT
It's a Showcase of Mining History & Minerals
Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks
Most of Coloradoâs tourist trains today were originally constructed in the late 1800s to serve the stateâs lucrative mining operations.