Geologic Mapping Task of the Big Bend Project

Big Bend National Park is the 8th largest national park within the contiguous United States and hosts about 350,000 visitors annually. The Park contains a variety of world-class volcanic, structural, geomorphological, and paleontological examples. Mapping by Maxwell (1966) synthesized earlier work, but updated mapping is required to investigate unresolved issues related to volcanic and surficial statigraphy as well as the volcanic, plutonic, and tectonic evolution of the park.

An updated map of the park will provide the National Park Service with a digital geologic map dataset to address resource management issues. These issues may include land use planning, surface and groundwater quality and quantity, wildlife and plant inventories and monitoring, habitat sustainability, and ecosystem and antiquities preservation.

Mapping of Big Bend National Park is a cooperative effort between federal, state and academic agencies, including the National Park Service, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, Texas Tech University, University of Texas, Lamar University,Texas Christian University, Baylor University, and Sul Ross University among other schools. The project is funded by the National Park Service and the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

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Rio Grande as it flows through Big Bend National Park
Figure 2. Southeast view of Rio Grande River from the Barker house. Boquillas, Mexico, is in the center of the photograph.

Project Objectives

The major project objective is to produce a 1:100,000-scale geologic map of the park. The final map will be available as a printed map and pamphlet and GIS map dataset.

Mapping Methodology

Figure 3. Aerial photographs (right) are used by geologists in conducting new mapping. The photographs serve as base maps for recording rock unit contacts and geometry, and location of faults, calderas, and other structural features. Red linework on color-infrared aerial photo shows interpretation of rock unit contacts.

Example of an aerial photograph used by geologists in conducting new mapping

Figure 4. Example of the Landsat image (same area as figure 3) used in the compilation process. Different colors in the image represent different wavelengths of reflected light, which correspond to differences in vegetation or rock composition and texture. The Landsat image is at a lower resolution than the aerial photos so both are used together in new mapping and in field checking and assessing existing mapping when compiling linework.

Example of a landsat image used by geologists in conducting new mapping

Project Staff

Project Contacts

Project Members

Van Williams, USGS Emeritus, Surficial Geology
Margaret Berry, USGS ESP Team, Surficial Geology
Kenzie Turner, USGS ESP Team, Mapping/Digital Map Compilation
Bob Scott, USGS Emeritus, Mapping
Larry Snee, USGS Emeritus, Argon Geochronology/Mapping
Dan Miggins, USGS Crustal Imaging Team, Argon Geochronology/Mapping

Federal, Academic, and State Cooperators
Dan Barker, University of Texas, Austin, Department of Geological Sciences, emeritus
Art Busby, Texas Christian University, Department of Geology
Eddie Collins, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology
Dee Ann Cooper, Lamar University, Department of Geology
Roger Cooper, Lamar University, Department of Geology
Don Corrick, National Park service, Big Bend National Park, Mapping
Patricia Dickerson, JSCC/NASA and Smithsonian
Tim Duex, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, Department of Geology
Richard Erdlac, University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Department of Geology
Lance Lambert, University of Texas, San Antonio, Geology Program
Rolfe Mandel, Kansas Geological Survey
Fred McDowell, University of Texas, Austin, Department of Geological Sciences
Bill Muehlberger, University of Texas, Austin, Department of Geological Sciences, emeritus
Tom Lehman, Texas Tech University, Department of Geosciences
Don Parker, Baylor University, Department of Geology
Jay Raney, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology
Michael Slattery, Texas Christian University, Department of Geology
Jim Stevens, Lamar University, Department of Geology
Margaret Stevens, Lamar University, Department of Geology
Kevin Urbanczyk, Sul Ross University, Department of Geology
John White, Eastern Kentucky University, Department of Earth Sciences

Santiago Mountains located in Big Bend National Park
Figure 5. Northwest view of Santiago Mountains near Persimmon Gap Entrance Station.

References

Maxwell, Ross A., 1966, Geologic map of the Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas: Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, scale 1:62,500.

Abstracts

Adams, D.T., and Parker, Don, 2005, Field relations and geochemistry of peralkalic rhyolite domes and flows and associated mafic lava, SW Cerro Castellon 7.5' quadrangle, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Baylor)

Anderson, Eric, Finn, Carol, Scott, R.B., and Snee, Larry, 2005, Mapping and visualizing faults using aeromagnetic data and a GIS in northern Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 127. (USGS)

Barker, Daniel S., 2005, Sedimentation, volcanism, and intrusion in the lower Chisos Group; Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128-129. (Univ. Texas, Austin)

Berry, M.A., and Williams, V.S., 2005, New 1:100,000-scale mapping of surficial deposits in Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Bohannon, R.G., 2005, Geology of the southern Chisos Mountains; insights from new geologic mapping in Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Cooper, D.A., Stevens, J.B., and Cooper, R.W., 2005, A geochemical analysis of thin beds of Kaolinite in the Mid to Upper Coniacian San Vicente Member, Boquillas Formation, Big Bend Region, Trans-Pecos, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Lamar Univ.)

Corrick, Donald, W., The geology of the Pine Canyon Caldera system, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 127. (National Park Service)

Drenth, Ben, and Finn, Carol, 2004, Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Anomalies over the Pine Canyon Caldera, Big Bend National Park, Texas: (USGS)

Duex, T.W., 2005, Delineation of additional volcanic centers and stratigraphic variations in Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Univ. of Louisiana)

Kerin, J.A., and Duex, T.W., 2005, Investigation of a small igneous complex on the north end of Burro Mesa, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Univ. of Louisiana)

Lehman, T.M., 2005, Mapping of Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene strata in Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Texas Tech.)

Miggins, Dan, Scott, R.B., and Snee, L.W., 2005, New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages from Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Page, W.R., Williams, V.S., and Berry, M.A., 2005, Quaternary faults in northwestern Big Bend National Park, southern Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Scott, R.B., Snee, L.W., Drenth, Ben, Anderson, Eric, and Finn, Carol, 2005, Sloppy Pancake stacks; Oligocene Laccoliths of northern Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 127. (USGS)

Scott, R. B. Snee, L.W., Page, W.R., Finn, Carol, Drenth, Ben, and Anderson, Eric, 2005, Oligocene Rosillos Mountains Laccolith, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Turner, Kenzie, 2005, A new digital geologic map of Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 128. (USGS)

Wache, Kay, 2005, Revised volcanic stratigraphy in the southeastern half of the Tule Mountain 7.5' quadrangle, Big Bend National Park, Texas: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 36, n. 5, p. 129. (Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)