Data release for the Geologic Map of the Denali Park Road Corridor, Denali National Park, Alaska

Dates

Publication Date: 2023-02-06
Time Period: 2022

Citation

Ruleman, C.A., Frothingham, M.C., Keough, B., Brandt, T.R., Hudson, A.M., Weaver, H., Capps, D.M., Ridgway, K.D., Patton, A.I., and Caffee, M.W., 2023, Data release for the Geologic Map of the Denali Park Road Corridor, Denali National Park, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9W76PSM.

Summary

Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA), located in central Alaska, is home to iconic and dynamic landscapes surrounding the tallest mountain range in North America, the Alaska Range. DENA preserves over 6 million acres of wild land that provides opportunities for recreation, subsistence hunting and gathering, preservation of cultural resources, and scientific research. Despite its size and popularity, DENA has only one road—the dead-end, 92-mile Denali National Park Road (hereafter referred to as the Park Road). The Park Road is mostly gravel; only the first 15 miles are paved. It is the only access for most DENA infrastructure, including visitor centers, staff facilities, campgrounds, and businesses. The Park Road crosses a steep, [...]

Summary

Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA), located in central Alaska, is home to iconic and dynamic landscapes surrounding the tallest mountain range in North America, the Alaska Range. DENA preserves over 6 million acres of wild land that provides opportunities for recreation, subsistence hunting and gathering, preservation of cultural resources, and scientific research. Despite its size and popularity, DENA has only one road—the dead-end, 92-mile Denali National Park Road (hereafter referred to as the Park Road). The Park Road is mostly gravel; only the first 15 miles are paved. It is the only access for most DENA infrastructure, including visitor centers, staff facilities, campgrounds, and businesses. The Park Road crosses a steep, constantly changing landscape, shaped by actively deforming and uplifted bedrock, glacier and meltwater erosion, and various permafrost processes. Geologic hazards (geohazards) such as rockfall, debris flows, and landslides cause significant damage to the Park Road every year, requiring periodic closure, and costing millions of dollars in repair and maintenance. For the first time in the park’s history, the Park Road is closed near its midpoint for an entire season due to displacement caused by the Pretty Rocks rock glacier and landslide complex. In addition, DENA is situated along a major fault system and experiences numerous earthquakes every year. Most are too weak to be felt, but a 7.9 magnitude earthquake shook the region in 2002, and at least one major landslide, which formed Bergh Lake along the Park Road corridor, was caused by seismic shaking in 1953. In response to the threat posed by geohazards, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) have partnered to produce a new, high-resolution geologic map to help identify basin sediments and bedrock geology, active faults, unstable slopes, and hazardous geologic substrates along the Park Road corridor and other areas that contain administrative infrastructure. This new geologic map augments previous broad scale, bedrock-focused maps and uses detailed, updated imagery and elevation data to provide a digital framework for future research, hazard identification, and infrastructural development.

Contacts

Point of Contact :: Cal Ruleman
Originator :: Chester A Ruleman, Michael C Frothingham, Brandon Keough, Theodore R Brandt, Adam M Hudson, Hannah G Weaver, Denny M Capps, Kenneth D Ridgway, Annette I Patton, Marc W Caffee
Metadata Contact :: Theodore R Brandt
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
SDC Data Owner :: Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
USGS Mission Area :: Core Science Systems

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical

Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.

Denali_metadata02062023.xml “metadata text” Original FGDC Metadata	View	24.4 KB	application/fgdc+xml
Denali_Geology_GIS.gdb.zip “geodatabase”		10.01 MB	application/zip
Denali_Geology_GIS_shapefiles.zip “shapefiles”		5.63 MB	application/zip
Denali_datadictionary.csv “data dictionary”		6.6 KB	text/csv

Shapefile: GM_ContactsAndFaults.zip
GM_ContactsAndFaults.cpg “feature service”		5 Bytes
GM_ContactsAndFaults.dbf “feature service”		14.58 MB
GM_ContactsAndFaults.prj “feature service”		452 Bytes
GM_ContactsAndFaults.sbn “feature service”		183.48 KB
GM_ContactsAndFaults.sbx “feature service”		8.96 KB
GM_ContactsAndFaults.shp “feature service”		8.23 MB
GM_ContactsAndFaults.shp.xml “feature service”		90.14 KB
GM_ContactsAndFaults.shx “feature service”		142.62 KB

Purpose

Land-use planners of many kinds (including National Park Service managers, earth and biologic scientists, local developers, city and rural planners, and highway engineers) need accurate geologic data with which to make informed decisions. This geologic map and geodatabase are designed to meet this requirement. The map is also part of the National Geologic Database, which is intended as a digital framework for the entire country.

Data release for the Geologic Map of the Denali Park Road Corridor, Denali National Park, Alaska

Dates

Citation

Summary

Summary

Contacts

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical

Purpose

Map

Spatial Services

Communities

Tags

Provenance

Additional Information

Identifiers

Shapefile Extension

Item Actions

Use Item

View Item as ...

Save Item as ...

View Item...

Dates

Citation

Summary

Summary

Contacts

Attached Files sorting Metadata First Recent First Alphabetical

Purpose

Map

Spatial Services

Communities

Tags

Provenance

Additional Information

Identifiers

Shapefile Extension

Item Actions

Use Item

View Item as ...

Save Item as ...

View Item...

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical