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NPS Geodiversity Atlas—National Capital Parks-East, District of Columbia
Geodiversity refers to the full variety of natural geologic (rocks, minerals, sediments, fossils, landforms, and physical processes) and soil resources and processes that occur in the park. A product of the Geologic Resources Inventory, the NPS Geodiversity Atlas delivers information in support of education, Geoconservation, and integrated management of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of the ecosystem.
In-depth geologic information is contained in the baseline inventory products of the Geologic Resources Inventory, see table below.
Introduction
National Capital Parks-East represents a diverse collection of urban park units located in all four quadrants of Washington, D.C., as well as in Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, and Charles Counties in Maryland. The park protects a broad range of locally, regionally, and nationally important resources that are distributed among 98 locations and total more than 3,237 hectares (8,000 acres). Park resources consist of natural areas, recreation areas, cultural landscapes, historic homes, parkways, farms, archeological sites, and historic forts. The park includes: Anacostia Park ; Baltimore-Washington Parkway; Capitol Hill Parks; Fort Circle Parks, also known as the Civil War Defenses of Washington, including Shepherd Parkway and several Civil War forts such as Fort Dupont, Fort Foote, and Fort Stanton; Fort Washington Park; Frederick Douglass National Historic Site; Greenbelt Park; Harmony Hall; Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, including Kenilworth Marsh; Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site; Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm; Piscataway Park, including Hard Bargain and National Colonial Farms; Suitland Parkway; and others. Many of the parks are located along the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and represent important ecological buffers between urban spaces and river watersheds while providing relief from the urban environment and preserve the viewshed across the Potomac River for the historic Mount Vernon mansion.
Geologic Setting
Situated within the Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic province located east/south of the Fall Line, the park's geology predominantly consists of Cretaceous or younger rocks that represent partially consolidated or unconsolidated sediments shed from the Appalachian Mountains toward the Atlantic Ocean (Southworth and Denenny 2006; Thornberry-Ehrlich 2008c). The Mesozoic and Cenozoic are represented by the Cretaceous Potomac Formation and Severn Formation, Paleocene Brightseat Formation and Aquia Formation, Eocene Marlboro Clay and Nanjemoy Formation, and Miocene Calvert Formation. Younger surficial units mapped throughout National Capital Parks - East include Neogene–Pleistoceneage terrace deposits, Pleistocene fluvial and estuarine deposits, and Holocene alluvium.
Regional Geology
National Capital Parks - East is part of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces and share a geologic history and some characteristic geologic formations with a region that extends well beyond park boundaries.
Maps and Reports
Geologic map of Washington, DC, and adjacent areas. Select the map to view in .PDF format. NPS (https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2251575)
Geologic Resources Inventory
The Geologic Resources Inventory produces digital geologic maps and reports for more than 270 natural resource parks. The products listed below are currently available for this park.
Scoping summaries are records of scoping meetings where NPS staff and local geologists determined the park’s geologic mapping plan and what content should be included in the report.
- Digital geologic maps include files for viewing in GIS software, a guide to using the data, and a document with ancillary map information. Newer products also include data viewable in Google Earth and online map services.
- Reports use the maps to discuss the park’s setting and significance, notable geologic features and processes, geologic resource management issues, and geologic history.
- Posters are a static view of the GIS data in PDF format. Newer posters include aerial imagery or shaded relief and other park information. They are also included with the reports.
- Projects list basic information about the program and all products available for a park.
Source: NPS DataStore Saved Search 3026. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.
Soil Resources inventory
A NPS Soil Resources Inventory project has been completed for National Capital Parks-East and can be found on the NPS Data Store.
Source: NPS DataStore Saved Search 3073. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.
Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm.
Related Links
National Capital Parks East—Park Home
Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources
Related Articles
National Capital Parks-East
- Incredible Untold Stories of Everyday Life — In the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, newly freed African Americans faced monumental challenges to establish their own households, farm their own lands, establish community institutions and churches, and to pursue equal justice under the law in a period of racist violence. A new NPS report presents the story of the extraordinary accomplishments of rural African Americans in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- National Capital Area Natural History - Paleontology — Paleontology specimens are fossils of formerly living plants, animals, or naturally occurring tracks, impressions, and casts. They cover the entire span of geologic time and represent all kingdoms of life. Fossils dating back to the Paleozoic era (543 million years ago) represent the first signs of life on earth in the Nation’s Capital.
- Maryland Mining Company — Canals constructed along the Potomac River, including the waterways of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Patowmack Canal, were lifelines for people living along the Potomac River from 1831-1924. Locks controlling water flow allowed the efficient transport of coal and other materials to and from these communities. Lands surrounding these areas are also rich in natural resources, triggering the start of commercial gold mining operations in Montgomery County in 1865.
- National Capital Area Natural History - Geology — Geological specimens include rocks, minerals, surface process samples, and soils. These specimens document the presence of geological materials, their mineral composition, structure and texture, and the processes that created them.
- Forest Soils — Highlights from a 2007-2017 study of soils in National Capital Region Network I&M-monitored parks. Includes discussion of parent materials, heavy metal soil pollutants like lead, and how past land use effects O horizons.
- The Paleontological Resources of National Capital Parks East — National Capital Parks-East (NACE) was established in 1965. NACE consists of about includes about 15 parks and sites between Washington DC and parts of Maryland. The parks range from natural resource parks, to historical sites, to recreational areas. About half of the parks at NACE are known to have fossil resources and fossils in the museum collection.
- Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2018 — All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. Park Paleontology News provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the newsletter editorLearn more about Fossils & Paleontology Celebrate National Fossil Day with events across the nation
National Park Service Geodiversity Atlas
The servicewide Geodiversity Atlas provides information on geoheritage and geodiversity resources and values within the National Park System. This information supports science-based geoconservation and interpretation in the NPS, as well as STEM education in schools, museums, and field camps. The NPS Geologic Resources Division and many parks work with National and International geoconservation communities to ensure that NPS abiotic resources are managed using the highest standards and best practices available.
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