NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, Virginia

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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

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park (FRSP), often known by the shorter name Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, is located between Washington D.C. and Richmond in Fredericksburg City and Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Established on February 14, 1927, FRSP encompasses about 1,550 hectares (8,380 acres) and is one of the largest military parks in the eastern United States. The military park commemorates the more than 15,000 soldiers that died during the fighting that took place near the town of Fredericksburg. Preserved at FRSP are four major Civil War battlefield sites, including Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. The park contains four historic buildings associated with the battlefield sites—Chatham, Salem Church, Ellwood, and the house where Stonewall Jackson died—in addition to historic homesites of local families and numerous monuments to Civil War soldiers (Thornberry-Ehrlich 2010b; National Park Service 2016).

Geologic Setting

FRSP contains a diverse assemblage of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks spanning from the late Proterozoic–Ordovician to the Pliocene. Some of the oldest bedrock in the park are metamorphic rocks of the Po River Metamorphic Suite and include biotite gneiss, garnetmuscovite gneiss, and schist. Geologic features of the FRSP landscape were used during the Civil War to the Confederate army’s advantage in the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. The Confederate army utilized the floodplains, river terraces, and north-south trending ridges around the Rappahannock River to impede the Union advance on the Confederate capital of Richmond for several years (Thornberry-Ehrlich 2010b).

Regional Geology

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park is divided by the Fall Line, a geological demarcation between the Piedmont physiographic province, and the Coastal Plain province. The park shares its geologic history and some characteristic geologic formations with a region that extends well beyond park boundaries.

Maps and Reports

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, check back often for updates as many maps, reports, and posters are still in progress.

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 2867. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.

Soil Resources inventory

A NPS Soil Resources Inventory project has been completed for Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and can be found on the NPS Data Store.

Source: NPS DataStore Saved Search 2936. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.

Related Links

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania—Hydrologic Activity

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania—Photo Gallery

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania—Park Home

NPS—Geologic Time

NPS—Explore Regional Geology

NPS—Geology

• Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

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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.

NPS Geodiversity Atlas

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