NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska

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

Katmai National Park and Preserve (KATM) is located on the Alaska Peninsula within the active Aleutian volcanic arc in the Bristol Bay, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Lake and Peninsula Boroughs, Alaska. Originally established as Katmai National Monument on September 24, 1918, the park unit was re-designated as a national park and preserve on December 2, 1980 (Anderson 2017). KATM encompasses approximately 1,656,405 hectares (4,093,067 acres) of diverse landscape that contains lakes, forests, mountains, and marshlands that host a rich biological community. The park and preserve protect the remnants of the massive 1912 eruption that formed the Novarupta volcanic vent, the small Katmai Caldera, and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Hults and Fierstein 2016). Preservation of the volcanic features provides a valuable data-store for scientific analysis of the eruption and its ecological impact, response, and recovery (Hults and Fierstein 2016).

Geologic Setting

The geology of Katmai National Park and Preserve reflects one of the most geologically active areas in North America and has been influenced by the dynamic forces of plate tectonics, volcanism, glaciation, rivers, waves, and wind. The Bruin Bay Fault bisects the park unit along a NE–SW trend juxtaposing two distinctly different bedrock assemblages. Northwest of the fault, geologic units consist of Mesozoic rocks including the Kakhonak Complex, Cottonwood Bay Greenstone, Kamishak Formation, Talkeetna Formation, and intrusive igneous rocks. Younger units of the northwestern region include Cenozoic volcanic and intrusive rocks, and Quaternary glacial deposits and alluvium. Southeast of the fault, the geology is composed of gently folded, Mesozoic marine sedimentary rocks of the Shelikof, Naknek, Staniukovich, Herendeen, Pedmar, and Kaguyak Formations (Hults and Fierstein 2016). Cenozoic units of southeastern KATM include the Copper Lake Formation, Hemlock Conglomerate, Cenozoic intrusive and volcanic rocks, Quaternary glacial deposits and other unconsolidated deposits, and younger volcanic deposits associated with the historic 1912 eruption.

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 2915. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.

Soil Resources inventory

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

Source: NPS DataStore Saved Search 2987. To search for additional information, visit the NPS DataStore.

GRI Geology Image Gallery

This volcanic rock, an ignimbrite, was deposited in the 1912 Novarupta eruption by pyroclastic flows.

Related Links

Katmai—Geologic Formations

Katmal—Physiography

Katmal—Volcanoes

Katmal—Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Katmai—Park Home

NPS—Glaciers and Glacial Landforms

NPS—Volcanic Landforms: Extrusive Igneous

NPS—Plate Tectonics

NPS—Geologic Time

NPS—Geology

Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys

Related Articles

Katmai National Park

• Dinosaurs of the National Park Service — Dinosaur fossils have been discovered at or are associated with at least 27 NPS units. Geographically, their finds are concentrated in the parks of the Colorado Plateau, but they have been found from central Alaska to Big Bend National Park in Texas to Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts. The most famous site is the Dinosaur Quarry of Dinosaur National Monument, but a rush of new finds since the 1970s has greatly expanded our knowledge.
• Cenozoic Era — The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths.
• Volcanic Domes — Lava domes are steep-sided rounded accumulations of highly viscous silicic lava over a vent. Some domes are part of composite volcanoes, but large ones can make up their own volcanoes. Lassen Peak is a dome.
• Lava Flow Forms — Young lava flows also have structures and textures that reveal information about their eruptions. Basaltic lava flows come in two major forms: Pāhoehoe and ‘A‘ā.
• Alaska's Shrinking Glaciers — Alaska is one of the most heavily glaciated areas in the world outside of the polar regions. Approximately 23,000 square miles of the state are covered in glaciers—an area nearly the size of West Virginia. Glaciers have shaped much of Alaska’s landscape and continue to influence its lands, waters, and ecosystems. Because of their importance, National Park Service scientists measure glacier change. They found that glaciers are shrinking in area and volume across the state.
• Shrinking Glaciers in Katmai National Park and Preserve — Katmai National Park and Preserve is one of nine national parks in Alaska with glaciers. Glaciers covered 320 square miles of Katmai in 2020. This number is 16.5% less than in 1985, meaning that Katmai lost about 63 square miles of glacier-covered area over the 35-
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• Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall 2023 — 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
• Tertiary Fossil Floras of Alaskan National Parks — The National Park Service units of Alaska have an outstanding fossil record, including fossil plants. Six Alaskan NPS units preserve notable plant fossils of Tertiary age (Paleocene through Pliocene Epochs, 66 to 2.58 million years ago). These fossils were first documented in 1869 and show a major change going from the Eocene to the Oligocene about 34 million years ago.
• Pyroclastic Flows and Ignimbrites, and Pyroclastic Surges — Pyroclastic flows and surges are among the most awesome and most destructive of all volcanic phenomena. Pyroclastic flow deposits are found in at least 21 units of the National Park System.
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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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