Earth Science
Evolution of Landscapes
_______________
Name ______________________________
Period _____ Date
Introduction – Many of this nation’s national parks are monuments to the geologic processes
that have helped sculpt the Earth’s surface in many beautiful ways. For all of the parks included
in this investigation the processes of weathering and erosion were critical to their formation.
Task – You and your partner will research the origin and special geologic characteristics of a
specific park. Your group will present the findings of your research with an informative booklet
that could educate people about the geological processes that formed the national park.
Content Knowledge to Demonstrate:
1) Where is your park in the US? (5 points)
 Provide a map that shows your park relative to a regional or US map.
 Identify your park on the map (inset maps are very useful.)
2) Why would you want to go there? (5 points)
 Feature the unique features of the park that draw visitors.
3) Describe the plate tectonic setting that helped to create your park. (Consider the following
questions but DO NOT attempt to answer each question.) (15 points)
 What kinds of rock formations and/or rock/minerals would you find there?
 Are you near a plate boundary that is active or was active in the past?
 What kinds of features are present?
 Did the area experience uplift due to tectonic movement?
 Do you have mountains attributed to past tectonic activity?
 Has stability (lack of tectonic activity) played a major role in your park’s history?
4) Describe the geologic history of your park. (15 points)
 Include a diagram showing stratigraphy
 What is the evidence for the geologic history?
 This is geologic history … thousands or millions of years ago … not human history.
 A good way to approach this is to consider how the rock that underlies your park came
to be. Was this a shallow sea? The core of a mountain? An ancient river system?
Covered by an ice sheet?
5) What weathering and erosional processes that created the features of this park? (15 points)
 Differentiate between the chemical and physical weathering processes active in the
park.
 What types of soils are found in the park and how do these affect the ecological
diversity?
 Is mass wasting present? If so, what types of mass wasting is present?
 If there are rivers in your park, are they incised and forming canyons? Or, are they in
wide, flood plains?
6) What do you think your park will look like in the future? (9 points)
 If the processes that are operating today continue to operate in the same way, how will
your park’s features change? Will the features still exist or is there a finite “life”
expectancy? Will they change in size, depth, shape, number, and/or position?
 This is intended to be a prediction of geologic future, not human future. However, you
may consider human stresses on your park.
National Parks
1. Acadia NP, Maine
24. Isle Royale NP, Michigan
2. Arches NP, Utah
25. Joshua Tree NP, California
3. Badlands National Park, South
Dakota
26. Katmai NP and Preserve, Alaska
27. Kings Canyon NP, California
4. Big Bend NP, Texas
28. Mammoth Caves NP, Kentucky
5. Bryce Canyon NP, Utah
29. North Cascades NP, Washington
6. Canyonlands NP, Utah
30. Olympic NP, Washington
7. Capitol Reef NP, Utah
31. Petrified Forest NP, Arizona
8. Carlsbad Caverns NP, New Mexico
32. Redwood NP, California
9. Channel Islands NP, California
33. Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado
10. Congaree NP, South Carolina
34. Saguaro NP, Arizona
11. Crater Lake NP, Oregon
35. Sequoia NP, California
12. Death Valley NP, California
13. Denali NP & Reserve, Alaska
14. Everglades NP, Florida
36. Smoky Mountains NP, North
Carolina
37. Theodore Roosevelt NP, North
Dakota
15. Gates of the Arctic NP and
Preserve, Alaska
38. Virgin Islands NP, US Virgin Islands
16. Glacier NP, Montana
39. Voyageurs NP, Minnesota
17. Glacier Bay NP and Preserve,
Alaska
40. White Sands NM, New Mexico
41. Wind Cave NP, South Dakota
18. Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
19. Grand Teton NP, Wyoming
42. Wrangell-St. Elias NP & Preserve,
Alaska
20. Great Basin NP, Nevada
43. Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
21. Great Sand Dunes NP & Preserve,
Colorado
44. Yosemite NP, California
45. Zion NP, Utah
22. Guadalupe Mountains NP, Texas
23. Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Hawaii