Last updated: July 5, 2024
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NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama
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.
Introduction
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (HOBE) is located along a horseshoe-shaped bend of the Tallapoosa River approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Montgomery in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Authorized on July 25, 1956, HOBE contains 825 hectares (2,040 acres) and protects the site of the last major engagement of the Creek War (1813–1814), a battle between U.S. forces and the Red Stick Creek tribe. On March 27, 1814, more than 3,000 militia under the command of Andrew Jackson won the decisive Battle of Horseshoe Bend that cost the Creek Nation approximately 9.3 million hectares (23 million acres) of their homeland. The victory at Horseshoe Bend contributed to the expansion of the United States, led to the creation of the state of Alabama, and established Jackson’s national prominence as a military leader (National Park Service 2014c; Barthelmes 2020). In addition to the battlefield, HOBE preserves two Creek Nation village sites (Newyaucau and Tohopeka) that provide opportunities to interpret the history and stories of the Creek people during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Geologic Setting
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is situated in the southernmost extent of the Piedmont physiographic province, a region characterized by ancient and weathered metamorphic rocks that date back to the Precambrian. The bedrock of HOBE consists of several units that cut diagonally across the park in a roughly SW–NE orientation and include (from oldest to youngest): (1) undifferentiated strata of the Precambrian– Paleozoic Jacksons Gap Group; (2) the Ordovician Kowaliga Gneiss; and (3) schists and gneisses of the Ordovician Emuckfaw Group. Metamorphic rocks of the Emuckfaw Group were first described along Emuckfaw Creek near the northwestern boundary of HOBE but were never formally assigned a stratotype (see “Recommendations” below; Neathery and Reynolds 1975). Structurally, HOBE is in the vicinity of the Brevard Fault Zone, a large primarily strike-slip fault zone that approximates the northern boundary of the Piedmont Province in the southern Appalachians (Vauchez 1987). Several smaller faults exist within the immediate proximity of the park, including the Abanda Fault that cuts diagonally across southern HOBE and the Katy Creek Fault located about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) southeast of the park.
Geologic Features and Processes
The following geologic features and processes are found within the park:
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Fluvial Features and Processes
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Brevard Zone
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Cave Features and Processes
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Paleontological Resources
Geoconservation
Those varied geologic features and processes also create a multitude of resource management issues for park staff, including:
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Climate Change
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Seismic Activity
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Mining and Minerals
Learn more about NPS programs for geologic resource management on these websites: [Geoconservation Programs] [Geohazards] [Fossil Stewardship] [Cave Resources Stewardship]
Regional Geology
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is in the region where the eastern Blue Ridge Physiographic Province meets the Piedmont Physiographic Province and shares its geologic history and some characteristic geologic formations with a region that extends well beyond park boundaries.
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: Data Store Saved Search 2901. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
A NPS Soil Resources Inventory project has been completed for Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and can be found on the NPS Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 2972. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
GRI Geology Image Gallery
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Horseshoe Bend 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.