Last updated: July 10, 2024
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NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Indiana
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
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (LIBO) is located about 56 km (35 mi) northeast of Evansville in Lincoln City, Spencer County, Indiana. Authorized on February 19, 1962, LIBO was established to preserve and interpret the site associated with the boyhood and family of United States President Abraham Lincoln. The national memorial commemorates Abraham Lincoln’s formative years from age 7 to 21, and contains the Lincoln family farm site owned by father Thomas Lincoln, as well as the gravesite of mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln (National Park Service 2016a, 2017c). Following President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the Indiana home site became a place to honor both him and his mother. Although no physical traces of the Lincoln farm remained above ground, in the late 19th century local residents began building an impromptu memorial at LIBO that today includes both formal and informal commemorative landscapes (National Park Service 2017c).
Geologic Setting
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial lies within the Boonville Hills section of the Interior Low Plateaus physiographic province, an area characterized by Pennsylvanian bedrock of moderate topographic relief (Gray 2000). The geologic foundation of the national memorial is predominantly composed of the Pennsylvanian Staunton Formation with a small portion of northern LIBO underlain by similar-age strata of the Brazil Formation and Mansfield Formation (Figure 41). The Staunton Formation represents a heterogenous sedimentary unit comprised of sandstone, shale (mudstone), and several coalbeds (Cumings 1922). Rocks of the Brazil Formation and Mansfield Formation occur as undivided sedimentary deposits consisting of shale (mudstone), sandstone, and thin beds of coal and limestone (Kottlowski 1959; Hutchison 1960).
Regional Geology
Lincoln Boyhood National Menorial is a part of the Interior Low Plateaus 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 3005. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
A NPS Soil Resources Inventory project has been completed for Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and can be found on the NPS Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 3052. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
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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.