Last updated: July 10, 2024
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NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont
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
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MABI) is located in the rolling hills just north of the town of Woodstock about 105 km (65 mi) southeast of Burlington in Windsor County, Vermont. Originally established as Marsh-Billings National Historical Park on August 26, 1992, the park unit was renamed on October 21, 1998, in recognition of conservationists George Perkins Marsh, Frederick and Julia Billings, Mary Billings French, and Laurance S. and Mary French Rockefeller (Thornberry-Ehrlich 2011; National Park Service 2017a). Encompassing approximately 260 hectares (643 acres), MABI represents the first unit of the NPS to focus on the theme of conservation history and the changing nature of land stewardship in the United States. The historical park was home to three generations of nationally significant conservationists and is the headquarters for the Conservation Study Institute designed to promote leadership in the field of conservation (National Park Service 2016a). Features within MABI include the Marsh-Billings Mansion, Billings Farm and Museum, Mount Tom Forest (the oldest continuously scientifically managed forest in the United States), a 5.7 hectare (14 acre) artificial pond called The Pogue, and agricultural countryside.
Geologic Setting
Situated within the Connecticut Valley-Gaspé Province of central Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park contains Silurian and Devonian-age metamorphic bedrock originally deposited in an ancient marine basin. A significant portion of MABI is underlain by the Silurian Waits River Formation and its informal Mount Tom member, two units predominantly composed of schist with varying levels of calc-silicates (Thompson 2006). Metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks of the Silurian Standing Pond Volcanics occur beneath the Marsh-Billings Mansion and immediate surrounding area. The youngest bedrock in MABI consists of hornblende schist, garnet schist, and quartzite of the Devonian Gile Mountain Formation, mapped in the easternmost portion of the historical park at the Billings Farm and Museum. During the Pleistocene Epoch (the past 2 million years), glaciers beveled the mountains of Vermont, depositing thick mantles of unconsolidated glacial till throughout the MABI region. Additional surficial deposits that occur within MABI include Pleistocene kame terrace deposits and Holocene fluvial terrace deposits and alluvium (DeSimone 2006).
Regional Geology
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a part of the New England 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 3012. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
A NPS Soil Resources Inventory project has been completed for Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and can be found on the NPS Data Store.
Source: Data Store Saved Search 3059. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
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Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical 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.