Part of a series of articles titled Values Embodied in Geoheritage.
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Article • Values Embodied in Geoheritage
NPS photo by Brittni Medina.
Four major systems—the geosphere (solid Earth), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (living organisms)—interact to create Earth’s ecosystems. Surficial geology is the interface with soil, water, and air that creates the diverse platform on which living things exist. Natural geologic heritage areas conserve not just the geologic foundation, but also places for ecosystem processes and change to occur. Conserving a variety of geologic heritage sites across an assortment of ecosystems maximizes natural area diversity. These intact ecosystems are more resilient and able to adapt to changes.
The eruption of Novarupta in 1912 in Katmai National Park and Preserve was the largest in recent history and devastated a large mountainous and coastal region. In 2004, the National Park Service initiated an effort to acquire, relocate, and rephotograph some of these scenes as part of a larger effort to document changes in the landscape throughout the park lands of southwestern Alaska.
Part of a series of articles titled Values Embodied in Geoheritage.
Previous: Cultural Value
Next: Economic Value
Last updated: December 28, 2020