scholarly journals Mass-Movement Disturbance Regime Landscapes, Hazards, and Water Implications: Grand Teton National Park

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 74-87
Author(s):  
John Shroder ◽  
Brandon Weihs
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Collective Effects ◽  
Rock Fragment ◽  
Mass Movements ◽  
Ground Ice ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Crystalline Core ◽  
Teton Range

The Teton Range is the result of active crustal extension (normal faulting) and is the youngest range in the Rocky Mountains at approximately 2 million years old. This makes it a particularly attractive landscape to study, especially in terms of landform development and morphology because of its youth, state of seismic activity, and its recent deglaciation. These factors have combined to produce a unique fluvial landscape in that the fault-shattered metamorphic/igneous rocks of the range have been/are being eroded from their source cliffs at high rates which has covered the glacially scoured valley floors with colluvium such as talus slopes, rock slide, avalanche, and debris flow deposits. This project was focused on the characterization of all forms of mass movement, especially rock slides, multiple talus types (rockfall, alluvial, avalanche), protalus lobes, protalus ramparts, lobate and tongue-shaped rock glaciers, and their collective effects on water retention and its late-season delivery in the Grand Teton National Park, WY. A major goal of this project was to reclassify many of the mass movements in the park in an effort to streamline and simplify previous efforts by other scientists. Methods used during this study included field reconnaissance and measurements acquired during the summers of 2010 and 2013 and measurements taken from various datasets (NAIP imagery, shape files used within a GIS [ArcMap 10.0], and Google Earth™). Mass movement deposits, as well as ice glaciers and long-term snowbanks, were mapped and interpreted. Overall conclusions are that the major sources of mass movements from the Archean crystalline core of the range are the result of extensive jointing, fault-shattering, increased frost-wedging at higher altitudes, slopes steepened by prior glacial erosion, and extensive snow avalanches. Areas of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks marginal to the crystalline core produce rockslides as a result of steep dips and unstable shales beneath massive overlying carbonates. The presence of internal ground ice enables development of protalus lobes, thicker rock-fragment flows, and thinner boulder streams. Such ground ice is likely to enhance late-season water delivery downstream unless climate warming and recurrent droughts become too extreme.

scholarly journals Inquiry-Based Geology Field Course for In-Service Educators

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 124-125
Author(s):  
David Harwood ◽  
Kyle Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
South Dakota ◽  
National Park ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Excellent Opportunity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Teton Range ◽  
Park Area

Eight in-service teachers and two instructors engaged in an inquiry-based geology field course from June 14 to 29, 2014 through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. This team of learners spent three days in mid-June working in the Grand Teton National Park area. The UW-NPS facilities provide an excellent opportunity for participants to discover the natural history of the Teton Range, as well as close-out a few projects while sitting in a real chair, at a real table, a welcome change from our usual campground setting.

scholarly journals Methods in Geoscience Field Instruction: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 141-141
Author(s):  
David Harwood ◽  
Kyle Thompson
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Teton Range ◽  
Park Area ◽  
University Of Nebraska Lincoln ◽  
The University

Eight in-service teachers, one pre-service education student, three observers from other universities, and two instructors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln engaged in an inquiry-based geology field course from June 13 to 28, 2015 through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. This commnity of learners spent three days working in the Grand Teton National Park area. Geological features and history present in Grand Teton National Park are an important part of the course curriculum. Large-scale extensional features of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole, and the glacial geomorphology and related climate changes of this area are some of the unique features examined here.

scholarly journals Earthquake Hazards of Grand Teton National Park Emphasizing the Teton Fault

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 140-146
Author(s):  
R. Smith ◽  
J. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
National Park ◽  
Progress Report ◽  
Earthquake Hazards ◽  
Fault Geometry ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
University Of Utah ◽  
Teton Range ◽  
The University ◽  
Gravity Profile

This is a progress report on the research of the University of Utah project: "Earthquake Hazards of The Grand Teton National Park Emphasizing The Teton Fault", to date, 31 December, 1989. The research objectives during 1989 focussed on: 1) excavation of a trench across the Teton fault to determine the age and amount of displacement associated with prehistoric ground breaking earthquakes; 2) collection of paleomagnetic samples of Huckleberry Ridge tuff along an E-W transect across the northern end of the Teton range to assess deformation associated with the Teton fault; 3) mapping and surveying of two study areas along the fault to evaluate the geomorphic expression of the fault; 4) surveying a detailed topographic and gravity profile across the valley from String Lake to the Snake River to evaluate deformation of the valley floor and to help constrain modeling of the subsurface fault geometry, 5) continuing the study of expected fault motion of the Teton fault based on our previous results, 6) mapping of the northern extent of the Teton fault zone, and 7) assisting the NPS with interpretations and use of our data for management and interpretational purposes.

scholarly journals A Distributional and Habitat Study of the Bighorn Sheep in Winter, Grand Teton National Park

1978 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Michael Whitfield ◽  
Barry Keller
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Bighorn Sheep ◽  
Ovis Canadensis ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Habitat Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Teton Range

This study was initiated in order to determine the population status of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the Teton Range. Intensive field studies were initiated in the summer of 1978 and will be continued during the winter of 1978-79 in order to delineate the distribution of sheep and to relate this distribution to habitat factors which affect seasonal distributions. Additionally, information on the history of bighorn sheep has been sought through interviews of longtime residents of the several valleys surrounding the Teton Range.

scholarly journals Spatial Structure of Melanism in Yellow-Bellied Marmots

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 76-91
Author(s):  
George Montopoli ◽  
Nick Visser ◽  
Michael Crone
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Human Impact ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
National Park ◽  
Estimation Technique ◽  
Marmota Flaviventris ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Teton Range

Melanism (black fur coloration) in the yellow-bellied marmot, Marmota flaviventris, is encountered uniquely in the Teton Range in northwest Wyoming. This study is designed to investigate whether the occurrence of melanism is associated with reduced predation due to high human activity. Because overuse by humans can particularly stress the environment, the implications of this project are especially significant for Grand Teton National Park where efforts are directed to minimizing human impact. In addition, an estimation technique to calculate the likelihood that the melanistic allele is dominant is developed.

scholarly journals Survey of Precise Leveling Array Grand Teton National Park

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
Arthur Sylvester ◽  
Robert Smith
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Normal Fault ◽  
Probable Error ◽  
Bench Mark ◽  
Relative Height ◽  
The West ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Long Line ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Teton Range

Fifteen permanent bench marks were established east and south of the existing 22 km-long line of 50 bench marks across the Teton normal fault in Grand Teton National Park to compare height changes of Jackson Hole relative to the Teton Range on the west and Shadow Mountain on the east. The new bench marks, together with three other agency bench marks and three temporary bench marks, constitute a 7. 8 km-long extension to the existing line tied to the old line at bench mark GT01. The new bench marks were precisely leveled between 30 August and 5 September 1994. Misclosure of the double-run survey was 0.86 mm, thus the precision of the total survey is 1 part in 10 million. If the misclosure is simply spread equally among the (n-1) bench marks, then the probable error associated with the relative height of a single bench mark is effectively zero.

scholarly journals A LiDAR-based landslide inventory and associated map portal (story map) for Grand Teton National Park

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Benjamin Crosby
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flows ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Landslide Inventory ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Story Map ◽  
Photo Collection ◽  
Mineral Industries ◽  
Rock Slides

Funding has enabled the design and implementation of a preliminary landslide inventory including roughly 500 deposits throughout GTNP. The three most common mass movement deposits were related to debris flows, translational earth slides and translational rock slides. More than 10% of the features were field-verified during campaigns mapping along the Teton Fault and in areas across varying lithology and relief including Steamboat Mountain, Paintbrush Canyon, Cascade Canyon, Two Ocean Lake, Open Canyon and lower Granite Canyon. Features were mapped according to protocols established by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) and supported by the USGS. The Story Map remains under development, awaiting revised mapping and feedback from GTNP staff.   Featured photo taken from the AMK Ranch photo collection. https://flic.kr/p/RdWTqz

scholarly journals Determination of Teton Fault slip rates using surface exposure dating of fault-offset glacial landforms in Grand Teton National Park

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Licciardi
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Geologic Hazard ◽  
Slip Rates ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Exposure Dating ◽  
Teton Range ◽  
Exposure Ages

The central goal of this project is to establish direct constraints on time-integrated slip rates along the trace of the Teton fault in Grand Teton National Park. The key research strategy is to develop cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages of glacial deposits bisected by the fault – in particular lateral moraines along the eastern Teton Range front – and to combine these landform ages with precise geomorphic measurements of postglacial fault scarp offsets on these features as determined from field surveys and analyses of newly available LiDAR data. Time-integrated slip rates on the Teton fault will then be derived from the amount of tectonic displacement on the dated lateral moraines. Improved constraints on the rate of tectonic activity along the Teton fault resulting from this project are anticipated to lead to better-informed geologic hazard assessment in the park and adjacent regions. Furthermore, the moraine chronologies developed in this work will advance our understanding of the late Pleistocene glacial and paleoclimatic history in Grand Teton National Park and more broadly in the northern Rocky Mountains.   Featured photo taken from AMK Ranch photo collection.

scholarly journals Interseismic Hanging Wall Uplift on Teton Normal Fault, Grand Teton National Park Wyoming, 1988-1997, Measured by Precise Leveling

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 69-73
Author(s):  
Arthur Sylvester ◽  
Robert Smith ◽  
Christopher Hitchcock ◽  
John Byrd
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Hanging Wall ◽  
Normal Fault ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Seismic Gap ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Teton Range

The 55 km-long Teton normal fault at the eastern base of the Teton Range, Wyoming, has one the highest rates of Holocene slip of any fault in the Basin-Range, but it is seismically dormant at the M2 + level and presently lies in the center of a 50 km-long seismic gap (Byrd et al, 1993). Analyses of trenching, fault scarp heights, and fault proftles indicate earthquakes on the Teton fault are non­Poissonian, with from 5 to 10 M >7 earthquakes occurring from 7,900 to 14,000 years ago, but only two such events between 5,000 and 7,900 years ago, and none in the last 5,000 years (Byrd et al., 1994).

scholarly journals Precambrian Geological Evolution of the Teton Range, Western Wyoming

1999 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 85-87
Author(s):  
Kevin Chamberlain ◽  
B. Frost ◽  
Carol Frost
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Crustal Growth ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Basement Rocks ◽  
First Case ◽  
Peraluminous Granites ◽  
Teton Range ◽  
Wyoming Province

The crystalline rocks that form the core of the Teton Range are part of the Wyoming Province, which is one of the oldest portions of North America. Study of the basement of the Tetons, coupled with the results of ongoing research in similar-aged rocks exposed elsewhere in Wyoming, will provide information on how the crust evolved in the early Earth in general and in the Wyoming province in particular. In 1999 the project involved two weeks of fieldwork in Grand Teton National Park and regions to the east, including the Gros Ventre Range, deep canyons of the Buffalo Fork River near Togwotee Pass, and outcrops of basement near Dubois, Wyoming. The main goals of the fieldwork were to complete the sampling of key units in Grand Teton National Park, and to determine whether or not the next nearest outcrops of basement (Gros Ventre, Togwotee Pass and Dubois regions) share the early geologic history preserved in the rocks of Teton National Park. This field work involved four faculty members from UW and a graduate student, who is doing the study as part of her MS thesis. Several months of laboratory analysis at UW have characterized the rocks through thin section, stained slabs, and whole rock geochemical and Nd, Sr, and Ph isotopic methods and produced preliminary U-Pb dates. The principal results from this year 's efforts are that the Teton basement rocks consist of large proportions of juvenile crust, the majority of the rocks formed over a relatively narrow time span from ~2.74 to 2.68 Ga, they were deformed at about 2.67 Ga, and that rocks exposed in the Buffalo Fork River to the east are shallow level equivalents to the deep rocks exposed in the Tetons. Based on these observations and measurements, we hypothesize that the basement rocks of the Tetons formed in an off­shore, island arc setting between 2.74-2.68 Ga, and they were accreted to the Wyoming province at about 2.67 Ga. Post-tectonic intrusion of distinctive peraluminous granites in both the Teton's (Mt. Owens quartz monzonite) and elsewhere in the Wyoming province at 2.55 Ga strengthens our interpretation of a shared history after 2.67 Ga. If this model for the basement rocks in the Teton's holds up, it will be the first case of crustal growth by lateral accretion for the Archean Wyoming province, and one of the earliest examples of plate tectonics style crustal growth documented from anywhere in the world. Plate tectonic growth has dominated the Earth 's evolution from ~2.5 Ga to the present, but it is unclear whether or not analogous processes operated before 2.5 Ga.

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