Capitol Reef Questions and Answers
On this page you will find questions that I answered and, used to find information on Capitol Reef National Park.
What year did the park become an official National Park and why?
Capitol Reef became an official national park in 1971. Capitol Reef was first named a national monument by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 2, 1937, but later was named a national park by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971 to protect the majority of the Waterpocket Fold. Also Capitol Reef was named a national park to protect the canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths.
Question: How was the park formed? (From an earth science perspective)
Capitol Reef national park was formed by a shallow layer of sandstone and limestone. Streams then deposited silt and the sea was uplifted and experienced erosion. Later Volcanic ash, rocks, logs sand and mud were added to the sea.
What types of rocks can be found inside Capitol Reef National Park?
In Capitol Reef National Park clastic rock can be found. The rocks of Capitol Reef were once sediments - silt, sand, clay, volcanic ash, and gravel - laid down in many different environments during the Age of Dinosaurs, and long before. The younger rocks lie on top of the older rocks. Most of the rocks at Capitol Reef National Park are sedimentary. That means it was formed loosely from sediments like mud and sand.
http://www.travelwest.net/parks/capitolreef/scenicdrive.html
http://www.travelwest.net/parks/capitolreef/scenicdrive.html
What special landforms or features are inside Capitol Reef National Park?
Inside Capitol Reef there is something called the Waterpocket Fold, which extends over 100 miles in a desert in central Utah. Waterpocket Fold is a geological landform that defines Capitol Reef.
Question: What Environmental Issues are currently affecting Capitol Reef National park?
Answer: Pollution from surrounding areas around and by the park has taken a huge toll over the park. Animals and visitors and just the park in general are being affected by this problem. At night animals are blinded by lights and often get confused. Also non native animals are finding their ways into the park, which affects the animals and people of the park.
Question: How is technology bring used to preserve and maintain Capitol Reef National Park?
Answer: Technology is being used in Capitol Reef in many ways. These ways include:
Ranger Scientists use:
-GPS/GIS for mapping
-all kinds of special equipment and computers for collecting information about plant and animal populations, geologic processes, night sky quality, visitor impacts, and much more
-desktop computers and software for creating reports and doing research
Visitor and Resource Protection Rangers use:
-radios for communication
-GPS and technical equipment for patrolling and Search and Rescue
-desktop computers and software for creating reports and doing research
Interpretive Rangers:
-desktop computers for communication and doing research
-the park film/website/projectors for conveying information and presentations
-radios for communication
-'historic' technologies, such as atlatls, drop spindles, butter churns are sometimes used to demonstrate how peoples from the past lived in the area
Ranger Scientists use:
-GPS/GIS for mapping
-all kinds of special equipment and computers for collecting information about plant and animal populations, geologic processes, night sky quality, visitor impacts, and much more
-desktop computers and software for creating reports and doing research
Visitor and Resource Protection Rangers use:
-radios for communication
-GPS and technical equipment for patrolling and Search and Rescue
-desktop computers and software for creating reports and doing research
Interpretive Rangers:
-desktop computers for communication and doing research
-the park film/website/projectors for conveying information and presentations
-radios for communication
-'historic' technologies, such as atlatls, drop spindles, butter churns are sometimes used to demonstrate how peoples from the past lived in the area
Question: How is the land inside Capitol Reef National Park currently changing?
Answer: Erosion is an ongoing process. However Erosion happens over millions of years. The name waterpocket is based on the ongoing erosion of the rock layers.
