Natural History of El Malpais National Monument (Bulletin Series)

The name "El Malpais" comes from early Spanish explorers. Literally it means "the bad country." The area, now known as El Malpais National Monument, has been a laboratory for natural history studies since the 1920s. This bulletin contains 14 chapters written by volcanologists, mineralogists, botanists, cave ecologists, zoologists, and others, representing more than 20,000 hours of field work from 1970 through 1996. There's something for everyone: Color photo atlas of volcanic landforms in El Morro area Comparative analysis of six Quaternary dating techniques as applied to lava flows Geologic history of Zuni-Bandera volcanic field Lava tube caves: formation and ecology-mineralogy, fauna, cave ice Lava flow plant and animal communities Rare, old trees including the oldest known living Douglas fir in North America History of wildfire History of human occupation Glossary of geological and biological terms Historic photos, maps, charts, species lists, and much more For this retrospective glimpse at the findings made during the 1940s in the Grants Malpais, the author concentrates on some of its features that he thought illustrates the uniqueness of the area. When the National Monument and Conservation Area were established in 1988, one of the National Park Service's first goals was to untangle the complex stories of El Malpais and their relationship to the global picture. Before the Park Service could develop interpretive materials, unanswered questions about unique features of the Monument needed scientific investigation. Beginning in 1989, the Park Service recruited and encouraged a broad range of scientists to delve into the secrets of this unique volcanic landscape.