Geologic map of the Palisade Quadrangle, Mesa County, Colorado

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Paul Carrara

Publication_Date: 2000

Title: Geologic map of the Palisade Quadrangle, Mesa County, Colorado

Edition: 1.0

Series_Information:

Series_Name: USGS Miscellaneous Field Studies

Issue_Identification: MF-2326

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Denver, Colorado

Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Online_Linkage: <http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/mf-maps/mf-2326/>

Description:

Abstract:

The Palisade 1:24,000 quadrangle is in Mesa County in western Colorado. Because the map area is dominated by various surficial deposits, the map depicts 22 different Quaternary units. Two prominent river terraces are present in the quadrangle containing gravels deposited by the Colorado River. The map area contains many mass movement deposits. Extensive landslide deposits are present along the eastern part of the quadrangle. These massive landslides originate on the flanks of Grand Mesa, in the Green River and Wasatch Formations, and flow west onto the Palisade quadrangle. In addition, large areas of the eastern and southern parts of the map are covered by extensive pediment surfaces. These pediment surfaces are underlain by debris flow deposits also originating from Grand Mesa. Material in these deposits consists of mainly subangular basalt cobbles and boulders and indicate that these debris flow deposits have traveled as much as 10 km from their source area. The pediment surfaces have been divided into 5 age classes based on their height above surrounding drainages. Two common bedrock units in the map area are the Mancos Shale and the Mesaverde Group both of Upper Cretaceous age. The Mancos shale is common in low lying areas near the western map border. The Mesaverde Group forms prominent sandstone cliffs in the north-central map area. The map is accompanied by a separate pamphlet containing unit descriptions, a section on geologic hazards (including landslides, piping, gullying, expansive soils, and flooding), and a section on economic geology (including sand and gravel, and coal). A table indicates what map units are susceptible to a given hazard. Approximately twenty references are cited at the end of the report.

Purpose:

This map has been prepared to provide the first detailed view of the Palisade 1:24,000-scale quadrangle. Previous geologic mapping that encompassed the map area was at scales of 1:100,000 and 1:250,000. The Palisade area is an important agricultural region of Colorado, fruit orchards were first established in the area in the late 19th century. In addition, the Palisade quadrangle is undergoing rapid growth, as is the rest of the Grand Valley. Because of this rapid growth, the recognition of geologic hazards is important. The map depicts many surficial units associated with geologic hazards. The map is accompanied by a separate leaflet containing a section on geologic hazards (including landslides, piping, gullying, expansive soils, and flooding). A table indicates what map units are susceptible to a given hazard. The map will be of interest to town and county officials, land-use planners, as well as the general public.

Supplemental_Information:

Map political location: Mesa County, Colorado Compilation scale: 1:24,000 Geology mapped in 1996 and 1997

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 19970927

Currentness_Reference: publication date

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular.

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -108.375

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -108.25

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.125

South_Bounding_Coordinate:

39.00

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: AGI Glossary of Geology

Theme_Keyword: Landslides

Theme_Keyword: Mancos Shale

Theme_Keyword: Mesa Verde Formation

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: none

Place_Keyword: United States of America

Place_Keyword: Colorado

Place_Keyword:

Mesa County

Access_Constraints: none

Use_Constraints:

none. Acknowledgment of the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Data was entered and checked by the geologist who made the observations.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Map elements were visually checked by the author for overshoots, undershoots, duplicate features, and other errors. The map was reviewed by another geologist for consistency with basic geologic principles and general conformity to USGS mapping standards.

Completeness_Report:

Data is complete: no features were eliminated or generalized. Unit properties are described in the text explanation. A base map coverage is not included but is available separately.

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:

Lines were primarily positioned by photointerpretation of aerial photographs using a PG-2 photogrametric plotter that rectified the position and transferred it to a basemap. Lines were digitized from the basemap using a digitizer tablet with resolution of 0.001 inch. Additional lines and point observations were added in the field using positions determined by a PLGR-95 GPS unit with accuracy of about 10 meters. Most positions on the map are estimated to be accurate closer than 30 m horizontally. There is no elevation data in the database.

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

The Palisade geologic database was compiled using the GSMCAD public domain program (USGS Open-File Report 96-007). It was exported to ARC/INFO using the GSMCAD export function to create ARC generate ASCII files and the gsmarc.aml program in ARC to convert the ASCII files to ARC coverages and build polygons. The gsmdraw.aml program was used in ARC to produce a graphics file of the colored map. In addition an explanation sheet was produced that includes a correlation of map units diagram, a list of map unit names and corresponding symbols, and an explanation of graphical map symbols. Additional editing was performed in ARC/INFO to reformat the GIS databases for publication, including projection definition, elimination of duplicate label points, and joining of items such that no lookup tables are necessary. Illustrator Postscript files were generated in ARC/INFO to produce the Acrobat PDF browse graphic.

Process_Date: 19990827

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Map_Projection:

Map_Projection_Name: Lambert Conformal Conic

Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:

Standard_Parallel: 38.45

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -105.5

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 37.83

False_Easting: 00

False_Northing: 00

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair

Planar_Distance_Units: METERS

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.001

Ordinate_Resolution: 0.001

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1927

Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866

Semi-major_Axis: 6378206.4

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 294.98

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

The data is supplied in ARC/INFO export format and as Acrobat PDF files.

DATABASE STRUCTURE - ARC/INFO ====================================

The database of the map consists of four coverages (root name = pal).

palpoly coverage: Contains all contact lines and label points for each polygon. The CODE item defines the significance of the lines as listed below. The P1 item defines the category of polygon as listed below and in the TEXT and SYMBOL items in the palpoly.pat INFO file. The TEXT item contains the geologic unit abbreviations and and SYMBOL item contains the color524.shd color numbers.

palline coverage: Contains faults, fold axis, and other non-contact lines. Faults that are contacts also appear in the palpoly coverage. The CODE item defines the significance of the lines as listed below and in the palline.aat INFO file. The TEXT item contains the line feature description.

palsym coverage: Contains points recording observations, such as strike and dip of bedding, points for posting of dip or plunge values associated with the observation points, and arcs that draw out the symbols associated with the observation points and the symbols used to decorate certain lines. The CODE item defines the type of observation as listed below. For rotational observations (CODE 200 to 299) the P1 item is the azimuth (strike) and the P2 item is the inclination (dip).

paltext coverage: Contains text points that define the position, rotation, and size of text to appear on the face of the map. Also includes arcs that draw leaders from the text to the appropriate polygons. This coverage is for cartographic purposes and does not include data critical to the database information. The P1 item defines rotation of the text, the P2 item the size of text, and the TEXT item the actual text.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

Database root name: pal

P1 VALUE AND LETTER SYMBOLS FOR GEOLOGIC UNITS MAPPED======= 100,Qac 103,Qls 106,Kd 110,Qt1 112,Qt2 114,Qp 115,Qt3 118,Tg 147,Qfy 176,Qalc 177,Qdy 178,Qdu 179,QTbr 181,Qt 205,af 206,Tb 207,Tw 208,Kmv 209,Km 300,Water

FEATURES IN THE DATABASE------------------------- CODE | FEATURE 001 | contact; certain 003 | contact; approximately located 083 | Rollins ss contact line 090 | concealed contact 092 | topographic escarpment contact line 093 | water boundary contact line 095 | custom line A 099 | map boundary 201 | bedding attitude symbol 300 | Plots the symbol number read from P2 500 | Unit labels text & tag 501 | Hidden unit tags 502 | Ordinary text 503 | map text 700 | Splined text

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Central Publications Group

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: U.S. Geological Survey

Address: MS 902, Box 25046 DFC

City: Lakewood

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80225-0046

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (303) 236-5486

Distribution_Liability:

Although this digital spatial data has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, it is released on the condition that neither the USGS nor the United States Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: ARCE

Format_Version_Number: 7.1.2

Format_Version_Date: 1997

File_Decompression_Technique: tar, gzip

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name: <http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/mf-maps/mf-2326/>

Fees: none

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: USGS Information Services

Address: PO Box 25286

Address: Denver Federal Center

City: Denver

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80225

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (888) ASK-USGS

Resource_Description: I-2740

Distribution_Liability: none

Standard_Order_Process:

Non-digital_Form:

Available as a print-on-demand product consisting of one printed map sheet plus pamphlet.

Fees:

For current prices of USGS information products, please see <http://mapping.usgs.gov/esic/prices/.>

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20000320

Metadata_Review_Date: 20000320

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Paul E. Carrara

Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Surface Processes Team

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: U.S. Geological Survey

Address: MS 913, Box 25046 DFC

City: Lakewood

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80225-0046

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (303) 236-1287

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998