Download Point Reyes National Park

Point Reyes National Park
By: James Rivard
Year Of Establishment
Point Reyes, north of San Francisco California, was named a National
Park on September 16th, 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. The
rocky outcropping and shape had brought many travelers, including
traveling ships dangerously close, migratory birds of all kinds, and
flowering plant species. The park was established as a National Park
because 20% of all flowering plants in the state and over 45% of all
bird species in North America have been sighted in the region. It was
also established because of the lighthouse, which sat and operated on
Point Reyes for over a hundred years.
The Forming Of The Park
Scientists believe that the peninsula formed 100,000 years ago,
around 350 miles south, near the Monterey Bay. Around 15 million
years ago, it began to slowly ride the Plate Tectonics north-westward
to it’s current location. The Peninsula rests on the Pacific Plate,
unlike the rest of the United States, which lies east, on the NorthAmerican Plate eastward over the San Andres Fault. The peninsula
rests now Northwest of San Francisco on the west side of the San
Andres Fault Line.
Rocks Found In The Park
There are many rocks found on Point Reyes. The most commonly
found minerals on Point Reyes are different types of Granite, Sand,
Drakes Bay Formation, and Monterey Shale. Other rocks and minerals,
such as Sandstone, Alluvium, and Point Reyes Conglomerate, can also
be found scattered about in the National Park. The most commonly
found minerals in the park are located, for the most part, in the
center of the park, whilst the rocks not as common are mostly pushed
to the shores of Point Reyes.
Special Landforms and
Features In The Park
There are a few special landforms and features listed in the park
today. The largest, and probably most impressive, is the Monterey
Shale. The Monterey Shale consists of large strips of rock that stretch
outward to the ocean in wavy lines. They are known for their
beautiful alternating colors and huge sizes. Along with the Monterey
Shale, there are looming hills of Granite, Sandstone, and Alluvium,
rising from the seashore at large angles to form gorgeous peaks. The
tall hills and outstretched Shale highlight a big part of the National
Parks natural beauty.
Land Changes
At Point Reyes, not much of the land in the relative center is
changing. However, on the coasts, much of it is. The constant attacks
of slapping waves against the rocky sides of today’s Point Reyes has
caused erosion over large periods of time. The narrow shores of sand
that dip down from the looming mountains of rock on Point Reyes are
constantly changing as the waves slice the sand. The old rocks that
fall to meet the sea are slowly losing shape and size as millions of
water particles bombard it each day, slowly removing tiny chunks of
the rock in the National Park.
Environmental Issues
Like many if not all other National parks in the world, Point Reyes is
being affected by environmental issues. For the most part, there are
only two major problems. The first is a disposal problem. Trash
thrown onto the peninsula and trash thrown around the peninsula are
polluting the landscape on and around the Park. The natural
landscape is becoming damaged from tourism impurities. The other
major effect on the peninsula is the lack of animal species on Point
Reyes. The small area and inconvenient location allow the greater
percentage of the animal population to consist of birds. The small
collection of other animals are dwindling under the circumstances and
besides birds, all the other animals are not migratory animals. These
causes have put some what of a limit on the environment today.
Maps Of The Park
How Technology Is Used In The Park
Technology in Point Reyes has little to do with the peninsula, but the
part it does play is an important one. The park is almost all
completely natural, without human interactions, on most parts. But
technology does maintain and preserve the Point Reyes lighthouse.
The lighthouse, now over 100 years old, is still preserved to the way it
relatively was years before. The lighthouse’s beam of light still twirls
around the peninsula, paving the warning just the same as it did a
time ago.
Pictures
Pictures
Bibliography
Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S National Park Service).
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 18 May 2010.
Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm>.
Point Reyes - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
7 May 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Reyes>.
Point Reyes Lighthouse.
Tomales Bay Publishing Company, 18 May 2010.
Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://www.ptreyeslight.com/lthouse.html>.