Alibates Flint Quarries

https://www.nps.gov/alfl/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibates_Flint_Quarries_National_Monument Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is in Potter County, Texas. For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of Alibates Flint through the Great Plains and beyond. Indians of the Ice Age Clovis Culture used Alibates flint for spear points to hunt the Imperial Mammoth before the Great Lakes were formed. The flint usually lies just below the surface at ridge level in a layer up to six feet thick. The quarry pits were not very large, between 5 and 25 feet wide and 4 to 7 feet deep. Many of these quarries were exploited by the Antelope Creek people, of the Panhandle culture, between 1200 and 1450. The stone-slabbed, multi-room houses built by the Antelope Creek people have long been of interest to the public and studied by archaeologists. 13,000 years ago, this site was well-known by mammoth hunters as a source of flint for tools. Centuries passed, but the colorful flint never lost its value or usefulness in the Texas Panhandle. Learn how important this site was to the survival, commerce and culture of the people of the High Plains. Alibates Flint Quarries is located approximately 35 miles north of Amarillo, Texas. From I-40 in Amarillo, take Lakeside exit north towards Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Exit on TX 136 north towards Borger. After about 30 miles, turn west from TX 136 onto Cas Johnson Road. Park Service signs will be visible. Proceed approximately 3 miles to "Y" intersection and bear to right. Go northwest approximately 2 miles to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Visitor Center. Alibates Visitor Center The Alibates Visitor Center is home to exhibits, a theater and outdoor gardens, showcasing the history of Alibates Flint and the cultures that used this precious natural resource throughout the last 13,000 years. It is also the meeting place for ranger-led hikes and tours of the monument, demonstrations, and numerous special events throughout the year. Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 7 days a week . Limited wireless or cellular access is available. Alibates Flint Quarries is located approximately 35 miles north of Amarillo, Texas. From I-40 in Amarillo, take Lakeside exit north towards Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Exit on TX 136 north towards Borger. After about 30 miles, turn west from TX 136 onto Cas Johnson Road. Park Service signs will be visible. Proceed approximately 3 miles to "Y" intersection and bear to right. Go northwest approximately 2 miles to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Visitor Center. No Campgrounds Please visit Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, which is directly adjacent to the national monument, for places to camp. Turtle Petroglyph Turtle Petroglyph at Antelope Creek Village Site Turtle Petroglyph at Antelope Creek Village Site Alibates Visitor Center A view of the gardens and Alibates Visitor Center. The gardens and Alibates Visitor Center host activities and ranger-led programs throughout the year. Alibates Flint Colorful chunks of Alibates Flint. Used for at least 13,000 years, Alibates Flint was the choice of many tribes for their stone tools, spearpoints and arrowheads. Alibates Flint Quarries Trail Stair steps up the Alibates Flint Quarries Trail. Take a hike up the Quarries Trail to learn about this important stone. Snowy Alibates A snowy mesa, as seen from the Alibates Visitor Center. Every season hold special beauty at Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Texas Alibates flint deposits were used by indigenous peoples of the Texas Panhandle for thousands of years. The flint deposits are within the Alibates Dolomite, a marine unit within the Permian red beds of the Texas panhandle. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. park trail along riverside wetlands Climate Change in the Southern Plains Network Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds. Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) is an invasive plant that has invaded the Southern Plains Climate Monitoring in the Southern Plains, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here. Kayaking across a fl ooded parking lot, Chickasaw NRA, July 2007. Southwestern Plains The Plains of the Southwest include the southern Great Plains, the High Plains, Llano Estacado (Staked Plains), and Edwards Plateau. Sunset lights up the grass at Capulin Volcano National Monument Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Series: National Park Service Geodiversity Atlas The servicewide Geodiversity Atlas provides information on <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geoheritage-conservation.htm">geoheritage</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geodiversity.htm">geodiversity</a> resources and values all across the National Park System to support science-based management and education. The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1088/index.htm">NPS Geologic Resources Division</a> and many parks work with National and International <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/park-geology.htm">geoconservation</a> communities to ensure that NPS abiotic resources are managed using the highest standards and best practices available. park scene mountains Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Permian Period—298.9 to 251.9 MYA The massive cliffs of El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park represent a Permian-age reef along the supercontinent Pangaea. The uppermost rocks of Grand Canyon National Park are also Permian. flat-top mountain Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Guide to the Thomas J. Allen Photograph Collection Finding aid for the Thomas J. Allen Photographs in the NPS History Collection.