Abstract
The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA constitutes a paradigm for reconciling contemporary human actions and geological heritage conservation. The Amphitheatre, built upon red beds of the east flank of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, was constructed in the late 1930s with close attention to and respect for the existing geological landform. The park surrounding the performance space is incorporated in the Mountains Park System together with the adjoining Dinosaur Ridge/Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark. Together, the Red Rocks Park and the Dinosaur Ridge provide access to an informative geological cross-section that exemplifies the geology of the Rocky Mountains, from the Precambrian crystalline basement to and across the Phanerozoic cover. Park visitors and concert goers may explore or encounter the transect along walks that are marked by geology information panels. The situation of the Amphitheatre performance space within the geological transect provides a powerful example of the coexistence of different values and multiple uses that may increase the heritage of the site. Settings like this that educate and increase civic awareness of locations of geological value are potentially positive for geoconservation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennett MR, Doyle P, Glassert NF, Larwood JG (1997) An assessment of the “conservation void” as a management technique for geological conservation in disused quarries. J Environ Manage 50:223–233
Borsich W (1994) Lanzarote & César Manrique. 7 Monuments, Yaiza, Las Palmas
Bourdier J-P, Minh-ha TT (1996) Drawn from African dwellings. Indiana University Press, Bloomington
Caballero JM (2006) Destruction at all co(a)sts. Greenpeace report about the Spanish coast situation
Carcavilla J, Durán JJ, García-Cortés A, López-Martínez J (2009) Geological heritage and geoconservation in Spain: past, present, and future. Geoheritage 1:75–91
Carreras J, Druguet E (1999) The geological heritage of the Cap de Creus peninsula (NE Spain): some keys for its conservation. Geol Balc 28:43–47
Carreras J, Druguet E (2000) Geological Heritage, an essential part of the integral management of World Heritage in protected sites: its conservation and management. In: Wimbledon WAP, Gallego E, Barettino D (eds) Geological heritage: conservation and management. IGME, Madrid, pp 101–118
Cashman KV, Giordano G (2008) Volcanoes and human history. J Volcanol Geoth Res 176:325–329
Chronic H, Williams F (2002) Roadside geology of Colorado, 2nd edn. Mountain Press, Montana
Colorado Geological Survey: Geologic Mapping by CGS, http://geosurvey.state.co.us/Default.aspx?tabid=37. Accessed November 2009
Denevan WM (1966) The aboriginal cultural geography of the Llanos de Mojos of Bolivia. University of California, Ibero-Americana 48, Berkeley
Gordon JE, Leys KF (2001) Earth science and the natural heritage: interactions and integrated management. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh
Gray M (2004) Geodiversity: valuing and conserving abiotic nature. Wiley, Chichester
Houshold I, Sharples C (2008) Geodiversity in the wilderness: a brief history of geoconservation in Tasmania. Geol Soc Spec Publ 300:257–272
Inaner H, Savasçin Y (1999) Natural and cultural geological heritage of Anatolia. In: Barrettino D, Vallejo M, Gallego E (eds) Towards the balanced management and conservation of the geological heritage the new millenium. IGME, Madrid, pp 253–261
Kaplan JO, Krumhardt KM, Zimmermann N (2009) The prehistoric and preindustrial deforestation of Europe. Quat Sci Rev 28:3016–3034
Macfarlane R (2007) The wild places. Penguin, London
Mallarach JM (1999) Criteris i mètodes d’avaluació del patrimoni natural. Documents dels Quaderns de medi ambient. Dept. de Medi Ambient, Barcelona
Mann CC (2011) 1493: Uncovering the new world columbus created. Knopf Publishers, New York
McGuire WJ, Griffiths DR, Hancock PL, Stewart IS (2000) The archaeology of geological catastrophes. Geological Society of London, London
Noel TJ (2004) Sacred Stones: Colorado’s Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas, Denver
Runte A (1997) National Parks: the American experience, 3rd edn. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln
Schelhas J (2010) The US national parks in international perspective: the Yellowstone model or conservation syncretism? In: Polisciano G, Farina O (eds) National Parks: vegetation, wildlife, and threats. Nova Science, New York, pp 83–103
Smith M, Browne M (2008) Sill edges climbers closer to geological knowledge. Earth Herit 29:24
Temel A, Gündogdu MN, Gourgaud A, Le Pennec JL (1998) Ignimbrites of Cappadocia (Central Anatolia, Turkey): petrology and geochemistry. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 85:447–471
Theodossiou-Drandaki I (1998) The Natural environment in urban areas. Geol Balc 28:143–152
Wimbledon WAP, Barnard A, Peterken A (2004) Geosite management—a widely applicable, practical approach. In: Parkes MA (ed) Natural and cultural landscapes—the geological foundation. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, pp 187–192
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (project CGL2007-66857-C02-01) and by the “Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR Agency” (2008 BE-1 0023) for a research stay of JC in the USA. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and to editors J Brilha and WAP Wimbledon, some of whose comments contributed to improve the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carreras, J., Druguet, E. & Siddoway, C.S. Geological Heritage Beyond Natural Spaces: The Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO, USA), an Example of Syncretism Between Urban Development and Geoconservation. Geoheritage 4, 205–212 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-012-0062-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-012-0062-4