Saipan
Task page
Geologic Map of Saipan, Commonwealth of
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
The
island of Saipan, Commonweath of Northern Mariana Islands depends on
ground water, extracted from a thin, fresh water lens in an unconfined
karst aquifer, for its municipal water supply. Areas of the island face
chronic shortages and water rationing. With a population of about
70,000 and growing, the Commonwealth government and water authorities
need an accurate model of the geologic framework and distribution of
the ground-water resource to optimally manage current and future water
extraction.
In addition, a National Park Service (NPS) Unit, The American Memorial
Park, is located on the island. This park serves as an interpretive
center for the World War II battle that raged across the island in June
1944. The events of the battle were significantly affected by the
geology and physiography of the island. A modern, digital geologic map
is integral to interpretations of the landscape history of the island
and its effect on this historic event for the United States and Japan.
Photograph
of volcanic, volcaniclastic (foreground and island) and carbonate rocks
(background) exposed near Bird Island, Saipan.
The Karst Project has
completed field work leading to revision of the original geologic map
of Saipan (Cloud and others, 1956). This new map is GIS-based an will
be published within the next few years.
Click Here
to go to the webpage for a USGS report
titled: Ground-Water Resources of Saipan, Commonwealth of the
Northern Meriana Islands (Carruth, 2003). This publication has an
excellent synopsis of the previously mapped geology of the island.
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
