Range

Resource Note 80

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NO. 80 DATE 07/5/05

Range

Soils/geology

Mancos Shale 

Literature Review 

on the Colorado 

Plateau

By Lynn Jackson, Resource 

Advisor—Science and Outreach, 

BLM, Moab Field Office, Utah

Background

A literature review entitled “Mancos Shale Literature Review on the 

Colorado Plateau” was prepared 

by Utah State University (Logan) 

for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under provisions of 

the Colorado Plateau Cooperative 

Ecosystem Study Unit program. It 

is provided as a printed report with 

an accompanying CD-ROM. 

The main focus of the literature 

review project was to identify available information directly related to 

research of the Mancos Shale on 

the Colorado Plateau. The literature review was further focused on 

salinity and disturbance effects on 

the Mancos formation, in an effort 

to provide relevant, current information to regional land managers 

and staff specialists dealing with an 

array of management and planning 

issues on Mancos landscapes.

Most citations deal with salinity 

and geochemistry and, to a lesser 

degree, with erosion and sedimentation. Because the primary objectives of the project were to identify 

research related to disturbance associated with the Mancos formation, 

and our review identified only minimal references for direct research 

on the Mancos, additional citations 

were included that deal with disturbance in other arid western United 

States areas—principally in the 

Mojave Desert.

Discussion

Printed Reference Document

There are six reference categories in 

the printed report:

• Salinity–selenium–geochemistry

• Soils–erosion–sedimentation

• Disturbance

• Dust

• Reclamation–restoration

• Vegetation–soil crust–invasive 

species 

Salinity, selenium, and geochemistry papers focus primarily on issues 

of water quality, salt transport 

mechanisms, speciation and dissolution paths, salt quantities and 

sources, effects on soils and other 

biota, geomorphic influences, surface runoff and erosional relationships to salt mechanics, and case 

examples of impact assessments.

The soils, erosion, and sedimentation citations overlap with other 

groups—principally disturbance; 

however the focal point of this section considers the natural dynamics of these features as they apply 

to the Mancos or Mancos-like 

formations. These papers primarily discuss water infiltration and 

runoff rates, sediment yield, mass 

movement, vegetation cover, geomorphic features and effects on 

erosion and sedimentation, and 

fluvial mechanics.

The facets of disturbance research 

presented include damage to 

natural soil stabilizers, soil displacement, damage to vegetation, 

increased mechanical erosion, 

soil compaction (increased bulk 

density), reduced soil moisture, increased soil temperature, 

increased runoff, and increased 

sediment loading and effects on 

mammals and fish. There are 

multiple citations of direct measurements from various forms of 

disturbance on arid desert soils in 

the Mancos formation and in other 

areas of the southwestern United 

States.

Dust research presented focuses 

primarily on characteristics of dust 

sources and the mechanisms of 

movement, influence of biotic and 

physical crusts in dust suppression, 

relations of dust to disturbance, 

particle sizes, distribution and wind 

Figure. A researcher studies dust derived from Mancos Shale along highway I-70 near 

Moab, Utah.

Photo by Lynn Jackson
Range

Resource Note 80

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velocities required to move dust, 

nutrient input and losses to soil 

biota from dust, and geomorphic 

effects.

Reclamation and restoration citations presented in the printed 

reference primarily consider 

reclamation of saline soils, treatment effects on soil biota, soil 

amendments and effects on runoff 

and sediment yield, natural revegetation patterns, and the role of 

mycorrhizae in revegetation in 

arid areas.

Vegetation, soil or microbiotic 

crust, and invasive species consider 

new plant species on the Mancos 

formation, the role of competition 

in arid environments, plant community relations, soil characteristics and nutrient effects related to 

invasive species, and the new concept of state and transition modeling of ecological sites and potential 

applications for management.

CD-ROM

The CD-ROM contains, in addition to the references available in 

the printed report, an extended 

literature review with more than 

700 references in EndNote bibliographic management software 

format, copies of more than 260 

papers in PDF format, and a document in Microsoft Word of the 

printed report. 

With EndNote software, specific 

keyword searches may be performed on the complete data set in 

the CD-ROM. The software will 

also link to PDF files so the full 

manuscript can be read by placing 

the folder with the PDF files on 

the C drive. If you wish to access 

the PDF folder from a different 

location in your computer, you 

can do so by changing the URL 

address in the EndNote file.

Conclusions

With the scope of the bibliographic 

analysis, it is difficult to provide a 

quick summary. However, it seems 

some general conclusions can be 

drawn. The first conclusion is that 

there has not been an abundance 

of direct research conducted on the 

Mancos Shale regarding the effects 

of disturbance, particularly related 

to the rangelands managed by the 

BLM. There is much research, 

however, on the effects of irrigated 

lands on the Mancos formation, 

which have limited applicability to 

BLM’s management concerns.

Fortunately, this situation is being 

addressed by research being carried 

out primarily by the U.S. Geological Survey near Montrose and 

Grand Junction, Colorado, and 

near Moab and Caineville, Utah. 

Within the next 2 or 3 years we 

should have additional quantified 

information on how soils, vegetation, and salinity on the Mancos 

formation react to disturbance and 

reclamation measures.

A third conclusion that could be 

drawn from the literature is that 

the present anecdotal “wisdom” in 

some arenas that our disturbance 

activities “can’t hurt this formation” 

seems false. The research literature 

rather conclusively indicates that 

disturbance on saline, fine-grained 

soils in arid environments increases 

salinity loads, sedimentation, 

compaction, dust generation, loss 

of vegetation and soil crusts, and 

appreciably affects water retention 

and infiltration capacities and subsequent vegetative growth.

Although these landscapes may 

seem inhospitable and relatively 

devoid of vegetation, we need to 

be extremely careful when implementing management or planning 

actions associated with them.

See below for further information 

or to obtain a copy of this report 

and CD-ROM. The report is available from the Moab Field Office, 

or is available for loan from the 

BLM library. 

Contact

Lynn Jackson

Resource Advisor—Science and 

Outreach

Bureau of Land Management

Moab Field Office

82 East Dogwood Avenue

Moab, Utah 84532

Phone: 435-259-2150

Fax: 435-259-2106

Email: Lynn_Jackson@blm.gov

or

Bureau of Land Management 

Library

Building 50, Denver Federal 

Center

P.O. Box 25047

Denver CO 80225-0047

Phone: 303-236-6650

Fax: 303-236-4810

Email: blm_library@blm.gov

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which are posted on this Web site 

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are early announcements of technical and informational 

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peer-reviewed. Conclusions and opinions expressed 

herein do 

not necessarily represent those of BLM. Use of trade 

names does not imply U.S. government endorsement of 

commercial products.

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(Debbie_Harris@blm.gov)

Graphic Designer - Ethel Coontz (Ethel_Coontz@blm.gov)

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