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4 <br />During the tertiary period, the rise of mountains began to occur <br />around this particular area, creating a high altitude valley or park <br />of cenozic and mesozoic age rocks. The mountains surrounding the park <br />are of pre-Cambrian naterial and are represented by the Front Range <br />on the east, Rabbit Fars on the south, the Park range on the west <br />and the Medicine Bow ;Mountains on the north (Colorado Geologic <br />Survey Bulletin No. 32). <br />Presently the area is drained by three major rivers: the Michigan, <br />the Illinois and the Canadian, all draining to the north. Of these, the <br />Canadian river lies nearest to the surveyed area, collecting nmoff <br />from rnvnerous draws draining the lease area and creating a series <br />of low northeast to southwest trending ridges. The water action <br />• has canbined with ~r~nd erosion to break down the local geologic <br />materials producing three major soil types: a Ge1Kie sandy loam, <br />a Morset loam and a Coalmont loam (Soil Conservation Service, [dalden, <br />Colorado). <br />In general, the area`s vegetation consists of an upland grass- <br />land-sagebrush steppe with a variety of sagebrush and grass species <br />represented. Vegetation cover tends to be sparse enough to provide <br />good to excellent surface visibility. A series of northeast flowing <br />drainages separating low interfluvial ridges provides some vegetative <br />diversity. <br />PREVIOUS CULTURAL RESO~F.CE INVESTIGATIONS <br />Archaeological survey in and adjacent to the Kerr Permit Area <br />. Baas first conducted under a Bureau of Land Management sponsored study <br />