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El Morro National MonumentImage of inscription carved by Pedro Romero
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El Morro National Monument
Monitoring and Preservation
 
Image of park rangers monitoring a crack in Inscription Rock.
NPS Photo
Park rangers monitor a crack in Inscription Rock.
El Morro is an important link to the past and natural deterioration of that link is a concern. Even though the inscriptions on Inscription Rock are very old, dating back to the 1600's, and the petroglyphs are anywhere from 700-1000 years old, they will not be here forever.

The processes of erosion, weathering and plant growth all take their toll. Sand grains wear away, rocks crumble and fall, and lichens and clay deposits cover the historic carvings. Important inscriptions become illegible or fall from the face of the bluff. A part of the evidence of our heritage is crumbling away.

The National Park Service hopes to preserve this evidence for as long as possible by assessing, monitoring and treating the inscriptions and the rocks in which they are carved. Dowload our Monitoring and Preservation brochure (608k PDF file) to learn more about the projects underway at El Morro National Monument.
Image of National Park Service Volunteer monitoring the large crack in the rock
Rockfall Monitoring
Learn how park rangers can try to predict rockfalls.
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Image of National Park Service preservationist trying to save an inscription
Inscription Preservation
Saving 400-year-old inscriptions is all in a day's work!
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Image of historic Mesa-top Trail at El Morro National Monument  

Did You Know?
The Mesa-top Trail at El Morro National Monument was hand-carved into the sandstone by a Civil Works Administration (CWA) crew in 1933. CWA was one of the New Deal programs initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

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Last Updated: May 05, 2007 at 18:41 EST