integration of field exercises in a one-year sed/strat/structure course leading to a capstone field...

Integration of Field Exercises in a One-year Sed/Strat/Structure Course Leading to a Capstone

Field ExperienceLawrence Malinconico

David SunderlinLafayette College, Easton, PA

What is this all about?• Background - Course Requirements• Combining Sed/Strat & Structure• Field Labs in preparation for capstone• Capstone Field experience – Wyoming• Integration of analog and digital field

techniques• Issues

Background

• Departmental Response• 15 years ago• College went to 32 course

graduation requirement• Loss of approximately 4 courses• Required departments to reduce

major requirements: • BS: 15 to 11, plus 5 related sciences• AB: 9 courses

Background

• Among other courses – no longer require field camp• Result in loss of comprehensive field

experience & now perhaps only 10% of our students complete a summer field course• Departmental response:• try to include field experiences in all upper-

level geology courses• all but 2 of our upper-level courses have

significant field projects

Combining Sed/Strat & Structure

• These courses are typically partitioned into two separate semesters• However we feel that the two disciplines are

actually intimately related• For example: orogenesis creates the source for clastic

depositional materials

Combining Sed/Strat & Structure

• First semester focus:• Structure (3 weeks)• Focus on plate tectonics & basin genesis/types

• Sed/Strat (11 weeks)• focus on sedimentary lithologies, bedforms,

depositional environments, unit correlation w/in basin

Combining Sed/Strat & Structure

• Second semester focus:• Sed/Strat (3 weeks)• focus on depositional environments, sequence

stratigraphy

• Structure (11 weeks)• focus on deformation mechanisms & forms• also preparation for field project in Wyoming

What are the lab field projects – 1st semester?

• Introductory section measuring & field sketching• (jacob staff use, strike/dip, carbonate rock

description)

• Rift Basin I (Stockton & Lockatong Fms.)• Add positional data (GPS, geologic map ties),

section drafting (Illustrator, SedLog), siliciclastic rock description (SS, mudrocks)

• Rift Basin II (Passaic Fm.)• Add sedimentary structure, conglomerate

field description (point counts, imbrication, etc.) and full basin history inference from Newark sediments (including report)

What are the lab field projects – 1st semester?

• Foreland Basin I (Martinsburg & Shawangunk Fms.) • Introduce literature reading as background,

integrate structural measurements of contact?, reinforce sedimentary description skills

• Foreland Basin II (Bloomsburg Fm.)• Add fold measurements, reinforce

sedimentary descriptions & basin fill history

• Foreland Basin III (Mahantango & Marcellus Fms.)• Biostratigraphic concepts, basin fill history

What are the lab field projects – 1st semester?

• Foreland Basin IV (Catskill & Pocono Fms.) • Reinforce fold measurements and basin fill history

• Foreland Basin V (Finger Lakes weekend trip) (Hamilton, Genesee, & Sonyea Groups)• lateral variation in basin fill history

• Tectonics and Basin development • understanding the structural relationships between

orogenic belts and sedimentary basins (2 weeks)

• Introduction to using Brunton compass• Basin Report due at end

* typical “structure” topic

What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester?

• Field Labs are in addition to weekly lab book assignments • manipulating structural data • reading geologic maps• constructing cross-sections

• Pace and compass maps with closure error, • learn to estimate distances using

pace, and directions with Brunton

• Brunton: • vertical angles and strike and dip on

the Allentown formation.

What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester?

• Bighorn Basin rock identification• from collected samples

• Stratigraphy• determine the sequence of

depositional events • limited set 1st week• complete set 2nd week

• Result is a preliminary strat section for the basin

• Jacobs staff field practice• Sequence stratigraphy using

observation from basin rocks

* typical “sed/strat” topic

What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester?• Shawangunk Conglomerate and

Martinsburg Shale, fault boundary• continue to improve Brunton skills • determine nature of contact

• (fault, formations are not conformable)

• recognize fault motion indicators• slickenlines

• Allentown Formation w/ asymmetric ripples • strike and dip skills• elements within the bedding plane• overturned bed – rotated back to

horizontal – determine flow direction

What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester?

• Onondaga and Schoharie Formation – open to overturned folds• interpreting dips which all dip in the same direction• incorporate stratigraphic information to inform the structural

interpretation.

• Passaic Formation – normal faults• fault, slickenline orientations• calculate % extension

What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester?

• Rickenbach Formation – bedding and joint set• relationship between folding• final brunton practice

• Reports – formal, professional• intro sections must include a

stratigraphic description of the formations• additionally, each successive report

includes a start column with all the formations visited to date highlighted – understanding age relationships

App 70% of lab time involves field projects

Capstone Field Project – 22nd week

• Sheep Mountain, Wyoming• 6 day trip over Fall break (mid-

October)• 4 full field days possible

• Objectives• collect data set appropriate for

• structural and stratigraphic interpretation

• be able to develop a depositional and deformational history of the region• will require literature research upon

return from the field

Capstone Field Project – 22nd week• Day 1• whole group does partial traverse

through the section• initial structural measurements• develop the stratigraphic section

• Days 2 & 3• complete three traverses in teams

of two

• Day 4 • walk out contacts• focus on problem areas

• fault in north central part of the area

• More work than can be completed in 4 days

Capstone Field Project – 22nd week• Field Data• Structure

• formation strike and dips• contacts

• orientation• nature

• Stratigraphy• formation description

• Data Collection• Google/Bing maps paper base (8 x 10)• field notebooks, bruntons• location info from Garmin gps

• data recorded on micro sd cards and field books

• Evening• Transfer information to larger image base (20 “ x 30”)

• enter each data location (lat/long) into Google Earth coded by observation type• formation (strike and dip)• contact (strike and dip)• fault (type)

• compare locations • field map• Google Maps

• Complete transfer• correct map symbol• correct orientation

Capstone Field Project – 22nd week

Capstone Field Project – 22nd week

• Almost no lecturing last 6 weeks – work on Sheep Mountain Data – group work• Tangibles – these are submitted according to a schedule

• Stratigraphic section• Geologic Map – 1st draft, 2nd draft (paper or GIS)• Geologic cross-sections (three) – 1st draft, 2nd draft (paperP• Stereoplots of fold data (digital and/or paper)

• Descriptions of the folds

• Literature research on regional tectonics and stress fields• Report (individual) & presentation (poster - team)

• “Depositional and deformational History of Sheep Mountain, Wyoming” – multiple drafts• this course fulfills a College-wide writing requirement• professionally completed (bound, pockets, digital data)

Capstone Field Project – 23rd – 28th week

Advantages

• Funding• Currently supported by the College

• Cost per person is approximately $850• In the process of raising and endowment to support the cost

• $200,000 to $250,000• several interested alumni who understand the value of field-based

research

• Weather• October can be ideal but…

• Need to take two semester sequence in order to go…

• Summer melt…• Evolving curriculum - Assessment

Issues

• Over the 28 weeks our students clearly evolved into “geologists”

Discussion?

Value?