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TRANSCRIPT
Radio Description of Geologic Features:
Examples and Conclusions
by
Ivo Lucchitta, John W. M'Gonigle
and David Schleicher
May 1969
Prepared under NASA Contract No. T-65253G
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
UNITED STATES GSOUXJICAL SURVEY.
OPEN FIH REPORT
This report is preliminary and has not been edited or reviewed for conformity wiih U. S. Geological Survey standards and nomenclature.
Radio Description of Geologic Features:
Examples and Conclusions*
By Ivo Lucchitta, John W. M'Gonigle and David Schleicher
Introduction
This report presents three examples of radio description of geologic
features. The descriptions and their annotations reflect ideas derived
from a field test held in the Rainbow Gardens area, near Las Vegas, Nev.,
in April 1967. The test employed a data-reduction center conceptually
similar to that proposed for lunar exploration. The purpose of the test
was to study certain aspects of geologic exploration description, com
munication, and recording--as adapted for use with the data center. In
the test, a field man (corresponding to the astronaut) radioed geologic
descriptions to the data center, where a "communicator" edited them for
clarity and completeness, while "recorders" systematically recorded des
criptive data and compiled maps and sections.
A basic function of a data center is to analyze incoming geologic
data, so as to be able to redirect a continuing geologic traverse to
ensure gathering the greatest possible amount of significant information
in the time available. If the center is to function efficiently, the
data team must be able to promptly assimilate the incoming field data,
record them unambiguously, and literally visualize the field relations;
otherwise, they cannot really contribute to the field man's efforts.
The need for immediate intelligibility of the field data implies a need
for systematic description procedures. The discussion of such procedures
in the test report** is documented and illustrated by the descriptions
in this paper.
*Prepared under NASA-Contract No. T-65253G**Lucchitta, Ivo, M'Gonigle, J. W., Schleicher, David, and Hait, M. H.,
1969, Use of a data center in geologic mapping: A test report, in Geologi- Survey research, 1969: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 650-C [in press].
Transcript
Part A of this paper presents a description taken from the test
and a revised improved description covering the same ground in about
the same detail. Both descriptions have explanatory annotations. The
field transcript has been "edited" as well, in order to emphasize its
ambiguities; many of these are admittedly minor, but they are the
very things that make the final assembly of a geologic report so
difficult. The editing is by no means complete, and the improved version
is by no means perfect; both are merely illustrative. "C," "Rj 1 and "F"
refer to communicator, recorder, and field man, respectively. The field
man in this test is an experienced and articulate field geologist.
Obviously, it is relatively easy to edit and v improve the transcript of
a rough field description. The point is that the subject matter of
this description is really so routine and so straight/forward that a
methodical approach and a little practice in systematic description would
have largely eliminated the need for editing.
Part B presents an example of what we would consider a "good"
description. Though based on the test, it is fictitious, the better
to illustrate several points to be made. No responses from the data
center are given, since the example focuses on description, rather than
on the interplay between field man and data center.
Perhaps the best way to understand the importance of a systematic
approach to geologic description is to assume the role -of recorder, that
is, actually to sketch sections or diagrams from the information given
in the descriptions.
Summary and Conclusions
If geologic descriptions are to be radioed to a data center, they
should be immediately intelligible; to be intelligible, they must be
presented systematically. A description guide has proved to be one
means for doing this successfully. The following conclusions were
drawn from the field test and were employed in constructing the
^improved-** and fictitious descriptions.
1) A description guide is a valuable mnemonic aid. Because any such
guide is deliberately concise hence hot comprehensive practice is
required for its proficient use.
2) Description should be systematic and should, in general, proceed
from the system to the component, the general to the particular, the
rule to the exception, the far to the near. This is necessary not only
to ensure the satisfactory communication of information, but to encour
age the completeness and accuracy of the observation itself, in some
cases bringing out details and relations otherwise unseen. Descriptions
probably need not be rigidly systematized; certainly, though, an or
ganized presentation aids recording. Because such a procedure is
logical, it is relatively easy to learn and use.
3) In general, information should not be given between stops on a
traverse because it is confusing and almost impossible to record
systematically.
4) For each description, it is important to establish the geologic
context against which information can be seen, understood, and
evaluated. Accordingly, the field man should first present a
generalized picture, indicating what information he will give and,
in some cases, why. In general, geologic objectives should be planned
before the traverses, and the data center should remind the field man
of them at each stopping point.-
5) The field man should categorize or label information before giving
it; he.should, for example, indicate whether the information should go
on a map or on a recording form, or whether it is an incidental note
to appear only on magnetic tape. He should also indicate how detailed
his description will be, thereby preparing the data team for recording
the data in the most appropriate ways. If the field man plans to give
information on a particular subject at a later time, he should say so.
6) Verbal description of geometric relations is difficult. Until an
electromechanical line tracer or similar device becomes available, such
description should be kept to a minimum. Possibly, geometric information
should be handled by conventional mapping, or by annotating Polaroid
photographs in the field; the function of the data center would then be
to compile and coordinate only verbal data.
7) Frequent summarization of data by the data center for the field
man enables the entire team to check the data for errors and to keep
abreast of the compilations. »
8) Whenever possible, the field man should describe objects by com
parison with familiar objects or with objects that were described pre
viously.
9) Distinctive, characteristic, and important features of any object
should be mentioned even though they may seem "obvious" to the field man.
10) Topographic and photogeologic features should be labeled before
the traverses to speed up description.
11) The field man should not waste time verbally describing features
that are best portrayed by a photograph, but he should give enough
information about each photograph to make its significance clear.
"Editing"-
A.
ACTUAL DES
CRIP
TION
Field
Tran
scri
pt
Text
F;
OK.
I am in
the mi
ddle
part hold on
a mi
nute
(pau
se) in
the
middle part of U
nit
four>
at
the
foll
owin
g co
ordi
nate
s:
(pau
se)
C: -That
was
a li
ttle
bi
t "s
tati
cky.
" Le
t me
repeat
these
coordinates
as I
got
them:
five po
int
eight,
H po
int
thre
e-ei
ght,
over.
F:
You're co
ming
in
intermittently.
Repeat.
C:
Your co
ordi
nate
s ar
e as
follows:
five po
int
eight,
H po
int
thre
e-ei
ght,
ra
ther
H
three
poin
t ei
ght,
ov
er.
F:
Yeah
, th
at is
correct.
There's
a broad
wash
cutt
ing
through
ligh
t an
d da
rk b
ands at
that
point.
C:
Check.
F:
You
hear me?
Comm
ents
Coor
dina
tes
specify
his
geo
graphic
posi
tion
} sh
ould
pr
eced
e ot
her
comments.
Desc
ript
ion
shou
ld be
th
ough
t ou
t be
fore
communication.
Unne
cess
aril
y wordy.
Notations
shou
ld ha
ve been
worked out
before te
st.
Confirmation of
location,
but
not
very
specific;
howe
ver,
ma
y have be
en cl
ear
to
geol
ogis
t with ai
r photos.
Here an
d co
mmon
ly el
sewh
ere
F does no
t indicate th
at hi
s transmission is ov
er.
"Editing"
Text
Comments
'* I /
li -fk
.'jTO
<j-A.sk ^
C:
Yes,
go ahead.
Can you
hear us?
F:
You. keep getting cu
t ou
t.
C:
How do
you
read
me now?
F:
OK.
(Pause)
At th
is point
I am on th
e west
edge
of a dark strip th
at ru
ns across,
over.
(.1
C:
Roge
r.
~ s
Oo
/~d
tf
F:
The
sect
ion,
below th
is point
is the
same as that
described ea
rlie
r, the
reddish brown gypsum and
shale.
C:
Do you want an
y of
that former description
reread to
yo
u?
Over.
F:
...beds--ah--make up th
is bundle.
I'll start
at the
bottom an
d describe these
going up-
section.
C:
Give us the
point
again where you
are
going
to st
art.
Are
you
goin
g to st
art
from
you
r
coordinates?
F:
That's co
rrec
t.
Obvi
ous
radio
problems,
but
shouldn't
need th
is much di
scus
sion
.
Relation of
th
is to pr
evio
us de
scri
p
tion
not
specified, hence not
en
tire
ly clear.
"Str
ip"
- "band"
ambiguity may
well not
have existed
for
geologist
with ai
r photos.
Data
center should check
to make
sure they agree
with F
on which
shale
and
when
.
Information lo
st by
po
or radio
proc
edur
e; not
subsequently re
co
vere
d.
F should in
dica
te how detailed his
description is
going
to be
.
"Editing"
by data ce
nter
to clarify
ambiguity !.,but then th
is ambiguity
real
ly shouldn't
exist.
"Edit
ing"
Tex
tC
omm
ents
frw
4*
7>
arf
tour
surf
cu
t.
M»H
*«. >
00
n'
C:
Do
you
wan
t anyth
ing a
ny
of
the
pre
vio
us
desc
rip
tio
ns
read
to
you?
O
ver
.
F:
No.
I'm
sta
rtin
g
on
a ne
w p
art
o
f th
e se
cti
on
.
C: F:
?
-
Over
. OK
. Go ah
ead.
I don't
know
how much
new
sect
ion
was
below
me,
C: F:
but
it all
lo
oks
the
sam
e as
w
hat
I
had
bee
n
thro
ug
h befo
re--
those
re
ddis
h
bro
wn
gy
p sh
ale
s.
OK
.
At this po
int,
th
e we
st ed
ge of that dark b
and,
ther
e is
a
two-foot be
d of
siltstone.
Go ah
ead.
Fresh
colo
r:
pale
ye
llow
ish
brow
n; we
athe
red:
ligh
t brown
and
moderate brown.
Just
a minute.
Are
you
goin
g to be giving us
a mo
re or
less generalized
desc
ript
ion
of
these
stratigraphic (units?
C: F: C: F:I'm
goin
g to
br
eak
it down into fo
ur or five
major
litt
le bundles^"
**+"«!*-* ?
Amount,
of detail sh
ould
ha
ve been
spec
ifie
d earlier.
This and
the
following
stat
emen
t gi
ve
the
context
for
the
desc
ript
ion
that
is
to
follow.
"Edit
ing"
Tex
tC
omm
ents
U/V
xll*
.
SI
l
o£ s< »
<
uari
I
»
51P
o
o°f'
"
J
1-"
_
^ a
_l*
*/{
O
il
Il9v
»
«-v
.p**.»
O
T
C,
II-
' *
^
W
VJ
C:
OK
.
F:
And
the
whole thing
is on
ly forty
or fifty
feet
thic
k.
C:
OK.
F:
Distinctive (?) siltstone that I
just
mentioned
is very th
in be
dded
; small-scale cr
oss
bedding
rand ripple marks; contains very fi
ne sa
nd,
quar
tz(?
)
(.sand an
d gypsum g
rains.
i OK.
F:
Then
there's
the
next un
it is 0>ic)
the
redd
ish
brow
n gy
psif
erou
s sh
ale.
C:
How
thic
k?
F:
Ten
feet.
F:
Very so
ft an
d crumbly an
d does no
t stand
up as
a ridge
at all.
C:
Roge
r.
F:
It's th
e sa
me as
th
e sa
me part of
the
unit be
low.
Over.
C:
OK.
More precise term would el
imin
ate
ambiguity.
Words
followed by "(
?)"
were not
unambiguously recoverable from
magnetic ta
pe;
any
such
ambiguity
should be
cl
arif
ied
immediately.
Illu
stra
tes
possible ambiguity in
verbatim transcript;
syst
emat
ic
presentation an
d record-keeping
larg
ely
eliminate
this
confusion.
No acknowledgement fr
om C.
"Editing"
Text
Comm
ents
"
F:
The
next distinctive bed
is a
fine-grained sand-
Note that hyphen after
sand
^ is
a
.i.O
,__________________________,
post-facto in
terp
reta
tion
.Or
. ex.
wwn
and
Sii
tstone.
C:
Check.
F:
Its
fres
h, c
olor
: light
gray;
weat
hers
ol
ive
gray to olive
black.
C:
Check.
How thick?
Prompting sh
ould
not
come he
re in the
LI .
*>*
llo^
*/
wuJ(
"*
midd
le of
F's
thou
ght
process; later
"""
' '
F:
It's about
two
feet
thick.
Thin bedded to
pa
pery
, if
necessary.
o
> ft
">
cw^*
' 7«
Ki-v
je
small-scale cross
bedding.
(Pause)
It is over-
te
"Loo
se"
terminology ok if F
and
data
lain by medium-grained sandstone fo
ur fe
et th
ick;
center ha
ve aSre
ed on
common definition,
fresh
and weathered co
lors
th
e same--_____pale
oran
ge to yellowish gray.
C:
OK.
F:
Hold on a minute.
That last sandstone th
at I
Data
ce
nter
might
well not
automatically
asso
ciat
e "light-colored" with the
just
described to
you the light-colored, medium-
colors given
above.
grained sand--should be
given as a
special
unit
within a main bundle of
rocks
that
consist
of
two
principal types
of which th
at is on
e.
Less
ambiguous
when written
than
when
spoken,
but
certainly co
nfus
ing.
C:
Hold on.
(Pause)
Could
you
go over that la
st di
s
cussion again?
"Edit
ing".
YV
Uck
K»%
Tex
t
Yea
h.
That
la
st
lig
ht-
co
lore
d,
med
ium
-
gra
ined
sa
ndst
one
bed
is
just
on
e u
nit
,
in
a bundle
th
at
co
nsi
st o
f alt
ern
ati
ng
bed
s of
. th
at
type
and
anoth
er
type.
C:
OK
. H
ow th
ick
is
th
e b
un
dle
?
.F:
The
b
un
dle
is
ab
out
thir
ty fe
et
thic
k.
C:
Roger
.
F:
And
it ma
kes
a weakly r
esistant ri
dge
that
stands
up hi
gher
than th
e gy
psum
bed
s on both sides.
C:
Roger.
F:
It consists of that medium-grained sandstone
inte
rbedded
with
si
ltst
one.
Th
e si
ltst
one
has
the
following
colo
rs:
fres
h co
lor-
-yel
lowi
sh
gray an
d ve
ry li
ght
gray
; we
athe
rs ol
ive
gray
and
brownish gr
ay.
C:
Weathers ol
ive
gray an
d brownish gr
ay?
Over.
F:
That's ri
ght.
Th
at is
a ve
ry th
in-b
edde
d unit
/ pape
ry beds and
sheets in
beds tw
o feet thick.
C:
Roger.
Comments
The
impr
ovem
ent
in th
is description
over the
prev
ious
one
indi
cate
s how
litt
le preparatory
thin
king
is
necessary
to ma
ke a
fair
ly go
od
desc
ript
ion.
Premature
prom
ptin
g.
Sandstone
is weakly re
sist
ant
and
yet
"ver
y cr
umbl
y" (third description
below).
F sh
ould
ex
plai
n such
appa
rent
contradictions.
(Clarification because
of pd
or
tran
smis
sion
.)
"Editing"
Text
Comm
ents
3'
K>
F:
Interbedded with th
at:
medium sandstone that
is very cr
umbl
y, an
d it
's in be
ds two
to fo
ur
feet
thick.
C:
Roger.
F:
Some of
th
e beds ar
e discontinuous, fl
at
Note th
e importance of
punctuation
for
clar
ity.
lens
es.
C:
Some of
the
sandstone or
siltstone beds,
or
some of
each?
F: ___________;______________
They are
locally
contorted moderately.
C:
OK.
F:
And
that bu
ndle
is overlain by about
ten
feet
of th
e reddish brown gyp
shale.
C:
OK.
F:
And th
en the
last
distinctive un
it in
this
whole (?)
stack is about--just a minute (Pause)
An ex
ampl
e of
worth-while "e
diti
ng".
Bu
t a
systematic description
proc
edur
e would 'have el
imin
ated
the
ambi
guit
y.
Information
not
recoverable
from
ta
pe.
Note
that "they" thus has
no
ante
cede
nt.
consists of
tw
o ve
ry coarse-grained beds,
each
about
four fe
et thick separated hold on
a
minute.
Background vo
ices
: A:
What unit was
this
no
w?
B:
This is th
e last unit in
Unprecedented usage
of "stack"
leads
to
conf
usio
n, particularly in this
description of
a
fair
ly complex
stratigraphic
sequ
ence
. No under-.
standing is possible unless "units"
are
carefully distinguished fr
om
"sub
unit
s" and
so on
.
"Editing
"Text
Comm
ents
4 -f
ool*
F:
this li
ttle
bundle.
C:
Which bundle?
I thought
he sa
id it was
overlain by
sand and
siltstone...
I'll
give you different dimensions.
There ar
e
two
main beds,
each about
twelve fe
et thick,
separated by a poorly exposed gyp
shale
unit.
C:
How th
ick'
s th
e gy
p shale?
F: Ten fe
et.
C:
Got
some qu
esti
ons.
R:
Hear me?
F:
OK.
R: ,
OK.
You ha
ve a
thirty-foot
thick bundle of
alter
nating sandstone and
silt
ston
e, an
d th
e way I
have it,
over th
at you've got
ten
feet
of
re
d
brown gypsiferous shale as described previously,
and
above
that
apparently there
is the
two
coarse
grained be
ds which ar
e separated by a
gyp
shale
unit.
Is th
at ri
ght?
A summary
from the
data center,
a valuable check
for
both
data center
and
field
man, especially in the
case
of
a
complicated description.
"Editing"
Text
Comments
F:
Right.
R:
OK.
Are
you
goin
g to
de
scri
be th
ese
coarse
grai
ned
beds
a bi
t?
F: ______________.
Medium to
coarse-grained
sandstone, thin-bedded--just
a minute (Pause)
They co
nsis
t of
qu
artz
gr
ains
, subround to
roun
d.
There
are
loca
lly
granule
beds
. Fr
esh
and weathered
colo
r ab
out
the
same
, ra
ngin
g
from
yel
lowi
sh gr
ay to pale ye
llow
ish
orange.
C:
OK.
F:
This
rock is
Ve
ry cr
umbl
y an
d ma
kes
subd
ued,
rounded
ridges.
C:
OK.
Does your pr
evio
us de
scri
ptio
n apply
to
both of
these
twelve-foot
beds?
Over.
F:
THi^irf.... .s
ome
cher
t an
d so
me rock fragments.
C:
I'm
sorr
y, we
cut
out
part of your last
description.
F:
Composed mo
stly
of qu
artz
, but
some
chert
and
a few rock fragments.
Anot
her
lost
tr
ansm
issi
on
Inte
rrup
tion
be
spea
ks po
or ra
dio
procedure.
Prac
tice
largely
eliminates th
is problem.
J<
j v
ur\(Je
/vacUiv
, f «**
y**»4 "
\
U> k*.M$
« _
4*
C:
OK.
Now th
is de
scri
ptio
n applies
to both of these
twelve -foot un
its?
5F:
That's right.
Other
mineral
grai
ns ob
serv
ed we
re
Two
key
words
are
ques
tion
able
on
. __ sparseC?):
the
two(
?) fe
ldsp
ars,
a
few
piec
es of
dolo
mite
and
quar
tzit
e.
C:
OK.
f«ee
4*~-
l' ?
F:
And
that
's ov
erla
in b
y more of the
reddish
brown
and
loca
lly
tan
and
gray gypsum shales.
C:
OK,
this
bundle of si
lts
and
sand
s that you
have been gi
ving
us--do
thes
e ro
cks
make up
that
prominent
ridg
e th
at we
can
see
on our
aerial photographs the ri
dge
that is
dark to
the
west
and
ligh
t to
th
e ea
st?
F:
That's ri
ght.
That th
ird
sand
and
granule
cong
lome
rate
that I
just de
scri
bed
is the
ligh
t
stri
p that's on
th
e ea
st.
Cs
Roge
r.
F:
That wa
s a pr
etty
cr
ummy
de
scri
ptio
n, wa
sn't
it?
It's hard to
be
liev
e th
at the
"sil
ts .
and
sands" mu
st be
th
e sa
meas
th
e "sand
and
gran
ule
conglomerate."
Improved Transcript
Activities
Text
Comments
Give
s geographic position
F:
Spec
ifie
s marginal
communications
Confirms
coordinates
Keys
discussion to photo-
geol
ogic
planning do
ne be
fore
traverse.
- F: C:
Give
s st
ratigraphi
c po
siti
on.
F:
C offers re
fere
nce
to
C;
data
center's re
cord
s at
what he
deems
an appropriate
time.
F
I ha
ve th
e following coordinates:
(gar
bled
tr
ansm
issi
on)
I ha
ve co
ordi
nate
s fi
ve po
int,
Hotel point th
ree-
eight.
Corr
ect?
Yo
u're
co
ming
in
intermittently.
Say
again.
Your
coordinates:
five point ei
ght,
Hotel point
thre
e-ei
ght.
Ov
er.
Roge
r.
I'm
on the
east
side of
the
broad
wash
that
cuts across those
alternating li
ght
and
dark b
eds
on the
photos.
I'm at the
wqst ed
ge
of the
southernmost dark be
d.
Over.
Roge
r.
You hear me?
Yes, go
ah
ead.
I'm
in th
e mi
ddle
pa
rt of
Photo-unit fo
ur,
at
the
top
of what I'm reasonably sure is th
e reddish-brown gypsum and
shale
unit I
described yesterday afternoon.
Chec
k?
Roge
r.
You're at
the
top
of Un
it fo
ur-C
harl
ie.
Do you
want any
descriptions of the
lowe
r units
read
to you?
Over
.
No.
I'll start
at my coordinates, at
th
eba
se of
Unit four-Bravo,
and
describe th
at going
up se
ctio
n.
Over
.
"Check"
sugg
ests
the
end
of a
"quantum"
of data.
"Ove
r" in
dica
tes
end
of one
complete
subj
ect
befo
re presenting an
othe
r.
C:
Roge
r, go
ah
ead.
Indica
tes
his
plan for
desc
ribing U
nit
4-Bravo.
Describes
Subu
nit
I
Describes
Subu
nit
II
Describes
Subu
nit
III
F:
Unit fo
ur-B
ravo
is
four-zero
or five-zero
feet
thick; I'll br
eak
it down into fo
ur or
five su
b-
unit
s an
d de
scri
be th
em separately an
d in de
tail
. Ov
er.
C:
Roge
r.
F;
The
lowest su
buni
t is
a
two-
foot
be
d of
si
lt-
ston
e.
Fres
h co
lor-
-pal
e ye
llow
ish
brown,
weat
here
d color between light
brow
n an
d moderate br
own.
Check?
C:
Chec
k.
F:
The
silt
ston
e is
thin-bedded, beds typically
two
to th
ree
centimeters
thic
k; it ha
s ripple
mark
s, an
d crossbedding th
at typically
tran
sects
three
or fo
ur of
the
thin beds.
The
silt
ston
e co
ntai
ns ab
out
one-five percent
very
fi
ne sa
nd--
half
of that quartz an
d ha
lf gy
p
sum.
Ov
er.
C:
Roger.
F:
The
next
su
buni
t is
a
ten-
foot
be
d of
reddish
brow
n gy
psif
erou
s sh
ale.
Check?
C:
Check.
F:
Very po
orly
co
here
nt;
tends
to weather
into
a sh
allo
w tr
ough
. It
s ge
nera
l ap
pear
ance
is
like
that of the
red
gypsiferous
silt
s tones
lowe
r in
th
e section.
Over
.
C:
That
would
be the
silt
s to
nes
of Un
it fo
ur-C
harl
ie?
F:
Affirmative.
The
next di
stin
ctiv
e subunit
is
a tw
o-fo
ot be
d of fine-grained sandstone
and
siltstone.
Chec
k?
C:
Chec
k.
F:
Fresh
colo
r--l
ight
gray;
weathering co
lor
between
oliv
e gray an
d ol
ive
black.
Check?
C:
Check.
F:
Bedding
two
cent
imet
ers
to paper-thin,
typically
one
or two
mill
imet
ers.
Occasional cross-bedding
that
ty
pica
lly
involves a
few
individual be
ds.
Over.
Use
of "four-zero"(as opposed
to
"forty")
is good ra
dio
practice
to avoid
misu
nder
stan
ding
.
Desc
ript
ion
by co
mpar
ison
Activiti
esText
Comments
Describes
Subunit
IV
Desc
ribe
s Su
bunit
IV
(correction)
00
Describes
Subu
nit
IVa
C:
Roger.
Coul
d you
comm
ent
on the
proportion
of fi
ne-g
rain
ed sa
ndst
one
in th
is su
buni
t?
F:
Roger.
About
three-five pe
rcen
t.
C:
Roger.
Thank y
ou.
F:
The
next su
buni
t is
a me
dium
-gra
ined
sa
ndst
one,
four fe
et th
ick.
Check?
C:
Roger.
Chec
k.
F:
For
the
sand
ston
e--f
resh
an
d weathered
colo
rs
the
same--between
pale or
ange
and
yell
owis
h gr
ay.
Chec
k?
C:
Chec
k.
F:
Corr
ection on
th
at description--check?
C:
Roge
r, go
ah
ead.
F:
The
next
su
buni
t, go
ing
up section, is
a
thre
e-
zero-foot-thick
seri
es of
two
alternating
rock
uype
s holding
up a we
akly
re
sist
ant
ridg
e that st
ands
slightly above
the
non-resistant
gyps
um beds
on either side.
Check?
C:
Chec
k.
F:
The
two
rock ty
pes
occu
r in
ro
ughl
y eq
ual
amounts;
they
ar
e th
e medium-grained sandstone
that
I
. just described, an
d in
terb
edde
d silts tones.
I'll
finish describing the
sandstone.
Check?
C:
Check.
F:
The
sand
ston
e is
ve
ry poorly coherent even
thou
gh it
ma
kes
a lo
w ridge.
It oc
curs
in
beds
that
are
typically
two
to four fe
et thick, an
d that te
nd to
be th
in le
nses
. Th
ese
lens
es
typi
call
y ex
tend
fo
r ab
out
thre
e-ze
ro feet
along
stri
ke:
the
beds within th
em are
loca
lly
cont
orte
d.
The
lens
es ve
ry pr
obab
ly represent
stream c
hannels
and
the
defo
rmat
ion
is prob
ably due
to sl
umpi
ng.
"Editing"
by data center to
en
sure
gr
eate
r co
mple
tene
ss.
Orderly way
of correcting previous
(incorrect)
definition of
Subunit
IV,
F feels
that th
ese
interpretations
need
no.further documentation.
He would
prob
ably
take photographs.
.
Acti
vit
ies
Tex
tC
omm
ents
Des
crib
es
Subunit
iV
b
p: F:
C checks po
or transmission.C:
Describes
Subunit
V
C: F: C: F: C; F: C: F;
Desc
ribe
s Members 1 and
3 F
Describes
Member 1
Describes
Member 2
Describes
Member 3
Describes
Member 4
Roge
r.
The
interbedded siltstone has
fresh
color
between yellowish gray an
d very light
gray
weathering color
olive
gray
an
d brownish
gray
. Ch
eck?
Weathers olive
gray
and
brownish gray?
Over.
Roge
r.
It has
papery sheets and
lami
nae
a fe
w millimeters
thick
in be
ds typically
two
feet
thick.
Over
.
Roge
r.
This subunit
is overlain by
a new subunit
that
I'm distinguishing on
the
basis
of
colo
r; th
is new subunit has
four members.
Chec
k?
Check.
The
lowe
st member is a
ten-
foot
bed
of reddish
brown gy
psif
erou
s sh
ale;
ne
xt is a
one-
two-
fo
ot bed
of me
dium
- to
coarse-grained sa
nd
ston
e.
Check?
Check.
The
next member is another te
n-fo
ot bed
of
red
gyp
shale, an
d fi
nall
y, another on
e-
two
foot
bed
of sa
ndst
one
like
the
previous
one. Check?
Check.
I'll describe these
two
rock types
now in
more
detail.
First
the
gyp
shal
es,
check?
Check.
The
shal
es ar
e generally reddish br
own,
but
locally
tan
and
gray.
Apart from their
colo
rs,
they're
apparently th
e same as th
e red
gyp
shales in
Unit fo
ur.
Over
.
"Ten"
is unambiguous; "twelve" is liable
to be misunderstood, hence "one-two."
Giving ge
nera
l characteristics of
members
establishes
"setting."
C:
Roger,
Activities
Text
Comments
to
Descri
bes
Members 2 an
d 4
F:
The
sandstone beds are
very poorly coherent,
but
resistant enough to make subdued, rounded ridges.
Chec
k?
C:
Check.
F:
Fresh and weathered color
about
the
same--ranging
from yellowish gray to pale yellowish or
ange
. Th
e gray co
lors
are
predominant in
the
lower
part of th
e se
ctio
n.
Chec
k?
C:
Chec
k.F:
Dominant grain si
ze is
medium to coarse sand;
occasional gr
anul
e be
ds fo
ur or fi
ve ce
nti
me
ters
thick
make
up
about
ten
percent
of the
rock
. Ch
eck?
»
C:
Chec
k..
F:
Grai
ns ar
e subrounded to
ro
unde
d, very domin-
antly quartz,
with a
few percent feldspar
grains both or
thoc
lase
an
d plagioclase--and
scattered
grains of dolomite and
quartzite.
Over
.C:
Roger.
Two
ques
tion
s:
firs
t--t
his
subu
nit
differs from the
previous subunit in
that it
s finer-grained beds ar
e red-brown gyp
shale
rather
than yellowish siltstones an
d its
sand
ston
es
are
medium to coarse with granule be
ds rather
than strictly medium-grained.
Chec
k?
F:
Chec
k.
Summary statement
from
da
ta ce
nter
to confirm complex description.
Relates
stratigraphy to
geomor
phology.
Roger.
Last qu
esti
on:
do these
inte
rbed
ded
sandstones and
siltstones make up a ridge
on
our
photos--the ridge
that
is dark on the
west an
d li
ght
on th
e east?
Affirmative.
The
third
member--the upper coarse
sandstone--is the
ligh
t strip on th
e ea
st.
Over.
Roge
r.
Th
at
was
a
pre
tty
good
desc
ripti
on,
wasn
't it
?
"Last" re
mind
s F
that th
ere
are
no fu
rthe
r questions
HYPOTHETICAL "GOOD" DESCRIPTION
Acti
viti
esText
Comments
Checks with da
ta center.
Gives
geographic and
photo-
geologic lo
cati
on.
DF re
ady?
c I'm
at St
atio
n one-six, ^Coordinates Echo point
eigh
t, four point
four (in
Phot
o/un
it si
x).
Specifies
number an
d ty
pe of
I have a
good
view of th
e su
rrou
ndin
g co
untr
y,
descriptions to be
given
from
and
I will gi
ve you
four remote descriptions
station.
Chec
k?
"Housekeeping" information
for
the
stat
ion.
Phra
se "g
ood
view"
sugg
ests
re
liability
of data.
Specifying
the
numb
er an
d type of
descriptions
to be given
prepares da
ta ce
nter
.
Remo
te Description one, of
faults Foxtrot an
d Foxtrot
one.
General
location of
target:
Bravo point
seve
n,
two
point
eigh
t.
Photograph:
One-six dash on
e, bearing two-two-
zero,
gene
ral
view of
fa
ult
area from this
stat
ion.
Chec
k?
Housekeeping information
for
first
description.
General location adequate for
data
center to find previously defined
feat
ure
on ph
otog
raph
s.
Phra
se "g
ener
al view"
suggests
amoung of
detail and
reliability of
desc
ript
ion.
'
Specifies
loca
tion
of
new
fault
and
keys it
to photomap
In th
is area,
faul
t Foxtrot is correct
as ma
pped
, an
d I wi
ll sa
y no mo
re about
it.
There is another
fault, ho
weve
r, that has
not
been ma
pped
an
d that
is parallel to
, and
about
one-zero-zero fe
et to the
south
of,
the
firs
t one.
It is
visible on the
photo as an in
dist
inct
da
rk li
ne.
I will ca
ll it
Foxtrot
One.
Minor-application of problem
solv
ing
method.
Activities
Text
Comments
Gives
criteria by which
fault
can
be recognized.
Documents
his
inte
rpre
tati
on
to
to
Ties st
rati
graphy to ge
o-
morphi
c ch
arac
teri
stic
s.
Gives
clar
ification
of
diff
icul
t co
ncep
t.
.Check?
The
faul
t plane
itself h
as no
to
pographic
expr
essi
on,
but
the
trace
of the
faul
t is
defined
by di
ffer
ent
color
on opposite sides
of the
faul
t and
by offset of small
gullies
and
ridges that
foll
ow strike of ro
cks.
Offset key
beds in
dica
te
a le
ft-lateral separation of ab
out
six-zero fe
et.
Chec
k?
Dip
of fault
plane
is poorly ex
pres
sed,
but
probably su
bver
tica
l.
I ca
nnot
tr
ace
the
faul
t to
ward
me
, owing
to poor ex
posu
re--
it may
or may
not
cont
inue
through
the
vici
nity
of
this station.
Over
.
Remo
te De
scri
ptio
n tw
o, unconformity be
twee
nPh
oto
unit
si
x, be
low,
an
d Ph
oto
unit seven,
above.
Location of target:
to th
e so
uth
of station,
general
area of Ec
ho point
four
, one
point
six.
No Photographs.
Chec
k?
Basa
l co
nglo
mera
te of
Unit se
ven
form
s massiv
e clif
f at th
e to
p of
ri
dge.
Di
p ab
out
four
-fiv
e east
, st
rike
roughly
nort
h.
Scattered
expo
sure
s of
Unit si
x on
slope
belo
w cl
iff
show
that Un
it
six
is be
vele
d by the
cong
lome
rate
of
Un
it seven
in su
ch a way
that
progressively
younger
beds
are
truncated
to th
e no
rth.
In ot
her
words, Unit
six
has
a more westerly st
rike
than do
es Un
it se
ven
Chec
k?
From here,
the
appa
rent
an
gle
between
beds
of Un
it si
x and
Unit
se
ven
is about
zero-four
.degrees,
opening
to th
e no
rth.
To
get
a more pr
e
cise fi
gure
, you
can
note
that the
resistant
beds
on wh
ich
I am standing ar
e tr
unca
ted
by Un
it
"Che
ck"
indi
cate
s th
at mo
re in
fo
rmat
ion
is fo
rthc
omin
g.
Data
center m
ay be
ab
le to
. se
e this on
ph
oto-
-onc
e th
ey know
where
to lo
ok.
"Over" in
dica
tes
end
of tr
ans
mission
and
encourages qu
esti
ons
Hous
ekee
ping
information
for
second de
scri
ptio
n.
Generalized
loca
tion
quite
adequate in
th
is case:
serv
es
mainly to
orient people in
da
ta
center.
This complicated
desc
ript
ion
show
s how
difficult
it is to
convey
"geo
metr
ic"
data in
words.
This al
lows
data center to im
prov
e on
observed va
lue
by me
ans
of calculated value.
Acti
viti
esTe
xtCo
mmen
ts
Keys hi
s ob
serv
atio
ns to
ph
otom
ap.
seve
n at co
ordi
nate
s Echo point
three-eight, one
poin
t eight.
You can
see
that
on the
phot
o.
Chec
k?
From h
ere, the
unconformity seems
rather
smoo
th on a
large
scal
e, being characterized by
swel
ls and
swales co
mmon
ly several
hundred fe
et
in wave
leng
th,
and
with
am
plit
ude
of on
ly a
few
feet
or te
ns of
fe
et.
There se
ems
to be
no
co
n
spicuous co
arse
ning
of
the
cong
lome
rate
in
th
e sw
ales
. Ov
er.
Field
man
obviously lo
oked
for
something
he ex
pect
ed,
without
find
ing
it.
Possibly a very
impo
rtan
t observation.
ro
Relates
geology
of target to
geology of
station.
Establishes sett
ing
arid
specifies
reliability of
his
obse
rvat
ions
.
Amends photomap
.De
scri
bes-
by
comparison and
cont
rast
.
Remote De
scri
ptio
n three, of
fa
ult
Foxt
rot.
Location of ta
rget
: Golf point
one,
fo
ur point
eigh
t-fi
ve,
to th
e northeast of
station.
Phot
ogra
phs:
One-six da
sh tw
o, one-six
dash
th
ree,
bearing
zero-six-five.
Chec
k?
I'm
look
ing
at the
northeastward co
ntin
uati
on of
faul
t Fo
xtro
t, on which I
am st
andi
ng.
The
faul
t is corr
ect
as ma
pped
, but
I ca
n fi
ll in some de
tail
s.
Chec
k?
The strike of
th
e fa
ult
between
pres
ent
station
and
target is
zero-six-five.
At
targ
et,
where
the
fault
is we
ll exposed
in the
gent
ly sl
opin
g si
de of the
valley,
dip
of the
faul
t is six-eight
degr
ees
to th
e south.
Check?
From here it lo
oks
as th
ough
th
e re
d be
ds of
Unit
ei
ght,
north
of th
e fa
ult^
are
ju
xtap
osed
ag
ainst
the
basal
conglomerate of Un
it seven
on
the
south.
The fault
is actually a
fault
zone
ge
nera
lly
similar
to th
at described for
faul
t Ch
arli
e a
few
stations ag
o, but
differing
in that
the width of
the
faul
t zo
ne se
ems
to
vary along
strike,
rang
ing
from
about
five
fe
et
to about
five
-zer
o fe
et,
and
typically being
abou
t one-five feet.
Check?
Within a
zone
Housekeeping information for
third
description.
Field da
ta co
nfir
ming
an
d au
gmen
t in
g photogeologic data.
Field
man
neither gi
ves,
nor
shou
ldbe expected to give,
exact
station
number.
Both range
and
average value
ofmeasurement are
give
n.
Applies problem solving
method.
about
one-five-zero fe
et wide and
centered on
fa
ult
Foxtrot, there
are
several
subsidiary
faul
ts that are
subparallel
to Fo
xtro
t and
show le
ft-l
ater
al separation of ten
feet at
mo
st.
I ca
n also se
e some dr
ag of which
I have sufficient three-dimensional exposure to
make me think
the
idea
of
oblique
slip--was
that
hypothesis "b"?--is th
e co
rrec
t one
for
this
area.
More on
th
is later, after
I've
tr
aced
th
e fault
to th
e no
rthe
ast.
Ov
er.
No unnecessary documentation
given
here.
Data ce
nter
should know
which
hypothesis is dicussed.
This
statement
should prevent
the
aski
ng of
untimely questions.
to
Defines
what is going to be
described.
Gives
geomorphic character
istics.
Gives
attitude.
Give
s information on
expo
sure
.
Remo
te Description
four
, stratigraphic
sect
ion
exposed
to the
south
of st
atio
n.
Location of target:
vicinity of Ec
ho point
six, three
poin
t on
e.
Phot
ogra
phs:
One-six dash fo
ur,
bearing
one-
eigh
t-fi
ve.
-
Chec
k?
I am going
to de
scri
be a
stratigraphic se
ctio
n of
Ph
oto-
unit
si
x below th
e angular unconformity
at th
e base of Unit se
ven
and
above
the
basal,
resistant, member of Unit six.
Chec
k?
The
sect
ion
in qu
esti
on is
geomorphically weak an
d fo
rms
a st
rike
valley do
wn which I
can
look
. The bottom of
the
sect
ion
coincides
with th
e lo
west
pa
rt of the
valley.
Stra
ta di
p ea
st
about
four-five
degrees.
Exposures
are
moderate
to go
od,
and
in the
form of
an
ob
liqu
e cr
oss
sec
tion
. Ch
eck?
Th
e se
ctio
n is
about
two-five-zero
Housekeeping information
for
fourth
desc
ript
ion.
"one-eight-five
11 ha
s three
sylla
bles
, "o
ne hundred ei
ghty
five"
has
six.
Even th
ough
the
former
may lo
ok ponderous
in wr
itin
g, it
is
quicker
to say, and
certainly
less easy to
misinterpret ov
er the
radio.
Section
is treated
as a
"sys
tem"
, and
prop
erti
es of this system are
briefly described.
Information on quality an
d form of
ex
posu
re suggests reliability of
data th
at fo
llow
.
Gives
general
description ofX
lowest member.
L,
Gives
general
description of
middle member.
Gives
.general description of
upper
member.
Gives
information
on
structure.
Introduces detailed de
scri
p
tion
of the
thre
e me
mber
s.
feet
thick
and
apparently co
nfor
mabl
e; it
. ca
n be
br
oken
down in
to three
memb
ers,
dis
tinguished by
co
lor,
geomorphic resistance,
and
text
ure-
comp
osit
ion.
The lowest member,
about
one-three-five fe
et th
ick,
is generally li
ght
greenish gray in
weathering co
lor,
relatively
weak in re
sist
ance
to er
osio
n, an
d probably
composed largely
of fine-grained sandstone
or
siltstone, locally
interbedded
with carbonates
and
possibly with gy
psum
. Ch
eck?
Th
e mi
ddle
me
mber
, about
three-zero feet th
ick,
is medium
to da
rk br
own,
relatively resistant
to er
osio
n,
and
probably co
mpos
ed la
rgel
y of sa
ndst
one.
Ch
eck?
The upper
member,
about
eigh
t-fi
ve feet
thic
k, is brick
red, relatively weak,
and
composed
mostly of
fi
ne-g
rain
ed detrital ma
teri
al,
pro
bably
silt
ston
e.
Check?
From here I
can
see
no
evidence of disconformity between th
e various
memb
ers.
The be
ds appear consistent in attitude
and
undisturbed by fa
ults
or folds.
I will now
give mo
re detailed de
scri
ptio
ns of th
e three-,
members, starting from the
lowest.
Check?
Gives
detailed description of Th
e lo
west
member is
exposed
moderately to
lowe
r member.
well
, in oblique
cross
sect
ion.
The overall
weathering color
is li
ght
gree
nish
gr
ay,
five
Golf
Yankee eight
slash
one,
th
e color
becoming
ligh
ter
from th
e bottom to
th
e top
of th
e me
m
ber.
The member is
generally po
orly
resistant
to erosion
and
forms
a sl
ope,
but
the
lowe
r
^Mentioning the
conformable re
la-
itio
nshi
p at this point
helps
the
idat
a ce
nter
in constructing sk
etch
(.sections.
The three
members
are
trea
ted
here
as "components" of
the
sect
ion
being described ("system") and
are
desc
ribe
d in de
tail
sufficient on
ly
to define them.
Sequence fo
llow
ed is;
dime
nsio
ns,
colo
r, weathering charac
teri
stic
s, composition te
xtur
e, st
ruc
ture.
Information on te
xtur
e-co
mpos
i
tion
given
in a
remo
te description is
tent
ativ
e, of co
urse
. Nevertheless,
a fi
eld
man
experienced in the
weathering characteristics of various
rock ty
pes
in th
e climate
of th
e area
studied
can
be remarkably successful
in id
enti
fyin
g from a di
stan
ce th
e gr
oss
texture-composition of a
rock
.-Important for
data ce
nter
to know
that fi
eld
man
has
considered the
possibility of
discontinuities in
th
e section
before describing it
. Th
is prepares th
e da
ta center fo
r th
e "more
detailed" description
that is
to
fo
llow
. The
preceding
general
description al
lowe
d th
e data
center to make outline
sketches,
to
be filled in by
th
e mo
re detailed
data
.Lower member is not
treated
as "s
ys
tem".
Expo
sure
, co
lor.
Weathering characteristics.
Def
ines
co
mp
on
ents
o
f lo
wer
m
embe
r.
ONGive
s detailed description
of middle
memb
er.
Defi
nes
compon
ents
of
midd
le member.
(here
only on
e component)
1) 2) 3) 1)
one-third
or so is
somewhat mo
re resistant
and
form
s a
ledgy
slope.
Chec
k?
Thre
e interbedded
lith
olog
ies
can
be re
cogn
ized
: fi
rst,
me
dium
to
li
ght
greenish gray,
very fine-grained sa
nd
stone
or siltstone, about
seve
n-ze
ro pe
rcen
t of
me
mber
; se
cond
, me
dium
gra
y to
white,
band
ed
poor
ly resistant
rock,
prob
ably
gy
psum
, ab
out
ten
percent; third, medium gr
ay,
bedded ca
rbon
ate,
about
two-
zero
pe
rcen
t.
As mentioned
ear
lier,
the
lith
olog
ies
are
interbedded, bu
t the
carbonate, which
forms
up to
about
four-zero
perc
ent
of the
lowe
r third
of the
memb
er,
de
crea
ses
to ze
ro hi
gher
up
. Check?
The
silt
- st
one
and
gypsum ap
pear
to
hcwe indistinct bed
ding
; th
e ca
rbon
ate
occu
rs in beds one-half to
on
e an
d one-half in
ches
thick.
No pr
imar
y or
secondary
structures ar
e vi
sibl
e fr
om h
ere.
Both upper
and
lowe
r contacts appear co
nfor
m
able.
Check?
The
middle member is
well ex
pose
d in
cl
iffy
cross
section.
It is moderate
brown, five Yankee Ro
meo
four sl
ash
four
, to
moderate yellowish
brow
n, ten
Yank
ee Ro
meo
five
slas
h four,
in w
eathering
colo
r, an
d thus is
'
easi
ly distinguished
from ot
her
memb
ers
of th
is
section.
Check?
Weathering resistance is
grea
ter
than
th
at of
the
othe
r tw
o me
mber
s.
Only one
lith
olog
y is present, namely,
sandstone,
probably ra
ther
coarse grained, of va
riou
s shades of
br
own.
Locally, ho
weve
r, th
ere
are
thin an
d ir
regu
larl
y di
stri
bute
d le
nses
of
finer-grained, reddish
brow
n ma
teri
al,
probably
siltstone.
Other
lenses are
probably composed of
co
arse
sa
ndst
one
and
contain
pebbles
as mu
ch as
tw
o inches in
diameter.
From
here
I ca
nnot
give
a re
liab
le es
tima
te of
the
aver
age
pebble size
. Ch
eck?
Be
ddin
g is
ir
regu
lar,
festoon
cross
bedding
common.
I th
ink
I ca
n see
graded bedd
ing
Comp
osit
ion.
Li
thol
ogie
s tr
eate
d as
"c
ompo
nent
s".
Distribution.of
lith
olog
ies
Structure
Middle member treated
as "system".
Exposure,
color.
Dist
ingu
ishi
ng ch
arac
teri
stic
s.
Composition.
Lithologies
treated
as "c
ompo
nent
s."
Does no
t gi
ve distribution of
lens
es,
as th
is wo
uld
be in
appr
o
priate at
this level
of observation
and
could
easi
ly be
documented in
a photograph.
Does
not
give information
that
wo
uld
be unreliable an
d possibly
misl
eadi
ng.
Gives
detailed de
scri
ptio
n of
upper
member.
Defines
components of
upper
member.
in so
me of
th
e coarser-grained un
its.
From
this vantage po
int,
I
see
no evidence of
chan
neli
ng at
the
base of the
member,
even
though I would expect some,
as I
think
the
member is a
stream-laid
depo
sit.
Ch
eck?
Th
e upper
member is moderately exposed
in
obliqu
e cr
oss
section.
The weathering
color is moderate reddish br
own,
ten
Romeo
four
slash
six, irregularly ve
ined
with
grayish pink,
five
Romeo
eight
slash
two.
Ch
eck?
Weathering resistance is low; the
memb
er fo
rms
a ge
ntle
slope
cut
by gu
llie
s which gi
ve go
od exposures.
Only
one
lith-
1) ology is ex
pose
d, namely a very fi
ne-g
rain
ed
/Field man
clue
s da
ta ce
nter
on
I his thinking.
He considers
this
/member fl
uvia
tile
, and
therefore
he. has
sear
ched
for
the
chan
neli
ng
that one
would .expect at the
base
of su
ch a
deposit.
Statement
of
hypothesis and
attempted ve
rifi
cation thereof.
Upper
memb
er treated
as "system".
Exposure
Color
.Weathering re
sist
ance
. ,
Comp
osit
ion-
text
ure.
Li
thol
ogie
s treated
as "components".
Stru
ctur
e.
detrital material,
probably si
ltst
one,
which,
howe
ver,
is
laced
with the
irregular
veins mentioned
earlier.
These veins
have various or
ient
atio
ns
Possible interpretations of
cer-
and
may
represent
discoloration along
fractures,
tain fe
atur
es.
or veins
of a
seco
ndar
y mi
nera
l, possibly
selenite.
Chec
k?
Bedding is indistinct or
~\
mass
ive.
No
joints can
be se
en from he
re.
>The upper
cont
act,
with the
basal
conglomerate
of Un
it seven, is distinctly irregular
on a
large
scale, inasmuch as I
can
see
swel
ls an
dsw
ales
several
hundreds of
feet in
wavelength
and
several
feet
to
several
tens of
feet hi
gh.
In detail,
however, th
e co
ntac
t ap
pear
s smooth..
Over
.
NOTE
: As
an
illustration of on
e of
th
e ad
van
tage
s of
using
a data center,
consider
how lo
ng it takes
to read and to
tr
ansm
it-
th
e above
amount of in
form
atio
n, an
d th
en
think how lo
ng it
would take t'o record all
this
in
a notebook.
A notebook recording
would almost certainly be
le
ss comprehensive
and
complete.