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

This project focuses on integrating field exercises throughout a one-year Sed/Strat/Structure course, culminating in a capstone field experience in Wyoming. The goal is to provide students with comprehensive field training and enhance their understanding of geological concepts.

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

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  1. Integration of Field Exercises in a One-year Sed/Strat/Structure Course Leading to a Capstone Field Experience Lawrence Malinconico David Sunderlin Lafayette College, Easton, PA

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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)

  9. What are the lab field projects – 1st semester? Foreland Basin I (Martinsburg & ShawangunkFms.) 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

  10. 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

  11. 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.

  12. What are the lab field projects – 2nd semester? * typical “sed/strat” topic 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. App 70% of lab time involves field projects 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. Capstone Field Project – 22nd week 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

  20. Capstone Field Project – 22nd week Evening plan of attach for next day written: 3” x 5” card submitted to and discussed with Instructors back of card – self assessment questions Issues problems field methods observational contacts formations

  21. Capstone Field Project – 23rd – 28th 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)

  22. Advantages Sed/Strat Perspective Sheep Mt. units are visually and lithologically distinct Sheep Mt. units represent terrestrial, transitional, and marine environments Develop complete basin fill history from measured unit lithologies, thicknesses, and contacts (as opposed to snippets of formations) Structural Perspective Relatively simple, but with enough complexity to challenge students folding – symmetry, terminations, wavelengths faulting – stratigraphic relationships Fault propagation folds Overall – Research Opportunity Opportunity to synthesize field observation and analytical data Exposure (as compared to eastern Pennsylvania) – excellent over area. Field area is manageable in 4 days of intensive work

  23. Issues 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

  24. Value? Over the 28 weeks our students clearly evolved into “geologists” Discussion?

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