Walking Field Trip From MPC to Del Monte Beach
Logistics: During this lab session we will walk from MPC to Del
Monte Beach, with many stops along the way to see and discuss
evidence for the ocean’s role in shaping our landscape along the
shores of Monterey Bay. Please participate in the discussion and
answer the questions at each of the stops. Please wear walking
shoes and clothes appropriate for spending a couple of hours
outside. If you somehow miss the beginning of lab, go to the
following places to find us or make up the lab.
Observations: the
Key to Scientific
Discovery
Observing our natural
surroundings is the first
step in the Scientific
Method. It allows us to
gather critical
information that will
lead to ask questions
and explain the origin
of the rocks,
landscapes, and
processes around us.
Stop 1: The rock sculpture in the MPC Library courtyard.
Observe the rock, both close up and from a few feet away. List
your observations in the table. What do you see? What colors do
you see? What textures—i.e., shapes, or structures—do you see?
Can you see individual grains? Are they all the same? What color and size are they?
Observations from a few feet away
Observations close up
Answer the following questions during the conversation with your instructor.
a. What kind of rock is this?
b. To which of the three major rock types does this rock
belong?
c. What were the key observations that led to this
interpretation?
d. Where does this kind of rock most commonly occur
on Earth?
e. What is special about the “shape” of this particular
rock? How did it form?
Stop 2: Monterey Formation, in back of the Monterey Art Museum at La Miranda
a. These rocks belong to the Monterey Formation. Observe them from both close up and
from a few feet away. What do you see? What colors do you see? What shapes, or
structures do you see? Can you see individual grains? Are they all the same? What color
are they? How big are they?
Observations from a few feet away
Observations close up
Answer the following questions during the discussion with your instructor.
a. To which of the three major rock types does this rock belong?
b. What was the key observation that led to this interpretation?
c. What is a “depositional setting”?
d. What is the depositional setting of these rocks?
e. What is the evidence that we can see (or not see) in the rock that supports our
depositional-setting interpretation?
f. What are two hypotheses of how the Monterey formation came to crop out here today?
g. Which of these two hypotheses is more likely? Why?
h. Have you ever seen these rocks anywhere else in the Monterey Bay Area? If so,
where?
Stop 3: The “Rock Sculpture” on the shores of El Estero. (El Estero is the body of
water that stretches from Fremont St to Del Monte Avenue.)
a. Observe the rock, both up close and from a few feet away. What do you see? What
colors do you see? What shapes, or structures do you see? Can you see individual grains?
Are they all the same? What color are they? How big are they?
Observations from a few feet away
Observations close up
Answer the following questions during the discussion with your instructor.
a. To which of the three major rock types does this rock belong?
b. What was the key observation that led to this interpretation?
c. Where were these rocks formed?
d. What evidence can you see in the rocks that supports this interpretation.
Stop 4: The shores of El Estero
a. Why might this little valley and little lake be here in the first place?
b. What role does sea level change play in the explanation?
The next page shows maps of Lake El Estero and Elkhorn Slough.
Lake El Estero (left) and Elkhorn Slough (right), two
examples of river mouths that were flooded with seawater over geologic time.
Stop 5: On the way down Camino El Estero to Del Monte Beach
a. What kinds of rocks do we see on our way?
b. How are they being used?
Stop 6: Del Monte Beach.
a. Look closely at the sand. Describe what it is composed of.
b. Where does all this sand come from, anyway?
c. What’s the main process by which sand gets transported down the beach?
d. Which major landmarks can we see from the beach? (If it’s a clear day we’ll be able to
see quite a few)
e. If we could walk from here to Santa Cruz along the seafloor, what major feature would
we have to cross along the way?