Geologic Mapping
Science Olympiad
Trial Event 2011
Amanda Baker
Geology:
The Field -vs- The Lab Table
Can’t take all students into the field … but we can
reproduce important aspects of the experience
• Decision Making
• Use of Tools
• Defense of Interpretations
• Time Management
What does it take to implement these four things?
Decision Making
Use of Tools
Defense of Interpretations Time Management
•Strong Background Knowledge
• Geologic time scale
• Plate Tectonics
• Relative and absolute age dating
• Rock formation
• Depositional environments
• Lat/long, UTM
• Field measurements
• Map projections
• Topographic maps • Folding and Faulting
•Developing a Set of Tools
• Provide data
• Interpret data
•Data - vs - Interpretations
•Strong Background Knowledge
• Plate Tectonics
• Rock formation
• Lat/long, UTM
• Map projections
• Geologic time scale
• Relative and absolute
age dating
• Depositional
environments
• Field measurements
• Folding and Faulting
• Topographic maps
•Develop a Set of Tools
• Provide data
• Interpret data
•Data - vs - Interpretations
What does this mean for exam questions?
•Knowledge-Based
• Multiple choice
• Short answer
• Diagrams
•Tasks
• Application
• Interpretation
• Integration of multiple data sets
•Interpretation Tasks
• Higher-level application of tools and data sets
• More
•Knowledge-Based
• What is the contour interval?
• Of points I, E, G, and D, which is at the greatest and least risk for
flooding? Why?
• If a spring were sourced at the red dots, draw the path the water
would take.
•Tasks
• Draw a topographic profile from A to E.
• A bed outcrops at points B, J, and D. Determine the strike and dip
of the bed.
• If the “Photo” was taken facing west, draw a dot where the
photographer was likely standing. Why there?
N
• Interpretation Tasks
• Using an equal area
stereonet, find the strike and
dip of a bed with the
apparent dips (036, 25E) and
(197, 65E).
• Interpretation Tasks
• Describe the type of
feature depicted in the
stereonet plot in detail
• Is this feature likely to be
the result of one, multiple, or
a progression of deformation
events?
• Interpretation Tasks
•Complete the block diagram and label any major features
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
• Interpretation Tasks
• Draw a cross-section from A to A’
• On your cross-section, label the areas of greatest and least
confidence and explain
A
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
A’
What is a Cross Section?
Multiple Styles of Cross-Sections
List of good sources
ｷ Portrait of a Planet, by Steve Marshak
ｷ The Geoscience Handbook, compiled by Walker and Cohen
ｷ Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology, American Geological
Institute
ｷ Structural Analysis & Synthesis, Rowland, Duebendorfer, and
Schiefelbein
ｷ http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/structure/
Thank you for your time!
Any questions?