Geomorphology GE 435
Inter-Term 2005 (16-27 May)
3 credits
Prerequisites: ES121 or ES 231 or GE112 Recommended: GE 224 Field Methods
This course is designed to present an overview of the regional landscapes of the
Southeastern United States and provide an understanding of the geomorphic and tectonic
processes that shape the landscape.
This is an inter-term course which will be taught ‘on the road’ with a required
pre and post-expedition meeting* The expedition kicks off on Monday 16 May 2005 and
returns Friday 27 May 2005.
*students unable to attend the meetings are required to make special arrangements with the instructor to get
pre-trip materials and arrange for presentation of their assignments.
FEES: $268/person (includes transportation, camping fees and whitewater rafting on the
Ocoee River)
We will be camping. Each student will provide their own gear**
** If you do not have gear of your own, and cannot borrow or rent the gear, please visit with the instructor
and we will try to make arrangements for you.
YOU WIL NEED:
Personal gear (soap,towel,toothbrush,sunglasses,etc.)
Sleeping Bag/Pad
Personal Tent (if you have one)
Rain Gear
Field Notebook
Camera (not required but highly recommended)
Insect repellent/sunscreen
flashlight
FOOD
Regarding that essential element of FOOD... rather than subject you to my personal
preferences in grocery shopping and work with the logistics of mass meal preparation
you will be providing your own supplies. We will have stoves and a limited suite of
utensils for group use. This is also the heavily settled east... its hard to get out of sight of
some form of eating place.... do not plan on being able to stop all the time, but I am not
adverse to occasionally stopping at ‘fast food’ places. We will also plan on group ‘social
eating’ events (e.g. Lamberts in Gulf Shores)
Tentative* Plan: *subject to change based on new information and irrational whim of the instructor
Day 1. Monday 16 May
Depart UNA 0800, drive to New Madrid Seismic zone/Reelfoot Lake
(http://quake.ualr.edu/public/nmfz.htm). Observe landforms and surface features associated
with neotectonic activity. Drive across the upper end of the Mississippi Embayment to
Johnson’s Shut Ins State Park in Missouri. (http://www.mostateparks.com/jshutins.htm). Wade
in the creek, observe fluvial processes in igneous rocks.
Night... camp at Johnson’s Shut Ins State Park
Day 2. Tuesday 17 May (longest driving day before the end of the trip)
Elephant Rocks SP Missouri, observe weathering patterns in igneous rocks. Cross the
Mississippi Embayment, over “Crowley’s Ridge”
(http://www.scsc.k12.ar.us/BorneC/newpage9.htm) arriving at the Tom Bevill visitors center on
the Tennessee-Tombigee waterway, Pickensville AL. Observe and discuss fluvial
processes in a constructed waterway.
Night.... camp Aliceville lake CG (USACE campground)
Day 3. Wednesday 18 May
Drive across the piedmont/gulf coastal plain of Alabama to Gulf State park, Gulf Shores
AL. Stop and explore the ‘Selma Chalks” as possible, and observe residual storm damage
from Hurricane Ivan.
Night... camp Gulf State park (or other location to be determined)
Day 4. Thursday 19 May
Exploring the barrier islands morphology and change (and beach). Sediment transport,
coastal damage from hurricane storm surge and winds.
(dinner... Lamberts, we need a break from cooking for ourselves!)
Night... camp Gulf State Park (or other location to be determined)
http://www.alapark.com/parks/park.cfm?parkid=22
Day 5, Friday 20 May
Cross Gulf coastal plain, look for fossilized sharks teeth in the Coosa River?, Explore
Wetumpka Impact structure
(http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/geology/docs/wetumpka/specific.htm) (didn’t know
we have a meteor crater in Alabama did you?!)
Night... DeSoto State Park
Day 6 Saturday 21 May
Enter the southern end of the Appalachian fold/thrust belt. Explore the rim of the L:ittle
River canyon, DeSoto Falls. Observe the impacts of fluvial processes in an active
tectonic setting of regional diastrophism. Climb down into the Little River Canyon, swat
mosquitoes/pick ticks. Examine erosional processes in the canyon. Explore cave
formation and karst topography probably welsh caves (http://www.desotostatepark.com/lolwelsh%20caves.htm http://www.baytreasures.com/) Discuss the impacts of geomorphology on
history and human culture... and speculate about Welshmen living in Alabama hundreds
of years before Hernan DeSoto was even born!
Night... camp DeSoto State Park
http://www.alapark.com/parks/park.cfm?parkid=3
http://www.desotostatepark.com/
Day 7 Sunday 22 May
Early departure! Explore a classic ‘water gap’ of the Tennessee River from the top of
Lookout Mountain above Chattanooga Tennessee. Brief photo stop on I 75 observing
deformed sedimentary strata. Afternoon observation of hydraulic processes IN rubber
rafts IN the Ocoee River (that would be whitewater rafting) http://www.ocoeeinn.com/
Night.... camp Chilhowee CG Cherokee National Forest (showers at the Ocoee Inn when
we’re off the water)
Day 8 Monday 23 May
Ducktown Basin Museum and Burra Burra mine site... the remnants of an environmental
blight from mining/smelting copper ore. http://www.gamineral.org/ducktown-museum-pics.htm
Murphy NC, Chunky Gal Mountain gneiss. Mountain waters scenic byway
Night.... camp Kimsey Creek Group Campsite, Nantahala National Forest
Day 9 Tuesday 24 May
Exploring the southern mountains, day hikes, waterfalls, easy day...
Night... camp Kimsey Creek Group Campsite, Nantahala National Forest
Day 10 Wednesday 25 May
Drive to Grandfather Mountain Erosional Window/Linville Falls
Night... Linville Falls or Julian Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway... no
showers
Day 11 Thursday 26 May
Grandfather Mountain/Linville Falls hiking and exploration
Camp Roan Mountain State Park Tennessee
Day 12
Leaving the mountains... last trip stops exploring the Pine Mountain Overthrust North of
Knoxville TN. This spectacular feature is clearly visible from space and displays large
scale regional thrust faulting associated with the Appalachian orogeny. Return on the
interstate highways to UNA (probably a late arrival)
Night.... in your own bed (finally!)
Course Evaluation....
You will be required to keep a field notebook/journal of the trip.
Photographs/sketches/maps will all be included in this field notebook. I want to look at
this field notebook at the conclusion of the trip.
We will create a virtual field trip guide on the web of this expedition. Students will be
divided into groups and each group will be responsible for creating a web page that
describes a stop. You will include photographs, maps and links to web sites as
appropriate.
After our return... an evening seminar will be held at the instructor’s house. During this
seminar photos and web sites will be shared, burgers grilled, root beer quaffed and stories
told.