GEOL 275 – Off Campus
Field Studies:
Field Geology of the
Desert Southwest
January 2014
Instructor: Dr. David Griffing
Office: JSC 243
Phone: 607-431-4629
E-mail: griffingd@hartwick.edu
Instructor: Dr. Eric Johnson
Office: JSC 245
Phone: 607-431-4658
E-mail: johnsone@hartwick.edu
General Course Catalog Description for GEOL 275 Off-Campus Field Studies: (4 credits, January Term) Field
courses include study of the geology, geography, and natural history of destinations such as the Bahamas, Hawaii,
Texas, and Southern California. All aspects of Earth Science may be covered during these trips including surficial
geology, geomorphology, sedimentology, petrology, mineralogy, structural geology, climatology, hydrology, and
geochemistry. These trip-based courses offer exceptional opportunities to practice field techniques in all areas of
geology. Field mapping versions of this course, such as Field Geology of the Desert Southwest, combine regional
geology studies with extensive instruction in field mapping and other data collection techniques. Prerequisite:
Permission of instructor and GEOL 274 Off-campus Field studies: Desert SW (a 1-credit pre-trip orientation course
offered in the Fall 2013 semester).
Specific Description of Field Geology of the Desert Southwest: This course emphasizes mastering basic field
techniques for collecting and presenting geologic data in a field notebook through use of a Brunton compass, a Jacob
staff, and a GPS receiver. Students will complete several small mapping projects during the course. The field
destinations for this course vary from year to year. However, the most common versions of this course visit geologic
features in either: 1) the deserts, mountains, and gorges of West Texas and New Mexico, or 2) the deserts,
mountains and gorges of Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. Both of these regions provide spectacular
examples of a wide variety of geologic phenomena to observe and document. Highlights of the 2014 course includes
visits to the Franklin Mountains, Big Bend National Park, tour of the Christmas Mountains on horseback, Carlsbad
Caverns National Park, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. (LAB).
Purpose/Rationale: The primary goal of this course is to help you become a competent field scientist. In order to
do that, you will need to sharpen your observational skills and learn several data collecting techniques. These skills
are useful to many different disciplines beyond geology. The successful field geologist will make sense out of a
complex data set and a wide range of observations. In the field, a geologist must recognize, describe and interpret
such geologic features as mineral assemblages, fossil assemblages, primary rock structures, and tectonic overprint
features. A secondary purpose of this course is to help you develop an understanding of geological development of
the southwest North American continent – a geologically dynamic area with an ever increasing human population
and a very different history from that of the Northeast.
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. be able to locate themselves in the field and confidently navigate in wilderness terrains,
2. be able to take effective scientific field notes,
3. be able to identify geologic features and distill the essential information from a large set of observations,
4. be competent in the construction of geologic maps using a brunton compass, modern surveying equipment,
and global positioning satellite receivers,
5. exhibit improved 3D/spacial reasoning,
6. be able to identify geologic phenomena and interpret the causes of those phenomena, and
7. be able to incorporate their observations and collected data into a broader understanding of the geologic
evolution of the desert Southwest.
Outcomes Assessment: The course learning outcomes above will be assessed by the following methods: A) Each
student will be evaluated by their ability to lead the group in both destination navigation (as van navigator) and in
the field a mapping leader (LO1); B) note books with be graded for organization and content (LO2, 3&6); C) Several
short-term, group and individual mapping projects based on specific techniques will be graded on proper use of
technique and the accurate location of outcrops, bedrock contacts and specific structures (LO4); D) Each student will
be evaluated by their performance on an oral exam that tests their knowledge field techniques (LO4); E) 3D/Spacial
reasoning will be measured by implementation of an ungraded 3D/spacial aptitude test developed by GESC faculty
for use as a summative assessment at the end of this course (LO5); F) Each student will be evaluated on the quality
of content and delivery of a presentation that interprets the geologic history of a geologic feature encountered
during the trip (LO7).
Academic Requirements / Grading:
1) Participation and behavior (5% of final Grade). This is the most important part of a successful field trip, and an important part of
your grade. Please note that "participation" does not mean that you simply show up for an event. It is a combination of your attitude, your
contributions to the group, your willingness to help out and lead activities, etc.
2) Field notebooks (collectively 30% of final grade). You will need to keep a daily record of your observations of both geology and
natural history throughout the trip. You should endeavor to make thorough observations, and also record your thoughts (of a scientific
nature), speculations, hypotheses, as these notes will help you complete all your mapping project work. You are also expected to take notes
on the oral presentations and field discussions. Field notebooks will be collected at unspecified intervals throughout the trip, so keep them
up to date!
3) Oral presentation (15% of final grade). At some point during the trip, you will be responsible for making a 15-minute oral
presentation to the group on a specific feature or geologic event related to the course destinations. You will choose your topic during the
Fall pre-trip course; you can pick one from a list of suggested topics (to be provided later), or you may suggest your own. The basic content
of your presentation should be completed by the end of the Fall semester, but you will have time after that to modify and practice your
presentation. You will be
graded on: A) how well you inform the group, B) how well you understand the topic, C) the degree of content organization and D) evidence of
practice).
4) Short oral exam of field techniques (5% of final grade). You will be briefly tested on your practical knowledge of the field data
collection techniques used in the course with particular emphasis on the use of the Brunton compass and locating yourself in the field.
5) Open notebook quiz (5% of final grade). Based on pre-trip geology/stratigraphy notes and locality geography. To be given at the
beginning of the course
6) Field maps and short map-related reports (collectively 40% of final grade). Several short field mapping assignments
spread over the duration of the trip and one longer-term project completed near the end of the trip.
Tentative Course Itinerary: The tentative schedule of daily activities is provided below. Timing of certain weather-sensitive
activities (high altitude hikes) may change to take advantage of the best weather conditions for these activities.
DAYS
1
2
LOCATION
Travel Day
1/8
El Paso, TX
1/9
3
Travel Day
1/10
4
Big Bend National Park
(central park) 1/11
5
Big Bend National Park
(SW park) 1/12
6
Big Bend N. P. 1/13
7
Big Bend National Park
1/14
8
Big Bend National Park
1/15
9
10
Terlingua Area 1/16
Big Bend National Park
1/17
11
Terlingua Area
1/18
Terlingua Area 1/19
BBRSP or BBNP
12
13-16
17
Terlingua Area 1/20-23
Travel Day 1/24
18
Guadalupe Mountains
National Park 1/25
19
Carlsbad Caverns
National Park 1/26
Guadalupe Mtns. N.P.
& Travel Day 1/27
20
FEATURES VISITED / COURSE ACTIVITIES
Air travel: Arrive in El Paso, TX independently. Lodging in La Quinta
Airport, El Paso, TX
Day trip: Franklin Mountains (Field identification of metamorphic and
intrusive igneous rocks / Precambrian and Early Paleozoic history of
western Texas). Lodging in La Quinta Airport, El Paso, TX
Van transport from El Paso to Terlingua, TX. Lodging at the Terlingua
Ranch Lodge. Geologic and topographic map reading review 4:00-5:30
pm. Dinner 6:00 pm. Student Presentations 8:00-9:30 pm.
9:00-5:00 Chisos Basin and the high country - hike to the Window and
Basin Loop Trail (Geographic, geologic and ecologic overview of the
park). PM: Student Presentations
Chihuahuan Desert along Ross Maxwell Drive: Sam Nail Ranch and
Burro Mesa Pour Off (mapping the Burro Mesa Fault), Sotol Vista
(interpreting landscape features), and a hike to the Mule Ears (Field
identification of volcanic rock types / volcanic stratigraphy).
Chihuahuan Desert along Ross Maxwell Drive: Tuff Canyon
(Identification and mapping of volcanic features), Castolon Village,
Santa Elena Canyon (Field identification of carbonate rocks/Cretaceous
marine stratigraphy/Tectonics of the Mesa de Anguila uplift)
7:00 am: Chihuahuan Desert: Persimmon Gap and Dog Canyon
(Outcrop-scale mapping /distinguishing deformational features from
the Ouachita and Laramide orogenic events). Discussion of Chihuahuan
Desert biota.
The Grapevine Hills and the Paint Gap Hills (Identification of igneous
intrusive rocks, their weathering, and erosional features / Mapping the
remnants of a laccolith)
DAY OFF
Morning Hike: Ernst Valley in the Caballo Muerto Mountains
(Cretaceous stratigraphy / identification and mapping of faults)
Afternoon: Trip to the Rio Grande Village and Hot Springs (volcanicderived geothermal heat).
Tour of Christmas Mountain geology on horseback / examination of
dinosaur fossils in the Christmas Mountains. PM free
El Solitario, Big Bend Ranch State Park (Laccolith and exposed
Paleozoic stratigraphy) OR Lost Mine Trail, Chisos Mountains, Big
Bend National Park (mapping of volcanic units)
Group field Mapping Projects (ranch or nearby private lands)
Van transport from Terlingua, TX to Carlsbad, NM. Lodging at the
Best Western Stevens Inn, Carlsbad, NM.
Visitor Center; Hike up the Permain Reef Trail in McKittrick Canyon
(Systematic examination of carbonate platform to basin sedimentology
and paleontology/ Delaware Basin development)
Examination of limestone at the entrance to Walnut Canyon (Permian
carbonate platform strata); Tour of the caverns (Karst formation)
Van travel from Carlsbad to El Paso with stops at Delaware Basin road
cuts and Guadalupe Pass (Examination of deep basin strata). Lodging at
La Quinta Airport, El Paso, TX.
21
Travel Day 1/28
Air travel - El Paso to Home
Required Text: Freeman, Tom (2010) Geology Field Methods, FriendShip Publications, Columbia, MO. This $15 field manual is
a required book for the GEOL 274 pre-trip orientation course and is available through the GESC Department. When you register
for GEOL 274-7MZ, the $15 charge will be placed on your tuition bill as a course fee.
Field Conditions and Other Required & Recommended Materials: We will spend many days out in the field, so be
prepared to be self-contained (with a large daypack, water bottles/Camelback, at least 2 liters in capacity). January
temperatures typically range from 34°-80°F in the desert valleys in Big Bend, but high country areas that we visit may be 10°
cooler. Therefore, a range of warm- to cold-weather clothes will be critical to your happiness – especially clothes that layer well
and don’t hold moisture. Abundant spikey vegetation (very hard to avoid when walking off-trail) requires that you have at least
2-3 pair of durable long pants for off-trail mapping days (we recommend cargo or painters pants instead of jeans, because they
typically have looser fit and have large pockets for a field notebook). Zip-off (removable leg) pants work very well, but those of
tropic weight nylon may be too thin for protection against plants and cold weather. Although all of our destinations average less
than 2 inches of rain for the entire month of January (and most average less than 1 inch), isolated winter storms do infrequently
bring rain to these areas. In addition, both desert valley and high elevation destinations frequently experience high winds during
the winter months. Since we may be hours away from our vehicles during some of the longer hikes, and since combined wind
and rain can make an unprotected body prone to hypothermia, a good rain jacket is an absolutely critical item to pack. A rain
jacket can double as a windbreaker for windy conditions and can be layered over a sweater or fleece for added warmth. Finally,
good footwear is critical to your comfort. Since we will be hiking over rough, rocky terrain every day of the field course, we highly
recommend that you bring a good pair of hiking boots or hiking shoes with good tread on hard rubber (Vibram or similar) soles,
these should be thoroughly broken in. You should bring enough field clothes for 7-9 days. You will have clothes washing facilities
at Terlingua Ranch. Other required or recommended items follow:
waterproof field notebook & pad of grid graph paper
pencils (2-3H ), ruler, protractor & eraser
hand lens w/ 10x magnification (required for majors)
flashlight/headlamp and batteries
sunscreen (≥SPF 15) & aloe vera gel
sunglasses
light sleeping bag (if you won’t share room beds)
watch and/or travel alarm clock (very important!)
light leather work gloves
shorts (a couple pair is all you’ll need)
shirts (T-shirts and at least 1 long-sleeved shirt)
socks (Smartwool recommended)
flip-flops, Tevas or sneakers for downtime
sun hat (wide-brimmed recommended)
swimsuit (1 recommended)
pocket knife (must be in checked luggage)
winter hat/gloves
hygiene items (shampoo, toothbrush, deodorant, etc.)
first aid kit (incl. pain relievers, bandages, decongestant,
allergy med, anti-diarrhea, pain relievers, etc.
all personal prescription medications
swim towel (optional - ranch doesn’t supply pool towels)
laundry soap (small container) and change for coin laundry
fleece jacket or pullover to be layered with a rainjacket
digital camera with ample memory
cell phone with long distance minutes or calling card
money for souvenirs, day-off entertainment and snacks
Hartwick student ID
picture ID for flying (driver’s license or passport). Passport
will be required if you wish to participate in a optional
Mexican border crossing at Big Bend National Park
textbook, final course trip itinerary & talk outline
rock hammer and chisel (collecting permitted only outside
parks and only where private landowners consent – must also
be in checked luggage)