Integration of Field Exercises in a One-year Sed/Strat/Structure Course Leading to a Capstone Field Experience Lawrence Malinconico David Sunderlin Lafayette

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

Field ExperienceLawrence Malinconico

David SunderlinLafayette College, Easton, PA

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

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

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

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


• 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


• 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

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)


• Foreland Basin I (Martinsburg & Shawangunk Fms.) • 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


• 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

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.


• 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

* typical “sed/strat” topic

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


• 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


• 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

App 70% of lab time involves field projects

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

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

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

• 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



• 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)

Capstone Field Project – 23rd – 28th week

Advantages

• 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

Issues

• Over the 28 weeks our students clearly evolved into “geologists”

Discussion?

Value?

Documents

Integration of Field Exercises in a One-year Sed/Strat/Structure Course Leading to a Capstone Field Experience Lawrence Malinconico David Sunderlin Lafayette