YELLOWSTONE  

TRIP  University  of  Saskatchewan  SEG  Student  Chapter  

ABSTRACT  This  year’s  student  chapter  provided  students  with  an  exceptional  opportunity  to  view  Lucky  Friday  Mine,  Craters  of  the  Moon  National  Park,  as  well  as  Yellowstone  National  Park,  in  a  fun,  yet  informative  way.  Allowing  students  to  explore  geology  in  an  outdoor  classroom  helps  assist  better  in  understanding  material  presented  to  students  within  the  classroom,  and  further  on  in  life  beyond  their  degrees.  Matthew  Nadeau,  SEG  SC  President                          Monika  Dyl,  SEG  SC  Vice  President    

 

Lucky  Friday  Mine  Tour  The  Lucky  Friday  Mine  concentrates  their  exploration  to  three  main  metals;  silver,  lead  

and  zinc.  Helca  mining  drills  in  two  main  sectors.  The  first  being  the  Lucky  Friday  Mine,  who  is  drilled  out  of  the  Rivett  Formation;  consisting  of  a  galena  and  tetrahydrite  rich  quartzite.  It  extends  from  the  1,200ft  level  to  below  6,000ft.  However,  due  to  the  stress  still  being  applied  to  the  rock,  the  quartzite  is  highly  explosive  when  drilled,  and  has  killed  many  workers  over  the  years,  leading  to  this  mine  being  used  solely  for  transportation  today.  Although  it  bears  the  highest  quality  and  quantity  of  the  rare  metals,  it  is  far  too  dangerous  to  work  on  with  current  technology.  Around  one  mile  from  Lucky  Friday  Mine  is  the  expansion,  named  the  Gold  Hunter.  The  Gold  Hunter  drills  into  the  Wallace  Formation,  consisting  of  argillaceous  muds  with  galena  and  sylvite  rich  quartz  veins.  They  began  drilling  on  the  4,900ft  level  and  continue  down  to  around  6,300ft  today.  Due  to  malfunction  of  one  of  the  fans,  production  is  currently  limited  to  half,  due  to  exhaust  limitation  for  all  of  the  diesel  equipment.    

Our  experience  in  the  Lucky  Friday  Mine  allowed  us  to  view  both  mine  shafts,  rock  crushing  equipment,  safe  rooms  (fully  equipped  with  gas  and  fire  retardant  blankets,  fresh  air  intake,  and  water),  and  a  first-­‐hand  look  at  the  vein  currently  being  followed.  We  took  a  look  at  the  daily  job  of  the  geologist,  as  well  as  the  miners.    

     Craters  of  the  Moon  

Craters  of  the  Moon  formed  during  eight  major  eruptive  periods  between  15,000  and  2000  years  ago.  These  eruptions  have  been  theorized  to  have  occurred  due  to  the  stretching  forces  of  the  earth  in  this  region,  and  are  said  to  occur  roughly  every  2,000  years  (it  has  been  over  2,000  years  since  the  last  eruption…).  Although  there  are  many  mountain  building  tension  forces  in  the  Idaho/Montana  area,  the  release  is  triggered  in  volcanism  in  this  region.    

  Lava  tubes,  occurring  by  lava  flow  beneath  pre-­‐existing  solidified  lava  is  a  common  occurrence  in  the  National  Park,  where  we  visited  Dew  Drop,  Indian  Tunnel,  and  Boy  Scout  Caves.  We  also  visited  Inferno  Cone,  which  had  been  a  cinder  cone-­‐  formed  by  high  pressure  volcanic  gasses  erupting  spew  high  into  the  air,  then  forming  a  mound.    

     Yellowstone  National  Park     We  concluded  our  trip  with  a  day  at  Yellowstone  National  Park.  Due  to  the  sheer  size  of  it,  we  only  really  covered  the  area  from  North  Entrance  down  to  Old  Faithful.  What’s  fascinating  about  the  area  is  the  currently  active  volcano  within  range  of  every  exhibit  which  could  erupt  at  any  given  point,  and  is  a  few  years  overdue.  On  our  way  to  Old  Faithful,  we  stopped  at  a  few  of  the  smaller  geysers,  as  well  as  a  few  paint  pots;  named  after  the  extraordinary  colours  occurring  from  various  states  of  oxidation  in  the  iron  of  the  muds.       Old  Faithful  proved  her  splendor  with  a  grand  explosion,  and  helped  us  understand  the  plumbing  of  the  geyser  system.  Once  she  erupted,  we  followed  the  sequence  of  eruptions  on  our  way  to  Obsidian  Cliff,  watching  all  of  the  geysers  erupt  along  the  way.  This  being  due  to  the  underground  system  of  built  up  pressures  releasing  in  sequence,  or  in  a  loop  through  the  park.  This  assumption  being  made  due  to  its  predictive  nature  of  erupting  every  38-­‐120  minutes.       Obsidian  Cliff,  a  cliff  formed  of  rhyolitic  lava  was  a  rather  minor,  yet  fascinating  feature  to  experience.  The  flow  of  the  rhyolite  seems  to  create  this  vast  cliff,  of  vertical  columns  which  can  be  interpreted  as  cooling  fractures.  Not  only  is  it  a  geological  monument,  but  a  valuable  historic  monument  of  obsidian  used  for  trade  in  times  prior  to  Columbus.  Although  we  were  not  allowed  to  fully  examine  it,  due  to  the  signs  prohibiting  exploration,  it  was  a  valuable  experience  none-­‐the-­‐less.  

  Lastly,  we  took  a  look  at  the  Travertine  Terraces  to  better  understand  limestone  deposition  in  a  mineral  spring  like  setting.  It  is  a  unique  form  of  rapid  precipitation  of  calcium  carbonate  in  a  variety  of  white,  tan  and  oxidized  colours,  making  for  extravagant  coloured  and  shaped  limestone  columns.  Due  to  the  waters  being  supersaturated  with  heat,  gasses  and  a  higher  pH,  precipitation  of  calcium  carbonate  is  unavoidable,  making  for  constant  growth  and  change  within  this  region.       Overall,  this  trip  was  unforgettable,  and  an  amazing  learning  experience  a  geologist  can  learn  a  significant  amount  of  new,  and  fascinating  things  from.  There  is  no  better  way  to  learn  than  having  the  world  as  your  classroom  for  geology,  and  we  greatly  appreciate  the  experience  acquired  from  this  trip.      “The  Yellowstone/Craters  of  the  Moon/Lucky  Friday  trip,  funded  in  part  by  SEG,  was  a  great  learning  and  exploration  experience.  Yellowstone  and  Craters  of  the  Moon  National  Parks  were  staggeringly  beautiful  and  offered  first  hand  visual  representation  of  concepts  we  had  learnt  in  class  (basaltic  lava  flows,  lava  tubes,  caldera  volcanism,  geysers,  etc).  The  Lucky  Friday  silver  and  zinc  mine  tour  offered  the  chance  to  meet  experienced  geologists,  on  site.  It  was  both  invaluable  and  fun.  To  go  down  into  the  mine  to  see  the  vein  right  before  my  eyes  was  amazing  and  informative.  New  insights  were  given  into  the  importance  of  the  day-­‐to-­‐day  operations  and  tasks  the  geologists  have.  Through  this  trip,  not  only  has  my  knowledge  of  geology  grown  but  also  my  passion.  Thank  you  SEG  for  being  our  generous  sponsor.”  

-­‐Elliot  Baldwin  (4th  year  B.  Sc.)      “I  wasn't  too  sure  what  to  expect  for  this  trip,  I  knew  it  would  be  informative  and  interesting,  but  up  until  this  point,  I  hadn't  really  seen  too  many  of  the  geological  structures  that  I  had  only  read  about  in  books  up  until  that  point.  For  me,  the  highlight  of  the  trip  was  the  first  stop,  the  mine  in  Kellogg.  I  had  never  been  underground  before,  and  when  you  realize  just  where  you  are  inside  the  Earth  and  that  you  have  thousands  of  feet  of  rock  above  you,  along  with  the  mine  complex  and  its  seemingly  zigzagging  paths,  for  me,  that  put  geology  into  a  totally  different  perspective.  I  also  found  Craters  of  the  Moon  to  be  interesting,  seeing  the  textures  and  formations  of  the  lava  flows  and  and  being  able  to  climb  through  the  lava  tubes  was  an  enjoyable  experience.”  

-­‐Danny  Johnson  (4th  year  B.  Sc.)      Students  Attended:  

• Monika  Dyl  • Kyle  Molyneaux  • Danny  Johnson  • Elliot  Baldwin  • Justine  Jeab  • Justin  Trockstad  • James  Chamberlain  • Aaron  Wood  • Erin  Lech  • Meagan  Binner  • Stephanie  Bacsu  

 

 Financial  summery      

 

Proceeds( In(US(Currency( In(CA(Currency(Money(Supplyed(from(SEG $800 $998Money(Supplyed(from(Students( $130(/(Student $180(/(Student(

11(Students(Participated( $1,430 $1,980Starting(Balance $2,230.00 $2,978.00

(Expenses( In(US(Currency( In(CA(Currency( Expence(Type

Day(one((Sept(3rd,(2015)Trail(Motel((206(W.(Camerson(Ave.(Kellogg,(ID) $161.85 $223.35 HotelCenex(((MVC(GT(Falls,(ID) $60 $82.80 GasHusky((610(S(Service(RD,(Swift(Current(SK) $37.78 $52.14 GasEYZ(Mart((HWY(2(&(Main,(ID) $24.50 $33.81 Gas

Day(Two((Sept(4th,(2015)DK(Motel(((316(Front(St,(Arco(ID) $151.20 $208.66 Hotel(Rocky(M(((700(N(Montana(St,(Dillon,(MT) $55.50 $76.59 GasCameron(C((3(E(Cameron(Ave,(Kellogg(ID $58 $80.04 Gas

Day(Three((Sept(5th,(2015)Craters(Moon(((National(Monument,(ID) $8 $11.04 Park(PassAdamson(Market(((20481(Main(Carey,(ID) $43.44 $59.95 GasAl's(Motel(((West(Yellowstone,(MT) $329.80 $455.12 Hotel

Day(Four(Sept(6th,(2015)Al's(Motel(((West(Yellowstone,(MT) $329.80 $455.12 Hotel(YPSS(Mammoth((Gardiner,(MT) $67 $92.46 GasYellowstone(((National(Monument,(MT) $40 $55.20 Park(Pass

Day(Five(Sept(7th,(2015)Little(Otts's(((3N.(!st(East(Malta(MT) $49.11 $67.77 GasCoYop((Saskatoon(104(Molland(Lane,SK) $55.55 $76.66 GasEYMart( $40 $55.20 GasBudget(RentYAYCar((8th(St,(Saskatoon(SK) $595.62 $821.96 Van(Rental

Bank(Fees/Cash(Withdrawl(Fees( $40.41 $55.77

Final(Expense( $2,963.63Starting(Balance $2,978Final(Balance( $14.37

**Exchange(Rate(for(Sponsership(Money(From(SEG($1(US(=($(1.24(CA****Exchange(Rate(during(trip($1(US(=($(1.38(CA**

Thanks for reading,

Matthew Nadeau

President

University of Saskatchewan SEG Student Chapter

Monika Dyl

Vice President

University of Saskatchewan SEG Student Chapter