Field Geology – Summaries for
Fall 2018
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Leslie Kanat
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We will be attending the
New England
Intercollegiate Geological Conference on 12–14 October 2018 (the end of Fall
Break – Columbus Day Weekend).
Consider purchasing an all-weather
'Rite
in the Rain ' pen – geological field
supplies can be purchased from Miners,
Inc .
Learn about the
symbols
or download USGS topographic maps.
Learn about UTM grids at the
USGS site
or at a site maintained by MapTools .
Convert UTM to latitude and
longitude, or vice versa, using NOAA's The
National Geodetic Survey Coordinate Conversion and Transformation Tool . When using this tool, please use the settings in the image below (yet put in the appropriate northings and eastings).
Please convert 32°42'30" into decimal degrees.
Show all work.
Be sure to include name, date and title on the paper.
Use the data collected in the field today and make annotated drawings of the geometry between TM0 and TM2.
Create i) triangle that depicts the vertical situation, and ii) a map view that represents the positions of TM0 and TM2.
Include the GPS readings (0684522, 4945711 ±3) and elevation of 211 meters, for datum TM0.
Include the heights of the laser on the total station and the prism.
Write out the trigonometric equation that describes the situation and allows for the determination of the slope of the land surface.
Be sure to include name, date and title on the paper.
Assignment (due 24 September 2018) [60 points]: Topographic map
The map of Lower Pond at NVUJ should have the following characteristics and include the following items:
Accurate and precise.
Professional, yet hand-drawn.
Magnetic and true north arrows.
Bar scales in meters and feet.
Ratio scale.
Map name and series.
UTM grid, and include latitude and longitude tick marks.
Names or symbols (as appropriate) for roads, boundaries, ponds, and buildings.
Use index contour lines.
Specify the contour interval.
Names of the cartographers.
Legend (with appropriate colors, yet contour lines may be black).
Inset map.
The limits of the map for the topographic map were flagged. Three points (TM0, TM1 and TM2) were defined using a Total Station.
Assignment (due 6 September 2018) [10 points]: Scaled map
Use the limits of the mapped area and scale it to an 8.5" x 11" paper.
Include a bar scale and ratio scale.
Include name, title and date.
Lab was canceled on Monday because of the Labor Day holiday.
Topographic data were collected on Tuesday; a scaled map was created on Thursday.
Assignment (due 13 Sep 2018) [10 points]: Bed thickness and trigonometry
Field work and topographic map work.
Quiz on bed thickness and trigonometry.
Field work and topographic map work.
Field work and stereonets.
See a description of using stereonets from the University of Leeds or view a sequence of videos: 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 .
The basic steps for plotting the cyclographic trace of a dipping planar surface follows:
Put a tick mark on the overlay at north.
Visualize the orientation of the surface by orienting your hand over the stereonet.
Put a tick mark on the overlay at the strike direction.
Rotate the strike direction tick mark to south (or north).
Count in (east or west), using the great circles; the number of degrees is determined by the dip of the surface.
Trace the great circle at that dip, and put tick marks at both ends of the trace.
Label the great circle with the orientaiton of the fabric (e.g. 140/50E).
The basic steps for plotting a line follows:
Put a tick mark on the overlay at north.
Visiualize the orientation of the line (imagine where it would poke throught the lower hemisphere).
Put a tick mark at the bearing.
Rotate the bearing to a cardinal direction.
Count in, from the primitive, the plunge.
Mark the point with a small 'x'.
Think carefully when plotting the pole to a plane (recognise that there is one pole that is perpendicular to a plane).
Assignment (due 27 September 2018) [30 points]: Submit fieldbook and field notes.
Assignment (due 1 October 2018) [5 points]: Question 1 of the stereonet homework (attempt).
Field work and stereonets.
Assignment (due 2 October 2018) [5 points]: Question 1 of the stereonet homework.
In-class Assignment (due 2 October 2018) [5 points]: Question 2 of the stereonet homework.
Please see the camping gear checklist and bring minimal gear.
NEIGC notes
Meet in the Bentley parking lot at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, 12 October 2018, and pick up Adriana in Morrisville.
We will be staying at the Best Western of Lake George, NY (and should arrive around 6:00 pm on Friday).
We will meet Brockton (on the way), and Star and Kayla, Friday evening at the Best Western.
Some of you will need to bring a sleeping bag.
Bring field books, compasses, and hand lenses.
Although we will not be camping, check out the gear list to be sure you do not forget anything.
We will attend trips A4 (see Bierman et al. 2018 ) , B2, and C2 (see Robinson 2018 ).
See all trip descriptions at the NEIGC page.
Take a look at the following paper entitled "Signs of Ancient Microbial Life Questioned". It describes stromatolites in Greenland. See https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/signs-of-ancient-microbial-life-questioned-64955
Join me this Saturday, 8:30 am, Bentley Parking Lot, for fieldwork in the Champlain Lowlands.
Start thin section production.
Quiz (25 Oct 2018): Measurement of planar fabrics.
Definitions:
Strike: the compass direction of a horizontal
line on an inclined plane. Values range from 0 -
180º.
Dip: the vertical angle, measured between
horizontal and the plane of interest. Dip is measured at 90º
from strike; values range from 0 - 90º. A dip direction must
also be included.
Strike and dip are recorded in the following
format: 085/35S.
Scheme for recording orientation data:
For planar features use strike:
0-180 º and dip 0-90º; dip
direction.
For linear features use
bearing: 0-360 º
and
plunge: 0-90º (always plunges in
the direction of the bearing).
Note that strike and bearing are three-digit
numbers; dip and plunge are two-digit numbers.
Complete the first thin sections.
Have one thin section ground down and
polished to 30 microns by end of class on Tuesday. Have two additional thin sections ground
down and polished to 30 microns by Tuesday of next week. A total of three thin
sections, of different rocks from the French Hill mapping area
are required for this course.
Explore the largest
mineral database and mineralogical
reference website on the Internet.
Look at an index of minerals in thin section , or how to use petrographic microscope .
Assignment: Final report [100 points]
The following rubric will be used to assess the final project in this class (due date: 13 Dec 2018; rubric updated 9 Dec 2018).
A thesis statement is proposition laid down or stated, esp. as a theme to be discussed and proved, or to be maintained against attack.
Assignment (due 13 November 2018) [20 points]: Cross section
Make two topographic cross sections of the field area (no longer than 16” in length, and not oriented within ±30° of N).
No vertical exaggeration.
Label vertical axis (be sure it is in feet).
Label each traverse with bearings (three digits) and either A-A* or B-B*.
Put ‘T’s on the map that demarcate the extent of the traverse and label each ‘T” with A, A*,B, and B*.
Make note where rivers and roads cross the traverses.
Assignment (due 15 November 2018) [0 points]: Thin sections
Submit three high-quality thin sections.
Rocks must be from the field area.
Fieldwork on Monday.
Apparent dip, cross sections, and mapping.
Thanksgiving Break—stay safe.
Petrography.
Look at an index of minerals in thin section , or how to use petrographic microscope .
Some notes on the final project
Due date: 13 December 2018
Formations of interest for this project:
Greenstone member
Albite schist member
Ottauquechee Formation
Ultramafic rocks: Talc-carbonate schists
Minerals of interest for this project:
actinolite
albite
amphibole
biotite
black albite porphyroblasts
carbonate
chlorite
epidote
garnet
graphite
hornblende
magnetite
muscovite
pyrite
quartz
sphene
talc
Papers of interest for this project:
Topic for papers (as of 11:00 am on 3 Dec 2018):
A wedged thin section of quartz (way too thick on the left, but appropriate, straw-yellow thickness on the right). Photo credit: Ashley Wood, sample W004 .
Assignment (due 7 December 2018 by 5:00 p.m.) [20 points]: Thesis statement and Introduction
Start the final project by creating an appropriate title page.
The first page of text should have a clear thesis statement and an introduction.
Not required for this assignment, but consider adding any additional information to the document (just to get started); it could be section headings, appendices, references, or anything else appropriate.
Submit a .docx (or .pfd) file via attached to a properly written email.
Monday: work with thesis statements and Doolan (1996) .
Tuesday: work with thin sections.
Thursday: work with maps.
Final Exam: 10:15-12:15 on Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Click here for the NVU Final Exam schedule.
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