Geol 128: Field techniques


Professor Richard Sedlock


Office: Duncan Hall 223; telephone: 408 924-5020
Office hours: T 10:30-12; W 1:30-2:30; Th 10:30-12; by appointment

e-mail: sedlock@geosun1.sjsu.edu



Professor Deborah Harden


Office: Duncan Hall 201; telephone: 408 924-5021
Office hours: M 4:30-5:30; T 4:30-5:30; Th 10-11:30

e-mail: harden@geosun1.sjsu.edu

This page is under construction (11/22/96)

General course information ("Green Sheet")

Prerequisites/Corequisites: Students should have completed Structural Geology (Geol 125) and basic petrology courses (Geol 121 and 123, concurrent enrollment in 121 OK).

Scope of Course: The purpose of this course is to familiarize you with the techniques and tools used in geologic field work. Topics include use of the Brunton compass; mapping on topographic maps and aerial photos; how to take field notes; field characteristics of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks; description and measurement of geologic structures; data presentation on maps and in reports.

Schedule: See Preliminary Schedule below. Field work includes several one-day (Sat) field trips and one multiple-day trip over spring break. Do not miss a field trip; we will not run make-up trips. Attendance for the entire spring break trip is REQUIRED to pass the course. Tuesday class meetings will precede all scheduled field trips, but will not normally be held in weeks without field trips.

Required text:
Geology in the Field, Robert Compton (1992)

Required materials:
hiking boots (buy now and break them in)
rock hammer
hand lens (10x); cheap kind is OK
field notebook to be used ONLY for this course
map case or other map holder
colored pencils, pens, protractor, metric scale

Grading: Your grade will be determined on the basis of cumulative points earned:

Lab 2: Strat column and report
Lab 3: Water sampling
Lab 4: Hydrology
Lab 5: Soberanes Point report
Lab 6: Mojave Desert project
Lab 7: Soils and sediments
Lab 8: Geophysics report
 12 pts
12 pts
12 pts
10 pts
30 pts
12 pts
12 pts

Barring a written medical excuse, LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Notate bene: Identical papers or maps will be given a grade of 0 (zero) (nada). Even if working in teams, students are expected to do their own compilation, descriptions, and interpretations. You will also earn a zero by consulting maps or reports previously published in the geologic literature or written by students in a previous class, or by consulting with the authors of such works. A zero on the Mojave project will cause you to fail the course.

Notate bene, II: It is the policy of the University and of this Department that dropping a course after the second week of instruction is permissible only for serious, compelling reasons. Unsatisfactory performance or perception of course work is not considered a serious, compelling reason, so get progress reports if you are concerned about your grade.


Preliminary Schedule

Rain days are scheduled for many labs in case of postponement due to weather.
1/25
1/28
2/1
2/8
2/15
2/18
2/22
3/1
3/4
3/8
3/11
3/15
3/18
3/22-27
4/15
4/19
4/26
4/29
5/3
5/10
 Lab 1: Brunton compass/map intro and review
Lab 2 prep: Discussion of turbidites and stratigraphic columns
Lab 2: Pebble Beach stratigraphic section and report
rain day for Lab 2
rain day for Lab 2
Lab 3 & 4 prep: Discussion of water sampling techniques and hydrology
Lab 3: Water sampling
Lab 4: Hydrology
Lab 5 prep: Discussion of field aspects of plutonic rocks; assigned readings
Lab 5: Soberanes Point (plutonic rocks, outcrop map)
Lab 6 prep: 6-day spring break trip to Mojave Desert (possible G118 trip to Sunol)
rain day for Lab 5
Lab 6 prep: Mojave Desert (possible G118 trip to Sunol)
Lab 6: Leave SJSU Sat 3/22 8 am for Mojave; return Thur 3/27 9 pm
Lab 7 prep: Discussion of soils and sediments
Lab 7: Soils and sediments
rain day for Lab 7
Lab 8 prep: Discussion of geophysical techniques
Lab 8: Geophysics in the Santa Teresa Hills
rain day for Lab 8