After completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Locate him or herself accurately on a map or airphoto, using resection, topography, and other information
• Measure and/or estimate
  • attitudes of planar features
    • bedding
    • foliation
    • axial planes
    • slopes
    • including when those features dip < 10°
    • including when those features are not physically accessible
  • attitudes of linear features
    • lineation
    • fold axes
    • moraine crests and other linear geomorphic features
  • elevation differences
  • horizontal distances
  • thickness of geologic units
• Identify geologic units
  • define a set of criteria to distinguish units in the field
  • describe units accurately in map legends and written reports
• Define, identify and locate contacts between map units or other features in the field and accurately represent them on a map
  • Distinguish between different types of contacts (depositional, fault, intrusive, etc.)
  • Infer or project contact locations underneath cover based on attitudes, presence of float, and weathering profiles
  • Represent degree of certainty of contact locations with varying line types
  • Use the "rule of Vs" to extrapolate contact locations based on attitude and topography
• Measure thicknesses of geologic units using a variety of techniques
• Produce both "contact maps" and "outcrop maps" and know when to use each type.
• Understand the relationship between apparent dip and true dip
• Produce reasonable interpretive cross-sections from map data to describe structures and interpretations in 3-dimensions
• Produce professional scientific reports that summarize the geology and interpretations of the student’s map and cross sections, with reference to previous work and to the regional geologic setting.
  • take neat, accurate field notes, including sketches
• Map in structurally complex settings
  • recognize, measure, and interpret small- to medium-scale structures
    • folds
    • faults
    • foliation
    • lineation
  • Use stereonets to infer structural orientations
    • gather and tabulate appropriate data to address the given problem
    • accurately plot data on stereonets
    • draw appropriate inferences from data sets
  • Infer large-scale structures based on field data
• Use geologic information on air photos and topographic maps to extrapolate mapping between ground control points, and to improve field-mapping efficiency
• Perform fieldwork in a variety of geologic settings
  • Map and interpret stratified (e.g., volcanic, sedimentary) rocks
  • Map and interpret non-stratified (e.g., plutonic, some metamorphic) rocks
  • Map and interpret geomorphic (e.g., glacial, fluvial, alluvial) deposits