Introductory Earth Systems Science course with lab. (see the course profile)

Identification of minerals (quartz, feldspars, biotite, calcite).

This is the third lab during fall semester (and will probably not be used during winter semester). It follows a topographic maps lab in which students look at maps from the area of the field trip, and an indoor mineral identification lab. It comes before labs dealing with igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Later in the semester, some lab groups will return to the same spot to collect water samples in the adjacent river. Other lab groups will sample water from points further downstream. All students will need to think about the influence of the bedrock on the dissolved load of the river.

Recognition of minerals in the field, igneous rock textures, sedimentary rock textures.

This is a field trip designed to connect labs on rocks and minerals with the bedrock geology of a group research site. Students locate themselves on topographic maps using GPS and the topography they observe, examine igneous and sedimentary rocks, and sketch igneous and sedimentary rock textures. The field trip gives the students an opportunity to review some common minerals before being confronted with a large number of rocks in boxes.

1) Did students identify the minerals within each outcrop?
2) Do the sketches show that students observed textures within the rocks?