Sarah Hall

Mono Lake Paleoshoreline Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Students complete a series of geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and botany field exercises at a field site near the north shore of Mono Lake to generate interpretations of the lake through time. The Mono Lake ...

Mono Lake North Geomorphic Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
In this activity students observe Mono Lake North in the field and via remote imagery to identify fluvial geomorphic features. With these observations and data collected in the field students create annotated ...

Poleta Stratigraphy part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Based on field observations at Little Poleta, students identify and describe sedimentary rock units and measure the thicknesses of 5 different stratigraphic units. They then establish the field site's major ...

Groundwater Potentiometric Surface Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
In this exercise, students map the elevation of the water table in the Mammoth Groundwater Basin using water levels measured in Mammoth County Water District monitoring wells.

Botanical Transect Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Students gain experience "reading" landscapes using geologic, hydrological, and botanical/ecological techniques. They learn two simple and widely used methods for quantitatively measuring the density of ...

Poleta Bedrock Geologic Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Students produce a bedrock geologic map of the Little Poleta field area from which they write a short interpretation of the paleoenvironment and geologic history of the region.

Panum Crater Geomorphic Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Based upon field observations and aerial imagery, students generate a geomorphic map of Panum Crater and use their field data to make an interpretation of the eruptive history of Panum Crater.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Soil, Vegetation, and Bedrock Mapping part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
In this half-day field exercise, students hike the Discovery Trail at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (USDA Forest Service) to observe the relationships between geologic (rock and soil), geomorphic (aspect), ...

Intro to Quantifying Stream Discharge and Base Flow part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
In this exercise, students calculate stream discharge from sample field data using the velocity-area method. They compare multiple measurements of discharge to determine base flow in a sample river reach.

Paleoclimate Reconstruction: Walker Lake-Bloody Canyon Moraines of Mono Basin, California part of NAGT:Our Work:Past Projects:Teaching in the Field:Field Trip Collection
In this activity students map and describe glacial geomorphic features related to Quaternary glaciations in the Sierra Nevada of central California. In this region, multiple sets of glacial moraines and corresponding bogs and lakes are evidence of various advances during the Pleistocene. With time, glacial features are modified by erosional processes resulting in morphological changes that we can use to relatively date the various features. Using cross-cutting relationships, moraine morphology, boulder description/counting, and various other relative dating techniques students will "date" the moraines. In this locality there are three main moraine crests that are well-preserved and available for students to hike along and gather data (classified as Tioga-Tenaya, Tahoe, and Mono Basin moraines). At a locality along each of the three different moraine crests, students will observe the boulders along the ridge crest (within ~5m of the crest) within a known area. The students will record the number of boulders, the degree of weathering of the boulders, the lithology, the size (~diameter), roundness, presence of lichen (describe), and the presence of striations on each boulder. They will also note the style and amount of vegetation on the moraine and soil characteristics (amount of gruss around boulders?) The students should make a table in their field notebooks so that it is easy to compile the data at the end of the day. Generally students work in groups of 2 or 3. Since many of these observations are somewhat qualitative it works well for them to be able to discuss their thoughts while gathering data. It is helpful to use a few boulders as examples to set some ground rules before starting the activity – this will help the class be the same page with regard to the techniques.

McGee Creek Geomorphic History part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
At the McGee Creek field site, students observe geomorphic features that provide evidence for at least 2 processes (one tectonic and one climatic) influencing this landscape as well as ongoing modification of this ...

Walker Lake Area Glacial Geomorphology part of E-STEM:Field Course:ESTEM-PD Activities
Students visit Walker Lake (Eastern Sierras) to identify and map glacial geomorphic features. From their field and remote observations of the landscape, they subsequently make interpretations about formation ...