Using Visible Geology in Geological Field Methods Lab
This activity was implemented in lab, midway through a 1-credit geology field methods course. Students constructed a model using the Geology Explorer module based on a paper-based map and cross section they completed the week prior.
Students understood the assignment and were able to use their models to make predictions about the stucture outside of their assigned map area. I gave an introduction to the goals of the assignment a week prior and on the day of the activity and on the day of the assignments I walked students through the organization of the Geology Explorer module (adding layers, manipulating the model) and the topography sculptor tool. The activity was mostly completed in the ~2 hours allotted for the activity, but most students devoted some additional time to completing the activity during the following week.
About this Course
Geological Field Methods Lab
~10 students
My Experience Teaching With Visible Geology
Combining Map and Cross Section Results into a 3-D ModelTeaching details
The activity was used as presented. Students spent the preceding class period and intervening week constructing a paper geologic map and cross section of a classic undergraduate field course mapping area located in southwestern Montana. Students did not physically visit the area (we are located in Michigan and the course runs on campus from March–April), but they had access to synthetic field notes, satellite imagery, and topography of the field area. The main structure of the field area is a series of Mesozoic sedimentary units folded into an asymmetric, plunging anticline.
The activity was planned to be mostly completed in a computer lab over approximately two hours after students had finished their paper maps and cross sections. Students had an additional week following the lab time to finish their models and the associated questions.
How did the activity go?
The first iteration of the activity was well-received. All students who started the assignment were able to recreate a representation of their map area and make predictions about the structure outside of it. In that sense, students were able to demonstrate that they had a reasonable mental model of a map-scale structure and could appreciate that maps and cross sections each show two-dimensional views of the same three-dimensional structure.
The main challenge in delivering this activity was anticipating the time it would take students to be comfortable with the Visible Geology "Geology Explorer" menus and controls. Students would benefit from having the chance to use the Geology Explorer module as a low-stakes homework prior to starting this assignment. In-class efficiency could be further improved by focusing student efforts on only the relevant types of events in the Geology Explorer module. In the case of the Frying Pan Gulch field area I used in class, the relevant Geology Explorer events for the expected level of detail were folding and tilting, but some students used other events to mimic, e.g., the steeply dipping limb of an asymmetric fold.
Students also spent more time than anticipated trying to recreate the topography of their field area. Presenting an example topography of a similar area at a desired level of detail would likely be helpful for students.
Students learned how to use many of the tools available in the Visible Geology Geology Explorer module, and they were successful in making predictions of the structure outside of their assigned map area. Anecdotally, students enrolled in Geological Field Methods Lab in the semester I ran this activity performed well in their final field project in which they produced a map and cross section using their own observations made in the field. I noted fewer instances of disagreements between structures represented in maps and cross sections than in previous semesters.
Students with limited structural geology background struggled to identify the best tools/events (i.e., folding, tilting) to construct their models, and most students wished they had more in-class time to work on the assignment. Two hours was insufficient without a pre-lab activity aimed at developing competence using the Geology Explorer toolkit.