Geologic Mapping

Science OlympiadTrial Event 2011

Amanda Baker

Geology: The Field -vs- The Lab

TableCan’t take all students into the field … but we can reproduce important aspects of the experience

• Decision Making• Use of Tools

• Defense of Interpretations• Time Management

What does it take to implement these four things?

Decision Making Use of Tools Defense of Interpretations Time Management

• Geologic time scale• Relative and absolute age dating• Depositional environments• Field measurements• Folding and Faulting

•Strong Background Knowledge• Plate Tectonics• Rock formation• Lat/long, UTM • Map projections• Topographic maps

•Developing a Set of Tools• Provide data• Interpret data

•Data - vs - Interpretations

•Strong Background Knowledge• Plate Tectonics• Rock formation• Lat/long, UTM • Map projections• Geologic time scale• Relative and absolute

age dating• Depositional

environments• Field measurements• Folding and Faulting• Topographic maps

•Develop a Set of Tools• Provide data• Interpret data

•Data - vs - Interpretations

What does this mean for exam questions?

•Knowledge-Based• Multiple choice• Short answer• Diagrams

•Tasks• Application• Interpretation• Integration of multiple data sets

•Interpretation Tasks• Higher-level application of tools and data sets• More

•Knowledge-Based• What is the contour interval?• Of points I, E, G, and D, which is at the greatest and least risk for flooding? Why?• If a spring were sourced at the red dots, draw the path the water would take.

•Tasks• Draw a topographic profile from A to E.• A bed outcrops at points B, J, and D. Determine the strike and dip of the bed.• If the “Photo” was taken facing west, draw a dot where the photographer was likely standing. Why there?N

• Interpretation Tasks

• Using an equal area stereonet, find the strike and dip of a bed with the apparent dips (036, 25E) and (197, 65E).

• Interpretation Tasks

• Describe the type of feature depicted in the stereonet plot in detail

• Is this feature likely to be the result of one, multiple, or a progression of deformation events?

• Interpretation Tasks

•Complete the block diagram and label any major features

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• Interpretation Tasks

• Draw a cross-section from A to A’• On your cross-section, label the areas of greatest and least confidence and explain

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What is a Cross Section?

Multiple Styles of Cross-Sections

List of good sourcesｷ Portrait of a Planet, by Steve Marshak ｷ The Geoscience Handbook, compiled by Walker and Cohenｷ Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology, American Geological Institute ｷ Structural Analysis & Synthesis, Rowland, Duebendorfer, and Schiefelbein

ｷ http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/structure/

Thank you for your time!

Any questions?