Field Trips
Soft Rock Field Trips
Soft rock field trips are run annually at the end of winter term, typically for 1-2 weeks in late April and early May. Trip locations vary each year, but follow a general rotation between the East Coast through the Appalachians to Florida, the South-Central US from New Mexico through Texas to Louisiana, and the Southwestern US, including California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
The 2010 Spring Trip went to the southwestern US and was led by Kacey Lohman and Nathan Niemi. The itinerary included Death Valley, the southern Sierra Nevada, the Transverse Ranges and Mojave Desert, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Capital Reef National Park.
Students at Red Rocks, Nevada, May 2007.
New Zealand Field Trip
Tim Stahl and I led a 3-week field trip to the north and south islands of New Zealand in May, 2017, for 22 undergraduate and graduate students. The trip was supported by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the International Institute at the University of Michigan, and generous donations from our alumni. The focus was primarily on Quaternary geology, tectonic geomorphology, neotectonics, and volcanic hazards. We were lucky to stay at many fantastic field stations operated by the University of Canterbury, and to have several local experts in New Zealand geology join us at field sites along the way.
