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Keeping a field book:
Keeping a field book:
There are several different aspects to keeping a field book, but let’s start with its purpose!
Are you keeping this notebook so that….
You can look like a cool geologist? (because you do)
You can jog your memory when your field professor asks you a question later? (because they will)
You can get a good notebook grade ? (because you can!)
Well, while you may be doing all of these things, the purpose of a field notebook is to take notes so that any other geologist could read your notes and know exactly where you were, when you were there, and could tell what you saw that was important. This means that your notes should focus on observations, not interpretations.
Also, at least while you’re an undergrad, think of your notebook as your cheat sheet. You can write anything you want in there and take it with you in the field. You should include anything you think is important, as well as any observations you make that might help you later.
So how do you do that you ask? Give me specific steps you say? Great, here you go:
1. When you leave on a field trip (whether it’s a club trip, a class trip, or field camp itself) you’ll be given a field guide. READ THE FIELD GUIDE. This may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many answers are in the field guides and how many people don’t read them (grrrrr….)
2. After you’ve read the field guide, it might not be a bad idea to highlight/copy to your notebook any figures or information that seems useful. If it's in the field guide you’re going to see or interact with it in some way on that field trip. Keep in mind, if you read something that raises a question, or you want to know more about, chances are you have a 9+ hour drive ahead of you: driven by someone who has all the answers. Ask questions! They don’t have to be complicated- just ask your drivers/TA’s/professors questions. Because there's a good chance that if it's hard, you’re probably going to be tested on it later… just saying.
3. When you go on any trip it is important that you know where you are at all times. You should know which direction you’re moving, which physiographic province you’re in, maybe even which unit you’re in. Keep a road log! Record which road you're on and which direction you’re traveling on it (how else do you think I managed to remember past locations…)
4. When you start a day, you should record things that are going to help you remember what happened later. Write down the weather. Was it raining? Sunny? Hot? Cold? This will help you remember what happened. If you take any photos, ID when and where they came from.
5. When you get to a stop: Record the time you get there, and the coordinates of where you are. You should also start making observations- do you see rocks around you where you’ve parked? If you’re on a GEOLOGY trip, wherever you stop is going to have rocks. So if they’re not in the parking lot, something has to change between the parking lot and wherever you’re going that they are exposed (a fault, a fold, a down cutting stream, crossing into another unit, etc.).
6. When you get to an outcrop, start making observations. These can be simple: what color is it, what stands out to you. You should absolutely work with a partner and brainstorm. In field classes, you will always be paired with a partner, whom you’re expected to compare, and reach a mutual conclusion with. Treat field trips the same way. Learn from your peers.
On that note, how can you be a good partner? Question them! If your partner makes a claim that you don’t see, don’t just accept it as fact (regardless of how much smarter than you, you think they may be), make them defend it, and prove it to you. Blindly accepted assumptions will come back to haunt you in field camp.
Here are two examples from my first field book, these both are from my first field trip ever. The left photo was the first thing I ever wrote down for a stop while the photo on the right was towards the end of the trip.
Notice how the one on the left still received full points (the check marks). It was definitely a little chaotic, but I wrote down the observations I had. That was all that was expected of me because I was still learning. Just look at the improvement from the same trip, just days later on the right!
These above are from a more recent field book. On the left, name of stop, date, scale (as best as possible), direction, annotating on the sketches, the whole deal. Some people find it more efficient to get the main sketch and annotations down first, and start coloring towards the end. The most important thing to remember is: Once you leave a stop, you cannot change or add onto your sketch. You may think you remember but as you are no longer there, any changes are invalid. That is why coloring is usually last, because that is something you can continue in the van, but no, you cannot determine grain size, etc. once you leave the stop (unless you have hand sample of course).
The right photo has the geologic time scale. I write this in all of my books (even though I should have it memorized) so when reading to the field guide or listening to a lecture I don't spend much time trying to place the formation/event /date in my mental timeline. There are also some notes that we learned at camp before we left. It's important to write down any lesson your instructor gives you while on a field trip, as then you will be able to compare textbook schematics to what is actually seen in nature!
Introduction to Scale:
Introduction to Scale:
If you don’t already know, I’m sure you’ll catch on to this quickly:
Scale is a vital concept in geology.
Every map you make in field methods, structures, and field camp needs to have: a scale.
Every thin section you draw in mineralogy and petrology must have: a scale.
In that same sense, every photo you take (for a geologic purpose) has to have something to tell you the scale later.
In the photos I've uploaded for each stop, I have tried to include something for scale whenever possible (sorry-the 360 photos make that difficult). There are some photos that don't have a scale, as we can all still fall victim to the rush of geology.
Let's introduce some objects that a field geologist most likely has on their person, and is commonly used as a device for scale when quickly taking photos in the field.
The Brunton:
For some of our less experienced people- this is a brunton compass. You will know it well by the time you graduate. We use them to take the strike and dip of a plane as well as the trend and plunge of linear features (Don’t worry, you’ll be taught how to do this in field methods class-I’m not going to try to teach you how to do it online haha).
First, if there is a brunton included in a photo, in addition to providing scale, it is orientated so that the arm is extended to the North.
These are the physical dimensions of the brunton shown in these pictures:
The Pocket knife:
The pocketknife is a really good geologist tool. In addition to being handy and helping you open a can when you forget a can opener (you only make that mistake once), you can use it to help identify some minerals (Mohs hardness scale anyone? See your field guide for a refresher). If you use your knife for scale, be sure to write down its measurements in your field book for easy conversion.
These are the dimensions of Laura's pocketknife: 9cm x 2cm.
The Rock Hammer:
Ah yes, every geologist's favorite tool, and key in taking home some cool samples. While rock hammers are great, some geologists prefer a half sledge.
Either way, both hammers in this field trip are a foot long.
That's enough of an introduction. Let's do some geology!
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