Kyle Edward Bradley - ES3005 Advanced Methods in Field Geology

No-seeums had us wearing masks before it was cool

ES3005 Advanced Methods in Field Geology

Course Description

ES3005 is a 5-week capstone field course for ASE geoscience students that is held at several locations in the American Southwest during May-June. Students apply their understanding of geoscience concepts to different aspects of field geology in an exciting and adventurous environment. We camp in sometimes challenging weather conditions, and cook our own food together in our mobile camp kitchen.

Intended Learning Outcomes of ES3005

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Monitor, assess, and support the wellbeing of themselves and fellow field participants
Plan a safe route in the field and move efficiently through terrain.
Prepare for field work or overland travel through changing or unexpected weather conditions
Describe, map, and report on igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, active fault scarps, Quaternary deposits and geomorphic features, and volcanic deposits.
Document detailed and informative observations, as well as evolving ideas in a field notebook.
Map complex geology and geomorphology on topographic base maps.
Make appropriate structural and stratigraphic measurements to solve geological problems.
Collect and annotate effective field photographs.
Communicate observations and scientific conclusions drawn from how geological processes shaped the study area.
Articulate the main geological concepts present in the study area and suggest areas for further research.

UAV maps to support traditional field mapping

High-resolution topography can open new vistas for field education by challenging students to observe, integrate, and explain geology at all scales - outcrop to mountain range. I typically have students map on topographic contour maps while using the multi-directional hillshade, slope map, or other visualizations as aids to interpreting the geology and geomorphology. Most of the drone flying was done by Brian Perttu of ASE/NTU over several years of field trips, while I was teaching (thanks Brian!). I processed the data and developed a suite of maps for each field site. Please feel free to contact me about these maps and the original data, if you are interested in using them for teaching or research.

The Lone Pine Fault scarp

This map of a classic locality was made using publicly available LiDAR point cloud data. I run a half-day field exercise where students map the rupture zone and think about landscape processes.

Mill Creek / Wilson Creek

This is part of a larger map was made using our own drone photogrammetry. With Kerry Sieh and Guleed Ali, I have run 1-week field exercises that focus on the stratigraphic record of Mono Lake's rise and fall.

Panum Dome volcanic complex

This map was made using our own drone photogrammetry. With Kerry Sieh, I have run 1-week field exercises that focus on understanding the emplacement process of this very cool volcano.

Lundy Canyon moraine and deltas

This is part of a larger map that was made using our own drone photogrammetry. With Kerry Sieh and Guleed Ali, I have run 1-week field exercises that focus on unraveling the complex story of glaciation, active faulting, and pluvial lake rise and fall at this site.

The Cerro Gordo Road

This is part of a larger map that was made using our own drone photogrammetry. With Rafael Almeida, I have run 2-week field bedrock geology mapping exercises here that take advantage of a simple but interesting stratigraphy that has been strongly deformed.

Tanjong Rimau, Sentosa

This is part of a larger map of the intertidal zone at Tanjong Rimau, Sentosa, which has been developed as a joint venture between ASE and SDC to support field research, field education, and public outreach. The round blobs are living and fossil corals.

The American Southwest is an amazing place to run field trips and field camps, due to the great diversity of geology and landscapes, easy access to public lands, and a wide range of climatic conditions.

The map at left shows the locations where I have developed and led advanced field mapping courses for undergraduate and some graduate students, while at MIT and then NTU.

Many thanks go out to the colleagues who have inspired, co-developed, and contributed to these trips over the years, especially B. Clark Burchfiel, Kerry Sieh, Rafael Almeida, Sam Haines, Aron Meltzner, Judith Hubbard, Brian and Anna Perttu, and Daniel Sheehan!

ES3005 photos

Studying the morphology of the Lone Pine Fault with Kerry Sieh

Camp in Lee Vining Canyon.

A katabatic wind out of the Sierras took out the whole camp while we were in the field.

After camp blew away, we rented a U-Haul for students to shelter in while inking maps.

On a gravel bar at Mono Lake.

Excavating for evidence of past lake levels, Mono Lake

Work tent repaired after blowing down.

A student mapping rhyolites at Panum Crater.

Students enjoying the view from within Long Valley caldera.

A student contemplates a tricky structure, Cerro Gordo Road.

Mapping complex geology on paper, on a cool but sunny day - heaven on Earth?

It's important to touch the coolest outcrops.

Digging to see what lies underneath a gravel layer, Mono Lake paleo-shoreline.

They sure seem to accept young geology students these days.

Student appreciating the vista toward Black Point from Lundy Canyon's glacial moraines.

Camp food!

The sometimes challenging weather conditions posed by Eastern California are tempered by our camp fare, which we prepare together each meal.

Digital field camp, 2020 and 2021

In 2020 and 2021, ASE was forced to cancel all field trips abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We pivoted to a combination of local field trips (where possible) and online replacements for students who could not delay their coursework. Singapore is just too small to support a major field experience like ES3005, so I designed an online replacement that replicates some of the central aspects of the field camp - collaborative group work, a focus on having fun while exploring, and development of spatial thinking strategies and skills. Luckily, we had spent the previous four years collecting field data, rock samples, and high resolution topography that could be used as the basis for a fully online field course.

Recognizing that a complete replacement of the learning outcomes of a field course was impossible and likely unproductive, I also shifted the course focus in some ways. Ultimately, my students developed more experience with project management and prioritization, group organization, science communication, and practical GIS.

ArcGIS StoryMaps for ES3005 2021

During the 2021 online field camp, I challenged my students to develop online learning resources as the final work product for ES3005. Each student chose a topic of interest, and developed an ArcGIS StoryMap to communicate the fundamental science and observations underlying that topic to a familiar target audience: young geoscientists who can't go to the field. They worked as a group to understand the overall geology of the field area, and worked individually on more detailed projects.