Laboratory # 3

GENERAL GOALS OF OUR FIELD LABS: We have two goals in mind for the sequence of field labs in this class. The first is for you to develop, in a logical progression, some of the skills used by field geologists to interpret geological relationships. We will begin with relatively straightforward forward procedures such as observation, description, sketching, and one-dimensional representations of rock units (i.e., stratigraphic section). As the term progress you will be more adept to more sophisticated representations such us geologic maps and cross sections. The second goal is for you to begin to apply the information you gather to a reasonable geologic interpretation of the history of this area. This will demand not only that the synthesis and integration of your field data, but also that you think in terms of geologic time, so that a chronology or history will start to emerge from all rocks you have seen in the field.

This week Field trip to Sogn, Wang's Corner, and Stanton Quarry.

The goal of this week's field trip is to make a fairly complete set of observations and measurements on a few of the lithologic units that occur in SE Minnesota.

What kinds of observations and measurements should you make?

What kinds of rocks are these?

1. How do the lithology vary through time? (time being expressed in stratigraphic position)

2. Can we divide the sequence of strata into separate stratigraphic units?

3. How thick are these formations and what elevation do they occur?

4. What kinds of organisms lived there? What do they tell us about their environment and the age of the sedimentary rocks?

5. Do the rocks tell us anything about their depositional environment?

You will need most of the following

* Field Notebooks

* Hand lenses

* Ruler

* Sample bags (Bag, Pack)

* Marker for Samples

We will provide

* Acid bottles

* Rock hammer

* Brunton Compass:

Observations Location, Date.

General setting road cut, river valley or quarry

General topographyrelief

Geologic observations

a) Bedrock- types of rocks Mineralogy, structures, textures, fossils Thickness of each unit Type of contactSharp, gradational, conformable, uncomformable

b) Geomorphologyslope, slope processes, soils, type of soils Stratigraphic sections (graphic logs, see handout) -Symbols for each unit or rock type -Thickness -Primary sedimentary structures

What to turn in? For next week ----->>> Turn in a stratigraphic section, and your notes describing all the formations, for each of the places we visit today: