Summer Field Geology 2009
Ruth, Nevada

GEOL 450

June 7 to July 4, 2009
Final Report due July 15, 2009

Instructors: Stan Finney and Tom Kelty

• Instructor Schedule
• Contact Information
• Synopsis
• Dates
• Field Station Facilities and Policies
• Course Schedule and Assignments
• Grading Policies
• Final Course Grades

Instructor Schedule

Finney: June 7 to June 20
Kelty: June 21 to July 4

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Contact Information

Finney: (562) 985-8637, scfinney@csulb.edu (on campus)
Kelty: (562) 985-4589, tkelty@csulb.edu (on campus)

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Synopsis

Geological Sciences at CSULB will be offering a Summer Field Geology course (GEOL 450) in 2009. This course is open to students from all CSU campuses.

It is a 4-unit course, with four weeks of field work, June 7 to July 4, and a final report due on July 15. June 7 and July 4 are travel days to and from the field area. Pre-requisites include an introductory field mapping course (unless fundamentals are covered in other courses), igneous and metamorphic petrology, sedimentology/stratigraphy, and structural geology.

The course will be based in Ruth, Nevada close to the major town of Ely. Students will be housed at the field station owned by Mackey School of Mines at University of Nevada, Reno. The field station has dormitory housing, showers and indoor facilities, kitchen and dining room, and study rooms. Field vehicles will be provided by CSULB for travel to and from the field site from Long Beach and in the field each day. Mapping will be carried out in the Egan Range.

Registration Fees for the 4-unit course is tentatively set at $868 plus $123 in mandatory student fees (based on 2007 fees). Course fee: $1,000 per student to cover cost of all meals and field station facility fee, as well as motel and restaurant costs during a two-day field trip. Any unused part of course fee will be refunded. Cost of using field vehicles and partial cost of field station covered by IRA fee allocation from Associated Students.

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Dates

• June 7 to July 4
• June 7: drive to field station in Ruth, Nevada
• June 8 to July 3: Field Work
• July 4: Return home
• July 15: Final Report Due

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Field Station Facilities and Policies

In Ruth, Nevada, we will stay at a field station that is owned by the Mackey School of Mines, University of Nevada-Reno. The facility includes dormitory rooms with bunk beds and showers, a kitchen and dining area, a lecture room, a lounge, and smaller work rooms.

CSULB students with the direction of the faculty will plan menus, buy groceries and cook all meals as well as clean dishes and maintain the kitchen. In addition, students will have facility cleaning duties, and a final cleaning must be completed before students can depart the field station on July 4.

Students should bring some or all of the following:

• Sleeping bag or sheets and blankets
• Pillow
• Toiletries
• Towels, soap, shampoo
• Sandals for shower
• Slippers and robe

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Course Schedule and Assignments

Summer 2009

Field Mapping will be taught in a part of the Egan Range north of the field camp. Students are expected to be in the field each day, except for the one off-day per week. Field policies will be explained at the field site. All grading for the course will be based on work in the field, regular assignments based on the field work, possible field tests, and a final report.

Students will be introduced to the field area and some guidance will be given to where they should map. However, students are expected to take the initiative in mapping, describing and studying the geology. Field and office maps will be checked regularly by the instructors with field maps being checked on an almost daily basis. These checks will not be used in determination of the final course grade; instead, they are the most important means of providing feedback to students on their mapping ability and they are the primary means of instruction.

Although it is expected that students will relax and socialize in the evenings, students also are expected to work in the evenings, taking care of such duties as updating office maps, completing assignments, and reading pertinent literature.

The field work schedule, assignments, and due dates are as follows:

Week 1: June 7 to 13

Week 2: June 14 to 20

Week 3: June 21 to June 27

Week 4: June 28 to July 4

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Grading Policies

All assignments must be turned in at the deadline, whether or not they are completed. Except for the final report, no work will be accepted after the deadline. Final reports will be accepted late, but will be penalized one full letter grade for each day that they are late.

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Final Course Grades

A. 90-100 points
B. 80-89 points
C. 75-79 points
D. 70-75 points
F. 70 points

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