Geos 195d A Sense of Place Spring 2005
Course Syllabus

Geos 195d,  A Sense of Place.  An introduction to the natural history of Tucson through field trips to the Tucson Basin, Tucson Mountains, Caņada del Oro and the Catalina Mountains. Emphasis is placed on geological and ecological factors that influenced development of Tucson and interactions between society and the desert environment.

Instructors:  Paul Sheppard and Gary Huckleberry
Offices:  Paul Sheppard, West Stadium 105C
Office Phones:  Sheppard 621-6474
Email Addresses: sheppard@ltrr.arizona.edu
Sequence No.:  21141
Term:  Spring Semester, 2005
First Class Meeting: Tuesday, January 18, 2005, 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Bioscience West Room 210
Class web site:   http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Tucson/geos195d/geos195d.html

Paul Sheppard and Gary Huckleberry will teach this first-year colloquium that is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the natural history of Pima County. Through Saturday field trips (one per month), students will be introduced to the geology and ecology of Tucson and surrounding mountains ranges, including interactions between past and present societies and our desert environment. Four field trips are scheduled during the semester, each emphasizing a particular region with its unique geological and biological aspects. Students are required to attend all four field trips and record field observations and analyses in a field notebook that is graded following each trip. A two-hour lecture session (scheduled for Tuesday evening prior to each Saturday field trip) will introduce the principles and concepts to be investigated on the upcoming field trip.

Class Meetings and Field Trips:  Class meetings 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. in Biosciences West, Room 210

  1. Santa Cruz Basin
    Class Meeting Tuesday, 18 January; Field Trip Saturday, 22 January 2005
    1. A Mountain Volcanic rocks and biota.
    2. Tumamoc Hill overlook of Tucson Basin; Basin and Range Province
    3. Brickyard Arroyo and the Santa Cruz River
    4. San Xavier; Spanish settlement and subsequent history of Tucson
       
  2. The Tucson Mountains
    Class Meeting Tuesday, 8 February; Field Trip Saturday, 12 February 2005
    1. Tucson Mountains caldera and geology of Sus Picnic Area
    2. Signal Hill petroglyphs, evidences of ancient occupations
    3. Arizona uplands vegetation
    4. Santa Cruz River at Ina Road, a model for the river of old?
       
  3. The northern Santa Cruz Basin and Biosphere2
    Class Meeting Tuesday, 22 March; Field Trip Saturday, 26 March 2005
    1. Caņada del Oro watershed and flood hazards
    2. The Pirate Fault and formation of ranges and basins
    3. Flood and landslide hazards of Oracle
       
  4. The Santa Catalina Mountains Sky Island
    Class Meeting Tuesday, 19 April; Field Trip Saturday, 23 April 2005
    1. Front Range metamorphic rocks; a peak at the deep crust
    2. Life zones of a sky island
    3. The fire history of the Catalina Mountains; before and after the Aspen fire.

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Last update: January 4, 2005