Field Camp
University of Arizona Summer Field School 2012
(GEOS 414)
The application deadline for Field School 2012 has passed.
Dates: July 17 – August 15, 2012
Credits: 6 semester units
Instructors: Mihai Ducea, Jay Quade
Course Content: Highlights of Cordilleran Geology in the Field
This year the field camp will run from July 17 to August 15. It will be centered in east-central California, in the picturesque upper Owens River Valley. All qualified students from the University of Arizona, as well from other universities, are welcome.
The Arizona field school is conducted amidst the spectacular geology and scenery of the eastern Sierra Nevada and White Mountains of east central California. Students will have the opportunity to map and gather data in classic examples of thin-skinned thrust belt structures (the so-called “Poleta folds” area in the Inyo Mountains), Mesozoic magmatic arc rocks, contact metamorphic aureoles, regional metamorphic terrains, extensional Basin and Range structures, Quaternary volcanic fields, neotectonic features, and glaciated alpine areas.
Student performance on group and individual mapping projects constitutes the basis for evaluation. Mapping exercises are conducted over periods of one to several days. A visit in the last week of field camp to the Coast Ranges and its trench-related sedimentation archive will complete the students’ “cross-section” of the regional geologic history of California. At the end of the course each student will produce a regional synthesis.
Prerequisites: Physical Geology, Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, and Structural Geology (transcript required). Mineralogy and Petrology recommended.
Logistics and Schedule: We will be group camping most of the time at Westgard Pass in the White-Inyo Mountains (elev. 7200 ft), with the final week in the Coast Ranges in California. While camping, food will be provided and a cook will prepare meals. Students will depart by van from Tucson at 8 a.m. on July 17, and return August 15, arriving in Tucson in the late evening. Students will be expected to provide their own field equipment and camping gear. Travel will be entirely in university vehicles; no personal vehicles are allowed.
A meeting will be organized for mid-February in which we will familiarize students with details concerning the camp. Each student will need to bring rock hammer, map board, notebook, and hand lens. Brunton compasses, acid bottles, and all mapping base materials will be provided. A detailed equipment list will be distributed to all students accepted into the program.
Cost: UA 2012 summer tuition for 6 units (not set) and $1,520 fee for transportation and food. Total cost for summer 2011 was $3,472. All fees and tuition must be paid before field camp begins.
Financial Aid: UA students may apply for financial aid and for department scholarships. No UA financial aid or scholarships are available to non-UA students. Non-UA students will most likely not be eligible for financial aid from their home school.
Application Deadline: Monday, March 19, 2012. Applicants will be notified of acceptance and scholarships (available to UA students only) in late March.
Deposit and Payment Deadlines: A $400 deposit must be paid by the end of business on April 30, 2012. This is a firm deadline. The deposit is not refundable after the due date. Full payment of tuition and fees is required by June 20, 2012.
Application packets:
Direct questions to:
Ms. Anne Chase
Department of Geosciences
University of Arizona
P. O. Box 210077
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0077
U.S.A.
achase@email.arizona.edu
Field Camp Photo Galleries