FIELD GEOLOGY 4666
The Geology of the Northern Rockies
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
GEOLOGY 4666: The geology field course is designed to instruct undergraduate students in a variety of field techniques and to introduce them to regional aspects of the geology of western Montana and environs. The course is six weeks in length and is offered for six hours of credit.
PROGRAM: Students
participating in the University of Arkansas field course are given an
opportunity to learn field techniques within a regional framework
characterized by diverse geological features. Field mapping of
Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in two areas within the
Wyoming-Montana fold belt near Dillon allow insight into structural and
historical aspects of the Laramide/Sevier orogenic belt. Plutonic rocks
of the Boulder Batholith, a late Cretaceous pluton emplaced in
sedimentary rocks of the fold belt, are the subject of a third mapping
project. This project provides an opportunity to consider the timing of
folding and intrusion within an orogenic belt. Later visits to
exposures of the Idaho Batholith in the Bitterroot Mountains and to the
Montana overthrust belt in central Montana allow further opportunities
to contrast structural and igneous features of the Laramide/Sevier
orogen. A small grandodiorite intrusion near the gold mining town of
Bannock is the subject of a mapping project that demonstrates the
relationship between igneous activity and mineralization as well as the
lithic changes caused by the intrusion into carbonate rocks. Experience
in mapping metamorphic terrains is provided by a project
in the Ruby Range east of Dillon. Precambrian schist, gneiss, marble,
amphibolite, and quartzite are exposed in this area. Precambrian
sedimentary rocks of the Belt Supergroup and glacial geomorphic
features are examined in a visit to Glacier National Park. The Snake
River Plain and Yellowstone National Park provide experience in
volcanic terrains.
Montana-Wyoming Fold Belt, near the Big Hole River. Big Hole Field Area
COST: Tuition/fee
for the six-hour course is $2650 for both resident and non-resident
students. Of that $959 is for tuition and the remaining $1691 is
the course fee. The fee covers travel to Dillon from Fayetteville and
back, and travel in the field, meals and room on
Small Thrust Fault in the Triassic Dinwoody Formation, Big Hole Field Area
campus
at the University of Montana, Western and at Elkhorn Springs, and all
major supplies except hand lens and hammer. Excluded are some
weekend meals and meals while traveling away from Elkhorn Springs and
the Dillon campus. The class camps during travel to and from Dillon,
and during a mid-camp trip to examine regional geological features.
Camping fees are paid from the camp budget and group meals are prepared
at minimal cost. A list of personal items useful for the camp will be
sent to students with registration instructions.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Approximately five scholarships are available for resident and out-of-state students. The scholarships range from $100 to $300 and are awarded on merit. A letter of recommendation from the student's departmental chairman or academic advisor should be included with the camp application for scholarship consideration. Applicants who wish to be considered for scholarships should apply by February 15, 2008. The status of the scholarship applications will be known prior to the registration deadline.
FACULTY:
J. Van Brahana, Ph.D, University of Missouri, Columbia, Hydrogeology
Phillip Hayes, Ph.D., Texas A &M University, Hydrogeology and Isotope Geochemistry
Pamela Jansma. Ph.D., Stanford University. Structural Geology
Doy L. Zachry, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin. Stratigraphy, Foreland Basin Sedimentology (field class director)
APPLICATIONS: Click
on the underlined link at left to open application form. The
form should be printed from this website and returned to Doy
Zachry, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, (479) 575-3355 or (479) 575-2785 no later
than February 15, 2008. A notice of class admission and instructions
for obtaining temporary admission to the University of Arkansas will be
mailed to non-resident students at that time. Students will also be
apprised of their scholarship status. Enrollment will be limited to 20
students to insure personal attention by the faculty.
LOCATION: The major bases of operation are the campus of the University of Montana, Western in Dillon, Montana, and Elkhorn Springs about 30 miles southwest of Dillon. Dillon is in the valley of the Beaverhead River on the Lewis and Clark Trail. Folded and faulted Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Wyoming-Montana Fold Belt lie north of Dillon along the Big Hole River and westward in the foothills of the Bitterroot Range. Precambrian metamorphic rocks occur in the Highland Mountains and the Ruby Range to the east. An assortment of volcanic rocks and features are present southward in Idaho and in Yellowstone National Park.
FACILITIES: In Dillon students are housed in residence halls on the campus of the University of Montana, Western. Occupancy is normally two students per room. Morning and evening meals and sack lunches are prepared by the campus food service. The Western campus in Dillon and all parts of the town are within walking distance. Cabins with separate quarters for men and women are utilized at Elkhorn Springs. Hot showers, and a well lighted work area are located in an adjacent building, Excellent meals are prepared in a dining hall at the springs. Elkhorn Springs is in a picturesque valley at an elevation of about 7000 feet in the Pioneer Range. Trout fishing is available in nearby streams and glacial lakes. Moose, elk, and an occasional bear are normally sighted early in the season.
SCHEDULE: The class will depart from Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 14, 2008. En route to Dillon, Montana, the class will visit geological features in the Front Range of Colorado, and in the foothills of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. We will return to Fayetteville and arrive on the morning of June 23, 2008. A detailed scheduled can be downloaded.