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G 220/G 420 Regional Geology Field Trip

Spring 2005 Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Zoran Kilibarda     Office: Marram Hall 247  E-mail: zkilibar@iun.edu  Phone: 980-6753

Classroom: Marram Hall 254, arranged             

Office Hours: Tuesday 10-12 p.m. and Thursday 10-12 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.

Course Description

This course is designed as field investigations of selected regions of North America for study of mineralogic, lithologic, stratigraphic, structural, paleontologic, geomorphic, or other geological relationships. This year we will go west and explore some wonderful geological sites. Field work will start in Nebraska, where we will see Miocene volcanic ash preserving whole rhinos, horses and camels at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park. We will pass through eastern part of Nebraska Sand Hills and see largest dune field in western hemisphere. In western South Dakota we will see  Badlands National Park and next few days stay in Black Hills, where we will explore and visit Mt. Rushmore National Monument and Precambrian granites. We then visit  Wind Cave National Park, carved in Paleozoic carbonate rocks, and the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. From Black Hills we go to eastern Wyoming and stay one day near Devil's Tower. Then we cross Powder River Basin and Bighorn Mountains and stop in Greybull, WY where our base camp will be for four days. Daily excursions along western slopes of Bighorn Mountains and northern part of Bighorn Basin will provide almost complete record of earth's history, from Precambrian granites to Pleistocene moraines. One of those days will be designed as mapping exercise around Sheep Mountain anticline. On our way back to Indiana we will explore southern part of Bighorn Basin, pass through Owl Creek Mountains and continue around north edge of Laramie Mountains to western Nebraska.

Students who are taking this course as 2 cr. hour option will be responsible for doing research on one of the topics that will be known during our first meeting. As a part of this project you will be responsible for writing one page summary about the topic that will be due April 22^nd, 2005. This page will be incorporated into Field Trip Guide for this trip. The other part of the project will consist of brief oral presentation of the topic when we get to that particular location. All students taking this course will participate in one day mapping project during our stay in Bighorn Basin. Details about mapping project will be given prior to it.

We plan to camp throughout the duration of the field trip, and you should provide your own camping gear. We will also prepare our meals according to schedule that will be finalized during our second or third meeting prior to trip. Only in case of really bad weather we will use motel accommodations. Details about financial responsibilities and advance payments will be worked out during our pre trip meetings.