ROLE OF GEOLOGY ROAD LOGS IN TEACHING FIELD GEOLOGY

Field trips are an essential aspect of teaching geologic principles, observations, and regional settings. One of the challenges with leading longer (5-7 day) field trips is getting students to relate their site observations to the larger geologic setting and history of a region. Another is to actively engage the students throughout the fieldtrip. We are trying to enhance our weeklong Wyoming-Idaho trip, which is part of our summer field camp held in the Black Hills, South Dakota. This field trip gives students a broad regional understanding of western U.S. geology and tectonics, and allows them to gain experience studying various volcanic rocks. To view volcanic rocks, we make stops in the Absaroka Mountains, Yellowstone NP, and Craters of the Moon NM. To view areas with classic geologic structures, we make stops in the Big Horn Mountains, Grand Teton National Park, Gros Ventre Mountains, and Wind River Canyon.

Our trip is not a show-and-tell field trip for the students. Students are required to keep a geology road log for each day, detailing the geology examined, and explaining its regional significance. The road log includes detailed mileage, geology they view in passing, and geology at the major stops. Extra information in the form of journal articles and technical reports on the area are available, so students can read technical material and synthesize it with their own observations when writing their logs. This exercise allows students to use their field observation skills, to critically think about the origin of the landscape they are viewing, and to communicate their views through a written road log. Creation of the road log encourages students to tie together stratigraphic, structural, and geologic principles learned in their classes. At the end of the trip, students are given an open road-log test in which they must synthesize their observations. We find that creating road-logs promotes greater student participation and comprehension. They pay more attention to details, they discuss what they have written with each other, and they are concerned about getting the many geologic relationships correct. The use of road logs forces students to better comprehend and appreciate the geology they are seeing pass by their window.