TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF SHORT TERM OFF-CAMPUS GEOLOGICAL FIELD COURSES AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

At Lafayette College, we have had a three-week January session since 1973. For the last twenty five years the Geology Department has developed off-campus offerings designed to expose both Geology majors and non-science students to different geological environments…to paraphrase, “…the best geologists are those who have seen the most rocks…” Common to all of our courses is an holistic approach to understanding how geological systems interact, as well developing an appreciation for fieldwork in international settings and cultures.

During the January interim we run a course to Ecuador. The course examines the coupled natural history of earth and life over geological time scales in the Andes of Ecuador and on the Galapagos Islands. We focus on the development of continental mountain ranges, hotspot island archipelagos and the relationship of geological processes to biogeography and biological evolution. This course alternates with an offering in Hawaii. While not international, geological processes have affected the cultural history of the islands and we examine how volcanic, geomorphic, and coastal processes have shaped and continue to shape the Hawaiian Islands.

We have also developed a similar-length summer course to Iceland . This intensive field course explores how the geological processes on a divergent plate boundary and climatic conditions in a sub-polar setting shape the island’s landscape and ecosystems. The course addresses aspects of Iceland’s human ecology from its early settlement to modern issues of energy, agriculture, and sustainability. This course alternates with an offering focusing on understanding basic geological processes using the geology within the National Parks on the Colorado Plateau. With this field experience we examine processes of sedimentation, igneous intrusion, and erosion and consider Earth history by examining the fossil record of life and environment preserved in the region’s Grand Staircase/Escalante.

Objectives common to all of our courses include developing a fundamental understanding of geologic processes and time, as well as an understanding of how these factors shape modern landscapes. Besides providing opportunities for our majors to experience various geologic environments, these courses have also been successful in recruiting new majors into our program.