CHICAGO ROCKS! Geology in the City (ESCI 109)

Creating a Virtual Geologic Field TripDr. Sanders

OVERALL GOAL: Create a display that takes viewers on a virtual geologic field trip to see your study area and learn about its unique characteristics and geologic origin.

DEADLINE and FORMAT:You will present your work in class on Monday, December 11, 2017. Display your virtual field trip in “science fair style”, using tri-fold cardboard poster boards on which you post photos, illustrations, and text to convey your message.

COMPONENTS TO INCLUDE: Your poster should teach the viewer where your study area is located, what they would find if they visited the area, how they could look for and recognize the important geologic features, how those geologic features formed, and what makes those geologic features distinctive. To make sure you cover all this information, include the following on your poster:

  • TITLE: Name of study area/feature
  • AUTHOR: Your name
  • GEOGRAPHIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC SETTING: What is the size and shape of the geologic feature in your study area? Elevations? It could be very helpful to include contour maps and street maps of the city or region.
  • GEOLOGIC SETTING: Where is your study area on the Willman map? What does the Willman map say about the geologic formation found in your area? What kind of sediment/rock is it made of? How old is the sediment/rock?
  • HOW YOUR GEOLOGIC FEATURE FORMED: How was it deposited? In what environment? Was your feature deposited by glaciers? Caused by erosion of glacial materials? Not glacier-related at all? How did it form? Caution: Only use terms that you understand and can explain. You may want to include pictures, images, or diagrams from other sources to explain how your feature formed.
  • USEFULNESS OF, IMPORTANCE OF, OR SPECIAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FEATURE: What makes this feature important? Is it used in a particular way? What other interesting information should your visitor know about it?
  • REFERENCES: Include a list of references you used to find information presented on the poster. You must use the standard “author, date” style described in class.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PLANNING:

  • Use a storyboard framework to plan your presentation. See the attached page for a template. In each box, sketch a drawing of what you will display to your poster visitors. Underneath, write a few notes listing the essential aspects you want to remember to include.
  • Your poster will include 10-20 of these storyboard-type elements. Be sure each one has a purpose, a nugget of information that you want to teach your visitors.
  • Try rotating your storyboard planning template 90° for another orientation.
  • Take a regular 8.5” x 11” sheet of blank paper and turn it sideways, landscape format. Fold in the left and right edges until they meet in the middle. Crease the folds. Stand the paper up on its edge: This is what your tri-fold poster will look like. Use this model to decide where you will place the storyboard components.
  • Although the guidelines given here should help you get your thinking started, go ahead and be creative as you plan. Just remember that the main goal is to educate your visitors.

GUIDELINES FOR POSTER DESIGN:

  • Information should be primarily visual. But include enough text to adequately explain and describe the images.
  • Text must be 32 point or larger. Use a big enough font!
  • Illustrations and text should be easily readable from a distance of five feet.
  • Be creative to highlight important aspects: use color and other visual devices to make your work interesting and to "draw in" the observer.
  • Check out this website ( for suggestions about making effective poster displays.
  • Maps: Include several maps of the area, bo,th zoomed in to show details and zoomed out to show the regional setting. At a minimum, include maps that show geologic, topographic, and city/regional features.
  • To create map images, use this trick: Set the map on a flat surface in a brightly-lit area. Use your phone to take a photo; be sure you hold the phone perfectly still and level while you snap the image.
  • You can download the Willman map from the course web page. Open it in Adobe Reader, get the area you want in view on the screen, and then click Edit | Take a Snapshot. Then, open a blank MSWord or Paint file, and click paste.
  • The “Take a snapshot” trick works for topographic maps too. You can download them from the U.S. Geological Survey website. Go to usgs.gov, do a search on “National Map”, and click “Map Locator & Downloader”. Zoom in to find your site. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions at the right side of the screen to download your topo quad.
  • Photos and other images: Use Google Earth to explore the area. Change to Street View to see what you would see if you visited the area in person.
  • Consider taking your own real-life field trip to the area to get your own photos!