Field Methods in Active Tectonics (Geol 4721)Spring 2016
Field Methods in Active Tectonics (Geol 4721)Spring 2016
Prof. Karl Mueller
Lab Recitation: 5:00-6:00 ThursdayEmail:
Office Hours: By AppointmentPhone: (303) 552-7067
Please note that the lecture meeting times are spaced throughout the semester and will not occur every week. I’ll announce the meeting times, and most will occur before the spring break field trip. But we will meet most weeks.
Course Outline: This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students in the earth sciences to the geology of earthquakes, including tectonic geomorphology, paleoseismology and the structural geology of fault networks. The course will focus on the recognition, measurement and interpretation of surface strain produced by faulting and folding. The course will also address measurement techniques, data analysis and interpretation of data, in particular the use of high-resolution digital topography (LiDAR) data.
Course Structure:The course will first introduce concepts in active tectonics, followed by a 9 day field trip over spring break. Exercises during the field trip will be based on field mapping using Earthscope LIDAR and imagery available through Google Earth as well as products I’ve created myself. You will be responsible for both lecture material and final field maps. Grades will be based on an in class project before the field trip andseveral projectstied to the field trip.
Topics covered in the course will include:
- Structural geology in earthquake geology + active tectonics.
- Paleoseismology as applied in different tectonic settings.
- Lidar as applied to earthquakes
- Tectonic geomorphology: Landforms produced by active faulting and folding, how to exploit and interpret them.
- A case study of the recent Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapa earthquake and its implications for the southern Death Valley fault system.
Teaching Philosophy: I typically ask questions of students in class and in the field to gauge understanding of particular topics and facilitate discussion. Students are encouraged to raise their own questions during lecture periods. The basic goal is to promote critical thinking and develop dialogues where we will explore the boundaries of your knowledge and curriculum in the course.
Field Trip:The field trip will provide an opportunity to directly examine, map and analyze a number of spectacularly exposed fault systems and landforms. The trip will be for 10 days, friday to saturday over spring break. The itinerary includes the fault network and rangefront morphology of the area around Zion National Park, southern Death Valley and Furnace Creek strike slip fault systems and normal and strike faults in the Panamint Valley. Trip participants are responsible for their own food and personal camping gear, otherwise the department will cover transportation costs, coolers, stoves, stoves, etc.
The field trips provide logistical challenges that the department will support in part, other aspects will be covered in orientation sessions before we leave. If you are over 25, or have taken the CU Motor Pool safety course, please contact me – we need 12 drivers for the trip. I am willing to give extra credit (which will not affect grades of other students) to anyone willing to drive. Please also let me know if you have any disabilities that may create problems on the field trip, so that I can accommodate your needs.
We will discuss the logistics and rules and regulations for the trip later in the semester as needed.