Geoscience Field Programs, Research & Field
Trips
Field Research
 |
Carrie &
Keira
using differential GPS
in Tien Shan,
Kyrgyzstan. |
Much of our research is field-based. Undergraduate students
commonly assist in our GPS experiments in California, Nevada, and
Washington. Our students are also conducting field-based studies
in central Asia, the Pacific Northwest, and eastern California.
Undergraduate field studies are supported by funds from the
National Science Foundation, NASA, and the National Earthquake
Hazards Program (USGS). The Farrell Scholarship, McNair
Undergraduate Fellowship, and our Undergraduate Research programs
support undergradute field studies. Please contact the faculty
about field-oriented research.
Field Courses
 |
Tien Shan,
Kyrgyzstan. |
Our field programs are fun classes taught in the great
outdoors! Field observations are an important part of the
undergraduate curriculum. We have numerous field trips as a
supplement to in-class lectures and laboratories.
Field trips involve traveling, usually by van, to beautiful,
geologically rich areas in the continental United States, Hawaii,
and northern Baja California. Destinations are different each
quarter and extra fees for food, transportation and lodging are
required. These programs are a great way to learn and an
excellent way to gain practical experience. Please contact the
trip coordinator for space availability and details before
joining one of the field trips.
Spring Field Course - GEOL 188
National Parks of the Southwest
Nick Zentner leads 25 students each Spring Break to selected
National Parks. Past trips have included Grand Canyon, Death
Valley, Zion, Arches, and Yosemite National Parks. This 1 credit
course applies introductory geology principles to the hikes taken
by this group. Students pay $200 for van transportation, food,
and camping fees. Completion of GEOL 145 of 150 is a prerequisite
for the trips. Take a look at some photos taken during some our
previous spring field trips.
Fall Field Course - GEOL
210
Eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada Range,
Owens Valley, California
Every September, Charlie Rubin and Nick Zentner teach fundamental
geologic field mapping skills to about 25 students. The students
enrolled in the class typically are in the early stages of their
undergraduate geology careers. Set against the dramatic backdrop
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this field course gives CWU
students early exposure to field geology in some of the most
striking sceneryof North America. Take a look at some of our
previous fall field
photos.
Three field mapping projects are completed by the students
during the 16 day course. Participants live at the White Mountain
Research Station located outside of Bishop, California. Students
pay $400 (in addition to tuition for 4 credits) for room, board,
and van transportation. GEOL 210 is a required course for all CWU
geology majors and minors.
Stratigraphy - GEOL 345
Annual Field trip to Coastal Oregon and
Washington
Every Spring, Meghan Miller leads a field trip to the Oregon and
Washington coasts. They go to Netarts Bay, Oswald West State
Park, the Clatsop Spit, Leadbetter Point, the mouth of the
Columbia River, and Washaway Beach at North Cove. During the
trip, students explore a variety of modern depostional
environments (mostly wearing chest waders!) including beaches,
lagoons, salt marches, and rivers. We briefly explore the
stratigraphic evidence for great earthquakes and tsunamis on the
Cascadia subdution zone. Take a look at some of our previous
stratigraphy
field photos.
Christmas Field Course - GEOL 388
Active volcanoes of Hawaii
The 4th bi-annual field trip to Volcanoes National Park, Mauna
Loa, and other volcanic sites on the big island of Hawaii was led
by Wendy Bohrson and Steve Lundblad. During the December, 2003
trip, the 15 students investigated active volcanic and coastal
processes. One of the highlights of the trip is visiting flowing
lava on Kilauea. Students pay about $1000 to $1200 for roundtrip
airfare, van transportation, food, and lodging fees for the 12
day field trip. Permission of instructor is a prerequisite for
the field class. Great photos from the most recent Hawaii
field trip.
Geologic Field Methods - GEOL 498
Mitchell, Oregon
In collaboration with the Department of Geosciences at Oregon
State University, Jeff Lee teaches the CWU advanced field geology
course in central Oregon. Students stay at the OSU field station
in the central Oregon desert east of active Cascade volcanoes and
faults and the John Day fossil beds. Students map complex
geologic structures in Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary and
metamorphic strata and map Tertiary volcanic rocks and faults.
Mapping projects are typically assigned to groups of
students.
Students sign up for this nine-credit course during the Spring
quarter, but all mapping occurs during the summer. Students pay
fees to cover food expenses, lodging, and instructional
materials. GEOL 489 is a required course for CWU B.S. and B.A.
geology majors. More Info
Spring Field Course - GEOL/BIOL 377.01 and 377.02
Regional Natural History Series
This is an interdisciplinary Geology and Biology seminar and
field course taught jointly by Lisa Ely (Geology) and Dan Beck
(Biology). Each year the course focuses on a different region of
North America, emphasizing the relationships between geological
and biological processes. Winter Quarter the students study the
geology and biology of the selected region and prepare field
reseach projects to be conducted during a spring break field trip
to the area. During the field trip, the students keep a field
journal and perform the investigations that they have chosen and
developed. Past field sites include Baja California, Mexico and
the deserts of the southwestern U.S. The fee varies with the
field trip location.
More Info
For additional information on exact time and location of field
classes, you can contact the Geology Department at:
Department of Geological Sciences
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7418
USA
The departmental phone number is 509.963-2702 and the
departmental fax number is 509.963-2821.
