GE 430 Geomorphology

1
GE 430 Geomorphology

• 2005 edition... The premier!

2
Goals

• To be THE BEST course in your college career
• To create a tradition of excellence that will
  continue for many years
• To explore regional geomorphology/understand
  geomorphic processes and READ the landscape
• To build an espirit de corps that will be the
  envy of everyone else on the UNA campus
• From this day to the ending of the world, we in
  it shall be remembered we lucky few we band of
  brothers...." -Henry V

3
The Plan....

• Explore the Southeastern United States, exploring
  as many different landscapes/landforms and
  geomorphic processes as possible in slightly less
  than two weeks.
• ... The same for everyone 268 is the amount for
  everyone.

4
Academic Assignments....

• You will keep a daily field log describing where
  we have been and the more significant
  features/processes observed.
• The field observations should be thorough,
  including lat/long from a GPS (or other
  descriptive information), sketches and diagrams,
  photographs etc.
• These will be kept daily... Not put together
  after the trip is over based on what you
  remember.. When you get out of the rig, your
  notebook/camera is with you!
• Each evening, I expect to see pencils on paper,
  maps being marked etc.

5
Site profile....

• You will be divided into groups
• Each group will be responsible for creating a
  website that describes one of the sites we have
  visited
• The web sites will present photographs of the
  site, you will scan or link to appropriate
  publications. Your work will be the definitive
  answer for questions about the site.
• Each group will be responsible for helping the
  professor (me) create successful links from a
  geomorphology class home page to your pages.
• If you have not yet used front page this will
  be your big chance!

6
Additional tasking...

• I have been tasked with creating a slideshow of
  Alabama that will be cycling in the background of
  the reception for the National Council for
  Geographic Education (NCGE) meeting in Birmingham
  in October of 2005.
• As at least some of our trip will be in Alabama
  (and places just over the border that LOOK like
  Alabama)... Im going to ask for your BEST frames
  so I can add them to the slideshow.

7
Final Presentation...

• In July, I will ask the group to come together
  for an evening at my home....
• We will look at the web site for each group and
  collectively make suggestions to make them
  perfect
• At this time Id like to have individual slide
  shows available for viewing...and story telling
  etc. (I anticipate a month away from each other
  should be sufficient to make us want to be
  together again, at least for a couple of hours)

8
Day to day management...

• MOST campgrounds will have showers...
• As it looks like we will have multiple rigs... I
  request everyone switch/shuffle every day or two.
  The team is a unit, not little groups inside the
  unit.
• Timelines... When it is time to roll, we need to
  roll... We are not going to be splitting up
  because people are sleeping late etc. This is
  not a military campaign, but neither is it an
  undisciplined ramble across the country.
• Aquatic sampling... Fine, as long as it doesnt
  interfere with the business of the class.

9
Management contd.

• Smokers... Not in the van!
• We reserve the right to splash you down with air
  freshener if you climb back on board with smoke
  clinging to your clothes
• We reserve the right to toss individuals into a
  body of water who fail to take advantage of
  showers when available.
• Be cautious of taco bells .99 bean burritos and
  other such... We are living in close quarters!

10
Alcohol...

• NONE in the vehicles! Ever, under no
  circumstances!
• NONE till the work is done!
• MODERATION... Act stupid, and you will find
  yourself sitting on a pile of your gear beside
  the road with your thumb out in the wind! (dont
  test me... Remember my goals of this course, its
  hard to have this be THE BEST if I am dealing
  with stupidity, chemically induced or not!)

11
Camping...

• Each student will provide their own gear
• If you do not have gear of your own, and
  cannot borrow or rent the gear, please visit with
  the instructor and we will try to make
  arrangements for you.
• YOU WIL NEED
• Personal gear (soap,towel,toothbrush,sunglasses,et
  c.)
• Sleeping Bag/Pad
• Personal Tent (if you have one)
• Rain Gear
• Field Notebook
• Camera (not required but highly recommended)
• Insect repellent/sunscreen
• flashlight
• FOOD

12
FOOD...

• you will be providing your own supplies.
• We will have stoves and a limited suite of
  utensils for group use.
• This is also the heavily settled east... its hard
  to get out of sight of some form of eating
  place.... do not plan on being able to stop all
  the time, but I am not adverse to occasionally
  stopping at fast food places.
• We will also plan on group social eating events
  (e.g. Lamberts in Gulf Shores)

13
Forms...etc.

• UNA Liability form
• Rafting Liability Form
• Stupidity is frowned upon.
• First Aid will be applied by the instructor, or
  whoever is handy... Look around, do you want
  these people responsible for your care after an
  accident?... Be safe!

14
Logistics....

• Vehicles/people/gear
• Radios
• Maps/GPS
• of camping spots (usually limited to 8
  people/site)
• Resupply
• laundry
• Sharing gear
• Stoves
• Tents
• Cooking supplies
• Other?

15
Day by day...

• Day 1. Monday 16 May Depart UNA 0800
• drive to New Madrid Seismic zone/Reelfoot Lake
  (http//quake.ualr.edu/public/nmfz.htm). Observe
  landforms and surface features associated with
  neotectonic activity.
• First site to be profiled by a group
• Drive across the upper end of the Mississippi
  Embayment to Johnsons Shut Ins State Park in
  Missouri. (http//www.mostateparks.com/jshutins.ht
  m). Wade in the creek, observe fluvial processes
  in igneous rocks.
• Igneous rocks of the St. François Mountains are
  the second site

16
(No Transcript)
17
...Waters of the Black River became confined, or
"shut-in," to a narrow channel. Water-borne sand
and gravel cut deeply into extrusive igneous
rock , swirling, churningcarving potholes,
chutes and spectacular canyonlike gorges....
..At Elephant Rocks State Park. About 1.5
billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming
coarsely crystalline red granite, which later
weathered into huge, rounded boulders....
18
(No Transcript)
19
Day 2. Tuesday 17 May (longest driving day
before the end of the trip)

• Elephant Rocks SP Missouri, observe weathering
  patterns in igneous rocks. Cross the Mississippi
  Embayment, over Crowleys Ridge
  (http//www.scsc.k12.ar.us/BorneC/newpage9.htm)
  arriving at the Tom Bevill visitors center on the
  Tennessee-Tombigee waterway, Pickensville AL.
  Observe and discuss fluvial processes in a
  constructed waterway.

20
(No Transcript)
21
Day 3. Wednesday 18 May

• Drive across the piedmont/gulf coastal plain of
  Alabama to Gulf State park, Gulf Shores AL. Stop
  and explore the Selma Chalks as possible, and
  observe residual storm damage from Hurricane
  Ivan.
• Night... camp Gulf State park (or other location
  to be determined)

22
(No Transcript)
23
Day 4. Thursday 19 May

• Exploring the barrier islands morphology and
  change (and beach). Sediment transport, coastal
  damage from hurricane storm surge and winds.
• This is terra incognita due to the damage from
  Ivan, and the fact that Alabama appears to be
  incapable of publishing solid information/maps of
  damage!
• (dinner... Lamberts, we need a break from cooking
  for ourselves!)

24
Day 5, Friday 20 May (another long driving day)

• Cross Gulf coastal plain, look for fossilized
  sharks teeth in the Coosa River?
• Explore Wetumpka Impact structure
  (http//www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/geolo
  gy/docs/wetumpka/specific.htm) didnt know we
  have a meteor crater in Alabama did you?!
• DeSoto Falls State Park for the night....group
  camping in primitive sites, showers available.

25
Day 6 Saturday 21 May

• the southern end of the Appalachian fold/thrust
  belt. Explore the rim of the Little River
  canyon, DeSoto Falls. Observe the impacts of
  fluvial processes in an active tectonic setting
  of regional diastrophism
• Climb down into the Little River Canyon, swat
  mosquitoes/pick ticks. Examine erosional
  processes in the canyon. Explore cave formation
  and karst topography probably in welsh caves

26
(No Transcript)
27
Day 7 Sunday 22 May

• Early departure!
• Explore a classic water gap of the Tennessee
  River from the top of Lookout Mountain above
  Chattanooga Tennessee.
• Brief photo stop on I 75 observing deformed
  sedimentary strata.
• Afternoon observation of hydraulic processes IN
  rubber rafts IN the Ocoee River (that would be
  whitewater rafting)
• Shower after rafting!
• Camp Cherokee National Forest Chilhowee C.G.

28
(No Transcript)
29
Day 8 Monday 23 May

• Ducktown Basin Museum and Burra Burra mine
  site... the remnants of an environmental blight
  from mining/smelting copper ore.
• Murphy NC, Chunky Gal Mountain gneiss. Mountain
  waters scenic byway
• Serpentenite/olivine body (old oceanic crust)
• Camp Kimsey Creek

30
(No Transcript)
31
Day 9 Tuesday 24 MayThe Southern Mountains

• Short hikes to waterfalls
• Waylah bald
• A relaxation day... Still camped at Kimsey creek
  group camp.

32
(No Transcript)
33
Day 10 the Blue Ridge

• Entering into the core of the southern Blue Ridge
  mountains
• Camp at Linville Falls (no showers)
• Short hikes observing the Grandfather Mountain
  erosional window

34
Day 11 The Grandfather Mountain Window, Linville
Falls, Blowing Rock

• Move across the mountain to the group camp at
  Roan Mountain State Park in Tennessee
• Short hikes
• Last night on the road
• Field Notebook evaluation

35
(No Transcript)
36
Last day!Day 12 Friday 27 May

• Leave Roan Mountain SP
• Short side trip onto the Pine Mountain Overthrust
• Knoxville TN-Florence AL.... 6 hours?
• Clean out van
• Pack up gear and go home
• Sleep in your own bed
• Next time? The redrock country of Utah?

37
(No Transcript)
38
Assignments?

• Grades for the interterm need to be turned in at
  the end of the June term...
• Your websites need to be posted before June 21...
  You will need to send me an email letting me know
  to look at the web site when you have your pages
  posted.