Discipline: Earth Science (Geology) Degree Credit  [ ]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Geology 30A


COURSE DESCRIPTION
30A Geol Field Study-So Cal Units: 1.00
 
Prerequisite(s): None.

Advisory: GEO 1 and/or GEO 1B and/or GEO 2 and/or GEO 3
A field course with trips to regional points of geologic interest. This class includes a series of three to four field excursions to sites of geologic interest. These sites include, but are not limited to, the Landers seismic zone to view ground ruptures associated with the 1992 Landers earthquake, the Blawkhawk Landslide, the San Andreas fault zone, Salton Sea geothermal field, Amboy crater, California’s coastline, the San Bernardino Mountains, Rainbow Basin, Calico Mountains, and San Diego mining district. Designed to supplement other courses in geology and to increase the interest and understanding of those enrolled in these courses. Enrollment through the instructor during second and third weeks of the semester. Total of 54 hours laboratory (field studies) to be arranged per semester.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
A series of one day field trips to acquaint students with the geology of Southern California’s coast, deserts, and mountains.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
  1. Explain basic geological concepts as they apply to the features examined in the field.
  2. Describe the geologic forces that created the features examined in the field.
  3. Recognize large scale changes in surface features of the land and hypothesize what forces may have worked to shape the landscape.
  4. Identify basic rock types
  5. Identify features such as faults, folds, joints, valleys, etc. as they are encountered in the field.

 
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 

 

  1.   Mojave Desert Trip
    1.  Orientation meetings
    2.  Field trip projects and report victorville—Upper Narrows of the Mojave River Water gap, modern ripple marks, river hydrology, jointing in plutonic rock History of Route 66 Pisgah Crater and Lava Flows Cinder cone—eruptive style, eruptive history, magma source Lava flows—type, rock textures, rock composition, flow structures, cooling history Calico—Lunch Stop Folding in sedimentary rocks—recognition of anticlines and synclines; identification of ripple marks, cross-bedding and mud cracks; tectonic history of the Mojave Desert; silver mining and California history Rainbow Basin and the Barstow Syncline Folding and faulting of the Mud Hills; pluvial, fluvial, lacustrine and volcanic history of Miocene time in the Mojave Detachment structures and extensional tectonics (Waterman Hills) General Desert geomorphology
  2.  San Andreas Fault and San Gabriel Mountains Trip
    1.  Orientation meetings
    2.  Field trip projects and reports general geology of the San Gabriel Mountains Evidence of right-lateral strike-slip faulting along the San Andreas fault zone Develop of sag ponds Mass wasting (mud flows) of Wrightwood, California San Jacinto fault zone Paleoseimicity of San Andreas fault Development and beheading of the Victorville fan High-pressure/Low-temperature metamorphism and the Pelona schist Geologic hazards and Wrightwood, California
  3.  Coastal Trip
    1.  Orientation meetings
    2.  Field trip projects and reports
      1. Structures of the Elsinore fault zone and the Perris Block
      2. General Geology of the Santa Ana Mountains
      3. General of the San Onofre bluffs
      4. Marine terraces and tectonics
      5. Geology of the San Onofre beaches
      6. Beach development and erosion, wave and current activity, long shore drift, tides, marine life, life of the littoral zone
      7. California’s nuclear power industry—issues of electricity, fresh water, nuclear waste disposal, and power plants and fault zones
  4.  Library/literature research of significant sites along the field trip.
  5.  Study of a notebook of varied information of the fiend trip route, stops, and point of geologic interest
  6.  Research of Internet sites for obtaining information (maps, government reports, etc.) that pertain to the field trip sites.

Students are also assigned reading, writing, and other outside assignments equivalent to two hours per one hour lecture.

 
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Direct observation and discussion of geologic features in the field.
  • Present class lectures to describe the processes and features of the geologic points that will be visited during the field portion of the course.
  • Utilize PowerPoint presentations (or slides/overheads) to enhance points made during classroom meetings and to illustrate the attributes of the features that students will experience in the field.
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Examinations will be given which are designed to determine the students comprehension of materials encountered on the field trip.  Question types may include but are not limited to: essay and short answer, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, true and false, matching, and draw-and-label the diagram questions.
  • Written and/or oral reports may be assigned which are designed to allow the students to explore specific geology topics in greater depth.  Completion of the reports will expose students to a greater breadth of information and will demonstrate to the instructor whether or not the students are able to utilize the materials discussed on the fieldtrips to gain a broader understanding of a topic explored on their own.
  • Students will be required to keep a field notebook with notes on the geological features encountered during the field trips.  The notebooks will be collected and evaluated for completeness and level of detail. This will aid the instructor in determining the level of understanding a student may have gained from the experience.
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • 1. U.S.G.S. Geologic maps
    2. C.D.M.G. State Geologic maps
    3. Field Guide Books published by the Geologic Society of America, National
    a. Association of Geoscience Teachers, American Association of Petroleum
    b. Geologist, and other professional societies
    4. Guidebooks published by National Park Service
    5. Reports published by Geologic Society of America, etc.

    No single book or report is used
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