Monday, May 21, 2007 near Morrison, CO - After about five plus hours on the highway (with a lunch stop in Limon, CO) we finally arrived at our first geological stops on the west side of Denver. Our first stop was the spectacular I-70 roadcut south of Morrison, CO.
The cut is well known for its exposure of the Jurassic Morrison Formation and the Cretaceous Dakota Formation (which holds up the Hogback that this cut pierces). There are beautfully preserved sedimentary structures here, both Mesozoic and Quaternary (below).
Crossbedding in the Dakota sandstones (left) and mudcracks and trace fossils in the Qal (right).
But it’s not all fun and admiration… students get to break out their fieldbooks and Bruntons and start measuring. And yes, this is being graded.
Now what’s the trend and plunge on those slickensides, Carol?
[Note: Due to the demands of field work and sporadic internet access I'm beginning to chronicle camp with about a two week delay. I'll try to keep the posts in chronological order, but the events portrayed are not "live".]
Monday, May 21, 2007 Hays, KS - So here’s the official “Before” photo. Back lot of Tomanek Hall, all packed up and ready to roll. Note the clean van. The smiling faces belie the fact that none of us really got enough sleep last night.
Next stop: I-70 roadcut near Morrison, CO.
Field Camp 2007 is off and running. No time to post more at the moment. Check back in a couple of days and hopefully we’ll get some photos and a more complete update up here.
Ron
There are a pair of articles by Alexei Barrionuevo in today’s New York Times that touch on issues very close to home here in western Kansas.
The first, Crop Rotation in the Grain Belt details the decline of wheat in the Plains states at the expense of corn and soybeans. A combination of government subsidies and genetic modifications have made corn and soy more profitable per acre than wheat over the past few decades. As a result America, which used to boast of being the world’s breadbasket, has seen its share of wheat exports shrink significantly over the same time frame.
The second article, For Kansas Farmers, Water Is a Vanishing Commodity recognizes the cost of the move to corn. Corn and soybeans require almost twice as much water as wheat to cultivate. Much of that water in western Kansas is pumped from the Ogallala aquifer. Because of rising energy costs (required for pumping groundwater) and declining groundwater supplies (where discharge exceeds recharge) this tradeoff is unsustainable in most parts of western Kansas.
Here is a very real issue that affects all of us here in western Kansas, either directly or indirectly. Geology (groundwater resources) plays and important role in any course of action we choose to take. What alternatives do we have? What choices should we make?
Oh, have we got photos!
Yes photos!
Photos of rocks!
Photos of geology campers!
Big hike today. Should be lots more photos tomorrow.
Ron
No time to write a thousand words, so I’ll just make this a quickie to point you to the photos I’ve uploaded from the trip so far. This morning after breakfast we depart Price, UT for Arches NP. Don’t know when we’ll have internet access again, so… Hasta Luego!
Greetings from Colorado! (Sorry for choppy writing - posting from a field tablet on a slow connection.) Had a successful day yesterday climbing from Kansas into the Rockies. Got the first aid kit at REI (after a short wild goose chase in downtown Denver). Morrison & Alameda cuts were drier than last year; enjoyed by all. Got site at Heaton Bay CG okay, started to pitch tents and the heavens opened up on us - drenching rain, thunder, lightning, and even pea-sized hail at one point. Sought refuge in the vehicles until the worst blew over. Woke up this morning cold and wet, but moderately well rested. Light snow at Frisco and Vail Pass stops this morning, but clear and warmer weather for lunch at Hanging Lake. Glorious weather at Canyon Wind - got the full rundown on local geology and terrior from Norm Christianson himself. Will sleep well on the fresh sod at the RV Ranch tonight! Looking forward to Douglas Pass and setting up base camp in Dinosaur NM tomorrow. Next post probably from CEU in Price, UT on Memorial Day.
Have a gneiss week!
Ron
Welcome to the FHSU Geoscience Department’s new blog. Stay tuned for updates from the 2006 FHSU Geology Field Camp (as internet access permits) and much, much more!!!
