Exploring the Mojave: A hands-on geology course

GEOL-322: Mojave Geology isn't your typical class. It's hands-on and full of adventure —  an upper-level geology course that focuses on developing field skills that geologists use in their careers.

We spent the first week of January Term (J-term) on campus, reviewing the basics of the class and getting introduced to new material before heading to the Mojave Desert in California. We learned how to read maps, study rock layers (stratigraphy) and even create our own cross sections. To do that, we had to get comfortable using tools like a Brunton compass for measurements and a Jacob’s staff to figure out rock thickness.

Starting in Boulder City, Nev., our journey included a visit to the Hoover Dam before heading to the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, Calif. This is where we stayed while we studied the Rainbow Basin near Barstow, Calif.

We worked on a big group project where we collected measurements to create a geologic map, stratigraphic column and cross section of the Rainbow Basin area. It was so cool to finally create the components of field geology that we learned about in the classroom the week before!

For our second week in the Mojave Desert, we drove to and stayed at the Shoshone Education and Research Center (SHEAR) in Shoshone, Calif., for the last six days of the trip.

We visited many locations in Death Valley National Park and studied some of the local geology in and around Shoshone. In the National Park, we visited Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, Furnace Creek, Devil’s Golf Course, Badwater Basin and the Ashford Mill. The Badwater Basin salt flats were especially interesting and beautiful to see!

Overall, this class was an amazing experience! I had the opportunity to develop skills that will be useful in my education and future career in the geoscience field. It was exciting to learn about the various fieldwork opportunities in geology while exploring such incredible places.

I recommend this class to anyone who has taken an introductory level geology course and wants to learn more about how to work in the field! It is spectacular to see such different landscapes from what we have here in the Midwest.