University of Arizona Geosciences 195D Sense of Place

"Go my children, burn your books. Buy yourselves stout shoes, get away to the mountains, the deserts, and the deepest recesses of the earth. Mark well the distinction between animals, the differences among plants, the various kinds of minerals. In this way, and no other, will you arrive at a knowledge of things, and of their properties."

—Peter Severinus, AD 1571

Description: Students are introduced to the geology and ecology of Tucson and surrounding mountain ranges, including interactions between past and present societies with desert and forest environments. Four Saturday field trips (one per month) are scheduled during the semester, each emphasizing a particular region with unique geological and biological aspects. This is a first-year colloquium course, but any UA student can enroll.

A Tuesday evening class meeting will take place prior to each Saturday field trip.

Instructors

• Paul Sheppard
  • Office:  Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, 105C West Stadium (click for a map or a photo).
  • Office Phone:  621-6474
  • E-mail: sheppard @ ltrr.arizona.edu
  • Office Hours:  In the field, or MF 11:00 AM
• Gary Huckleberry
  • Office:  Off campus
  • Office Phone:  615-2644
  • E-mail: ghuck10 @ comcast.net
  • Office Hours:  In the field, or TBA

Field Trip Dates for Spring 2012

Trip #1: Santa Cruz Basin (Click here for 1-page narrative) January 28 (Tuesday night meeting is January 24) (Be careful with parking on campus on this day, because there's a men's basketball home game this day. Click here for a map of restricted parking. The LTRR lot under the West Stadium is off limits.) "A" Mt. Tumamoc Hill Brickyard Arroyo San Xavier
Trip #2: Tucson Mountains (Click here for 1-page narrative) February 25 (Tuesday night meeting is February 21) (Be careful with parking on campus on this day, because there's a men's basketball home game this day. Click here for a map of restricted parking. The LTRR lot under the West Stadium is off limits.) Tucson Mts
Trip #3: Desert Washes and Urban Flooding (Click here for 1-page narrative) March 31 (Tuesday night meeting is March 27) Ft. Lowell City Park The mighty Rillito Catalina State Park
Trip #4: Mt. Lemmon, All the Way to the Top (Click here for 1-page narrative) April 28 (Tuesday night meeting is April 24) Spring bloom on campus Catalina Highway

Details

• Tuesday night meetings before trips will be from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, in Bio-Sci West 210.
• All Saturday trips run from 8:00 AM to about 5:00 PM; barring unforeseen events, we'll leave on time and get back on time.
• UA transportation provided.
• All trips leave from and return to the underside of the West Stadium. Parking usually available on Saturdays, depending on game day.
• Please bring this stuff:
  
  
  1. Layers of clothing for changing temperature during the day (Click here for local weather; click on Tucson on the map for 5-day forecast)
  2. Rain gear, as necessary
  3. Walking shoes and/or hiking boots; sandals or flip-flops won't cut it
  4. Hat, either for shade and/or warmth
  5. Your own sack lunch; an ice chest will be available
  6. Drinking water—a container with at least one quart of water
  7. Sunscreen! Really!!
  8. Notebook (spiral variety is best) and pencils (different colors if you got 'em)
  9. Optional: rock hammer, hand lens, binoculars, camera

Guidelines on Grading

• Geos 195D is available either for letter grade or pass-fail
• Attendance is required on all four field trips for a passing grade (make-ups are possible for emergency absences)
• Letter grades are based on active participation and quality of field notebook

Suggestions on Field Notebooks

• Everything covered on trips should be recorded in notebooks
• Leave adjacent pages blank for additional information later
• Take field notes and sketches only on one side of the page
• Use blank side for adding notes, interpretations, photos, and/or summaries
• Provide plenty of room for sketches
• Label all sketches, illustrations, and samples
• Sketches can be very simple. For example, draw simple layers to represent the rocks in the side of A Mountain
• For each field trip stop:
  • Title the field trip stop
  • Indicate location (maybe time of day, weather conditions, etc.)
  • Record your personal observations using written descriptions and/or sketches
  • Notes/sketches of rocks, plants, wildlife, human structures, etc.
  • Patterns in the landscape: orientations of rock layers, clusters or associations of plants, erosion features, etc.
  • Analysis of observations:
    • What might control patterns you observe in the landscape?
    • Focus on observations and simple analysis of observations rather than grand interpretations
    • Discuss observations with fellow students and trip leaders
    • Record questions to ask when you have an opportunity or research the answers after the trip
• At the end of each field trip, summarize the field trip into one or two pages:
  • Integrate your observations, discussions, and questions of the day
  • How do geology and ecology interact to create environments?
    
  • How do people exploit and/or impact environments?
  • Think about the common threads and logical connections between the field trip stops
  • Comment on what parts of the field trip stand out
• Later on, incorporate additional notes and information or photos, etc., into your notebook on adjacent blank pages

Internship Announcement

Click here to see an announcement for a summer internship working in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Acknowledgements

The University of Arizona Foundation provided funding for the 2009 edition of this course.

Copyright © 2005-2011 Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona
Revised — December, 2011
URL: http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~sheppard/sop/