2017 Rocky Mountain Field Trip. Cowboys & Geologists meet Bears, Bison, and Nifty Rocks!

Transcription

1 2017 Rocky Mountain Field Trip Cowboys & Geologists meet Bears, Bison, and Nifty Rocks!

2 Department of Geology & Geophysics University of Wyoming 2017 Rocky Mountain Field Trip (GEOL4060) August 31 to September 4, 2017 List of Contents 1 General Information, including summaries of 5-day itinerary and two maps of our route (6 pages) Safety Information (2 pages) Relevant Information for each day of the trip, including: General geology of Wyoming Jackson Hole area Fold and Thrust Belt Togwotee Pass and Dubois area Wind River Mts. 1 Cover photos courtesy of Service 1

3 General Information GEOL 4060 (1 credit hour, S/U) Rocky Mountain Field Trip, lead by Drs. John Kaszuba and Laura Vietti. This guidebook contains abundant material on the geology of Wyoming; please start to read and understand during the drive. The itinerary is described beginning on the next page and summarized in the table and on the two maps that follow. On the first day we will drive to the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton. We will have one geology stop on this day, at the town park in Eden, for an overview of the Green River Basin. On the second (Friday) and third (Saturday) days we will focus our efforts in and around Grand Teton ; we will spend the night at the AMK Ranch on each of these nights. On the fourth day (Saturday) we will move to the Dubois area and examine geologic features in this area. We will camp at Timberline Ranch on Saturday night. On the morning of the fifth day we will spend some time in the Wind River Mountains before returning to Laramie. Although there will be a cook (Robert Kirkwood) and his assistant on this trip, we expect all the student participants to be involved in kitchen chores, including washing dishes and overall cleanup. All student participants will be assigned to a kitchen detail for at least one dinner or one breakfast/lunch. These assignments will be made on DAY 1 of the field trip. The AMK Ranch has specific requirements for daily cleaning and checkout. All participants will be responsible for adhering to these requirements. Other Important Information University rules forbid the transport of any alcoholic beverages in University vehicles. Please do not bring alcoholic beverages on this trip. If any trip leader discovers that a student has transported alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, or firearms in a University vehicle, they will automatically fail the course. These items will be confiscated and in some cases destroyed. We are staying in bunkhouses at the AMK Ranch, no camping is allowed. We do not know if we will be allowed to have a campfire at the AMK Ranch. We will inquire when we arrive. We are camping at the Timberline Ranch. No fires are allowed at the Timberline Ranch. Be Bear Aware (be alert, make noise, do not run) and follow all recommendations for safe conduct around bears and other wildlife. Grizzlies are regular visitors at the AMK Ranch and the Timberline Ranch. Do not leave the campsite for any reason without informing one of the field-trip leaders. You need to tell the field-trip leader why you are leaving and where you are going. Please carefully read the documents in this field-trip guide about safety during the field trip. As these documents state: Safety is our most important priority throughout the field trip. 2

4 Itinerary DAY 1 Thursday, August 31st Meet at the free University parking lot located at 30 th and Willet at 11:30 am. Please note that while these parking lots are patrolled, there is the possibility of car vandalism (which as happened in the past in a parking lot). The University will not cover expenses related to car vandalism, so park at your own risk. Please bring all your gear for the field trip to this site. The suburbans will be there for loading. You can park your vehicle on this University lot without a parking permit. Pre-trip discussions begin at 11:45; we will leave the 30 th and Willet parking lot at 12:00 pm! Drive west on I80 to Rock Springs, WY and north on US 191 to Jackson, WY. Take US 191/89 north to Moran Junction to enter the park. Follow the directions above from the park entrance to the station. We will make one stop along the way, at the State Park in Eden, WY. Spend the night at the AMK Ranch. Lodging will be assigned by the trip leaders. DAY 2 Friday, September 1st we will spend the day in Jackson, WY and in the Park. Return to the AMK Ranch for the night. DAY 3 Saturday, September 2 nd we will spend the day doing a transect through the Fold and Thrust Belt, from Bondurant, WY to Alpine, WY. Return to the AMK Ranch for the night. DAY 4 Sunday, September 3 rd Break camp, then start the day by returning to US 191. Drive south on US 191 to US 26, then east on US 26. All of our stops will be along this route. Camp at Timberline Ranch. DAY 5 Monday, September 5 th Break camp. Drive east on US 26 to its junction with US 287. Drive south on US 287 to Rawlins, WY, then east on I80 to Laramie. All of our stops will be along this route. We will return to the University parking lot at approximately 5p. 3

5 Day 1 Thursday August 31 st Day 2 Friday September 1 st Day 3 Saturday September 2 nd Day 4 Sunday September 3 rd Day 5 Monday September 4 th Morning Drive to Jackson Library Stop 3: Jackson Library for Geology Talk by John Hebberger Stop 4: View of Jackson Geology at Hebberger House Drive to Bondurant, WY Stop 7: Bondurant School Parking Lot Stop 8: Bear Thrust Stop 9: Hoback Camp Davis Turnout Drive to Wind River Lake Stop 14: Wind River Lake Drive to Dubois Public Park behind Historical Museum Drive to Torrey Lakes Optnl. Stop: Dunoir Stream Stop 19: Moraine Overview Stop 20: Dunoir/Park City Fm. Stop 21: Waterfall/ Great Unconformity Hike Stop 10: Darby Thrust Optnl. Stop: Petroglyphs Drive to Crowheart Rest Area Lunch On your Own Elk Refuge Picnic Tables or Hebberger Lawn Stop 11: Boat S. Fall Creek Road Stop 15: Dubois Public Park Stop 22: Crowheart Rest Area Afternoon Stop 0: Meet at 12pm at Drive to Eden, WY -Stop at Bitter Creek Rest Stop for a bathroom break Stop 1: Eden, State Park Stop 5: Glacier View Turnout Optional Stop: Snake River Turnout Stop 6: Willow Flats Turnout Stop 12: Absoraka Thrust Stop 13: Grand Valley Normal Fault Stop 16: Dubois Scenic Overlook Stop 17: Mason Draw Return to Laramie - Stop at Split Rock Point of interest for Rest Stop: Stop 23 Drive to Timberline Ranch (Stop 18) Camping Location Timberline Ranch (Stop 18)