Costs

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  Gear
  

  Food and Cooking Gear

  Food Groups: For the purpose of cooking (and some assignments), field trip participants are divided into 4 groups of about five people each. Each group is responsible for its own cooking, shopping, cleaning. The following basic group cooking gear will be provided to each group:
  

  • 1 giant cooler
  • Pots and Pans (2 pots, 1 frying pan)
  • 1 Coleman camp stove (2 burners each)
  • 1 rollup table

  Each group must bring or buy its own serving utensils, serving bowl, coffee pot, cutting board, spices, cleaning supplies, first aid kits, as needed.

  Each individual must bring his or her own KFS, plates, bowls, cups, etc.

  We will stop at a big-box store on the way out of Las Vegas, at which time items you do not bring (if any) may be purchased if available.

  Personal Gear

  • sleeping pad, sleeping bag suitable down to -10 C
  • tent (arrange shared quarters beforehand)
  • camera, film (more can be purchased enroute if necessary)
  • toiletries, towels, environmentally-friendly soaps, flashlight or headlamp
  • personal medicines, insect repellent and bite treatment kits (if not in first aid kit).
  • personal clothes as needed. NOTE: there will be ONE laundry day in Bishop, approximately midway through trip.
  • rain gear/rain hat
  • cold-weather gear sufficient for sitting outside at 0 C: coats, toque, mitts, etc... Max elevation will approach 2750 m (9000ft ), where it will be quite chilly at night.
  • pair of good hiking boots, plus pair of light camp shoes
  • sunblock, SPF>30, good sun hat, long sleeve shirts with collars, light long pants, sunglasses
  • at least two 1 L water bottles.
  • knife,fork, spoon, bowl, cup etc... whatever you require.
    
  • geology gear : compass, trowel, hand lens, rock hammer, waterproof field book, pocket knife. OPTIONAL: Acid bottle, range finder, GPS (if you have one, please bring it).
    
  • day pack for lunch, water bottles, rain gear, field book, camera.
    

  
  

  Location

  Maps and Images
  

  General information images.
  
  

  California Geology Maps and Images General information images. Location Maps and Images General information images. California Geology Overview Topography of California and Nevada Topography of Trip Region [Full Size] [Full Size] [Full size] [With Major Locations] Long and Mono Valleys Landsat7, looking to the northwest Major Faults [Full size] [With Field trip Locations] [Fullsize] Road Maps     Eastern Sierra Nevada [pdf]     Mojave Desert and Death Valley [pdf]     California [pdf] (>6MB) More maps will be included in the field guide. Weather We will camp and work at elevations ranging from below sea level to 3000 m, and consequently expect a wide range of temperatures. Eastern California lies in the rain-shadow of two mountain ranges -- the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada -- and so is generally dry. Without any large water bodies nearby, diurnal temperature swings are large. For complete historical and current weather records, check the Western Region Climate Center :  http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/ Plots below are from the WRCC and therefore in Imperial units. (T(celcius) = (5/9)*(T(f)-32)! Death Valley (Furnace Creek) Bishop California (~1500 m, and representative of the Owen's Valley) Sierra Nevada Mountains  (Representative site shown, Huntington, is at ~3000 m on the west side of the Sierra divide. It receives more rain overall than the eastern Sierra. There is no publically available data from long term weather station in the Eastern High Sierra, that I could find) Summary Itinerary These are general locations and overnight stops. Please consult with the science itinerary for a blow-by-blow description of stops. Date General Field Location Overnight Location 27/Apr Tue Las Vegas--Central Mojave Dorners Camp 28/Apr Wed Central Mojave/Cima Volcanic Field Dorners Camp 29/Apr Thu Central Mojave Pahrump Dunes camp 30/Apr Fri Yucca Mountain Pahrump Dunes camp 1/May Sat Northern Death Valley / Racetrack Racetrack remote camp 2/May Sun Central Death Valley Furnace Creek campground 3/May Mon Central Death Valley Furnace Creek campground 4/May Tue Western Mojave/Ridgecrest Ridgecrest: Best Western  760.371.2300 5/May Wed China Lake / COSO Lone Pine --Alabama Hills camp 6/May Thu Alabama Hills Alabama Hills camp 7/May Fri Bishop (Day off in town, Laundry) Bishop: Best Western Spa 760-873-3543 8/May Sat Long Valley Mammoth Lakes campground 9/May Sun Long Valley Mammoth Lakes campground 10/May Mon Mono Lake Basin Hartley Springs campground 11/May Tue Mono Basin Lee Vining: Best Western 760-647-6543 12/May Wed am: Wrap up in Lee Valley. pm: drive to Vegas Las Vegas Motel 13/May Thu LV, fly to HFX at 11:40 am. Nova Scotia Emergency Contact Information Cell phones (with analog mode) will work in most but not all areas. In the event of an emergency, we can be reached via Lawrence Plug's cell phone (902-497-7584) or motel telephone numbers above. Assignments Food Group Assignments Each food group must do three things, listed below. A: Lead a field-stop topic Each food group will lead the entire group in a discussion of one of the four following topics: Cima Volcanic Field (CIMAS) Turtlebacks and hourglass canyons of Death Valley (TURTLEBACKERS). Geological Evolution of the Sierra Nevada Range (SIERRA NEVADANS) Geological evolution of Long Valley (LONG VALLEYS) The field trip itinerary shows where and when each stop will occur. Be ready! In leading the field trip stop, Food Groups should follow this recipe: The introduction should be prepared at the level of the class (senior undergraduates). One or two figures should be prepared that are printed or written on poster size paper (something greater than 40 x 40 cm).  This figure can be simply a published figure that you have expanded, or it can be something that the group has made for this trip.  The purpose of the figure(s) is to guide the audience through the important message(s) of your introduction. The introduction should take between 25 and 35 minutes.  Introductions should provide the following information (minutes): where are we? (Plug and Gosse will provide maps in the field) (2) what is the landform or structure that we should be looking at? (10) what is the genesis of the feature?  How do we know this? (5) what is the age of the feature or events leading to it?  How was it dated? (3) are there any controversies, remaining questions, or interesting results regarding the study of the feature? (5) who did much of the work on the feature (provide a brief  (few minutes) overview of that research) (5) what does this feature tell us about the tectonic history of the Walker Lane Belt and surrounding areas? (5) As a helping hand, here is a very good web-page that will help the groups in their pre-trip search. http://gateway.library.uiuc.edu/gex/bibs/deathvalley.html B: Integrative reports Present integrative written and two 15-minute oral reports on the following two questions on the morning of May 12, before we return to Vegas. Draw from as many examples as possible from observations you have made during the field trip and supplementary literature reviewed before and during the field trip. Describe the strain dynamics of the Walker Lane by documenting the spatial and temporal variations in strain over Late Cenozoic. Describe the role and chronology of water (liquid and solid phase) in modifying WLB landscapes during the Pleistocene. C: Mapping projects TBA Individual Assignments Each individual should keep detailed field notes, to be handed in for review at night at major points: April 30, after Mojave and Yucca. May 6, after DV and southern Owens Valley. May 11, after Long Valley, Sierra Nevada glacial history, and Mono Basin.
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