About

The Geology Field Trip for Alumni and Friends is organized by the MSU Department of Geological Sciences and the College of Natural Science Alumni Association.

The purpose of the field trip is to provide a mixture of academic and social activities to reconnect old friends and build new friendships among people with a common interests. For alumni, this trip offers a chance to relive your field camp experience while sharing it with family and reuniting with old friends. For non-alumni, this trip is an opportunity to enjoy a field camp experience and make new friends. We hope all participants enjoy a unique weekend of friendship and discovery as they visit sites and learn about the area's geology.

 

Scientific Highlights

The field trip will examine the late Wisconsin glacial deposits as well as Holocene modifications to those deposits of the northwestern lower peninsula of Michigan, including Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  The dominant landforms in this area are from the glacial advance of the Greatlakean stadial (~11,800 radiocarbon years B.P.) and from reshaping the land by post-glacial processes, especially glacial Lake Algonquin 10,300 years B.P. and dune formation after 5,000 years B.P. 

 

Much of this area is a drumlinized upland covered by a reddish diamict.  Structures within this unit and its relationship to the underlying sand and gravel deposit will be examined. 

 

To the south of this area is a large pitted outwash plain with an impressive boulder-gravel component.  The entire coastal area has been scribed by shoreline processes of proglacial Lake Algonquin.  Wave-cut bluffs, beaches, and huge spits (up to 3 km long) overlie the glacial deposits.  The spits contain untapped reserves of very well-sorted gravel. 

 

History and Location

A previous trip was held in August 2004 in Marquette, MI, and attended by more than 100 people. Marquette offered the nostalgia associated with many class field trips in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

The Traverse City area was selected for the 2008 field trip for several reasons. From a geological perspective, the area provides an rich overview of Wisconsin glacial deposits as well as Holocene modifications to those deposits. The area also provides a significant number of wineries which we will try and work into the program. The resort location provides golf and other outdoor activities, and the proximity to Traverse City makes the destination easily accessible.

 

 

Event Organization

This field trip is funded entirely by participant registration fees. As such, a minimum number of registrations are needed to cover the basic expenses. We ask you to register early to ensure the trip's success and allow for additional planning.

 

 

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