Pathfinder 202
Case Study: Southwestern U.S.

Class Information

Name: Pathfinder 202
Teachers: Ray Arvidson and Tom "Tommy" Stein
Time and location: EPS 282 and the Desert Studies Center

Overview

There is no assigned text book for this two-credit course. Hand outs will be distributed and readings will be placed on reserve in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Library in the EPS building. Exercises can be done using your PC or the PCs in the Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory, EPS 281. Schedule information and course material will be placed on the Pathfinder web site, http://wufs.wustl.edu/pathfinder/path202. Tom Stein (935-5744; stein@wunder.wustl.edu) can help with computer- and science-oriented questions.

The first part of the course will focus on preparing PowerPoint presentations about the Mojave Desert and Death Valley, with some overview discussions with the instructors to set the overall context for the geology, ecology, societal, and cultural aspects of the desert. Your presentations will occur during the evenings when we are at the Desert Studies Center. The discussions will take place during the class session before we go to the desert, as well as in the field.  The second part will be doing exercises associated with the Mojave and death Valley. The third part will be field work and the fourth will be preparation and submission of trip reports.

The exercises should be done and handed in for grading. Please do ask questions if you get stuck or confused on any of these activities. Small groups can work together on the computer sections of the exercises (e.g., GIS analyses), although you should do individual write-ups. A detailed trip log will be handed out for use in the field. It will build on information derived from the exercises and contain a number of questions. A trip report with answers to the questions is due by the end of the semester. The final grade will be based on the exercises, field trip report, class and field participation, and presentations.

Field work will be conducted over spring break. Tentatively, we plan to spend four days in the Mojave Desert area and one day in Death Valley. In the Mojave Desert we will examine Lake Manix, Afton Canyon, Devil's Playground (Kelso dunes), the Cima Volcanic Field, Soda and Silver Lakes, Cronese Lake, and the Cima Dune (Teutonia Peak). In Death Valley we will examine lake deposits and alluvial fans. In all cases we will be focusing on evidence for the paleoclimatic history of the area during the past million years. Throughout the trip we will refer back to policy issues associated with the California Desert Protection Act of 1994.