Spring Field Courses

W&L’s Spring Term gives Geology courses the opportunity to get out in the field and stay out in the field, whether the field is local, domestic, or international. Students in Earth Lab, our topic-based Introductory Geology course, our Field Methods courses, and our Regional Geology course for majors that takes students on three- or four-week field-based trips all benefit from extended time studying the environment and different cultures in a wide variety of locations.

Learn More about Spring Term Abroad at W&L

Previous Courses

Hawaii - one of the most geologically active spots (specifically, a hotspot) on Planet Earth, and one of the most unique locations for observing natural processes up close. Students were introduced to Hawaii using a three pronged approach, studying Volcanic Landforms/Activity, Surface Processes (such as erosion, earthquakes, and weathering), and Hawaiian People & Culture. After a week of activities and lessons beforehand focusing on basic geology and introducing Hawaiian geology/landforms/weather, students lodged in two important locations on Big Island: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Kona Coast. Throughout the trip, each student was given the chance to present on a specific topic or location (such as the Waipi’o Valley) to the rest of the group. Through day trips to places such as Papakolea (a green sand beach), an ancient petroglyph site, and Kilauea Iki (a hardened lava lake and crater), students gained a better understanding of the similarities and differences between Hawaii’s past, both geologically and culturally, and Hawaii’s future. They were also able to gain an understanding of the timeline of Hawaiian geological history, featuring the most recent 2018 eruptions. They were also encouraged to explore Hawaii’s people and culture (and food!) during free time in Kona and Hilo. The course ended with a week of work on a collaborative poster project based on the three overarching topics.

- Katie Larkin ’22

Death and destruction. Lava and fire. Ancient, slumbering giants that awake only to rain molten rock and ash from the sky. Volcanoes-- and their potential to cause disaster-- invoke a certain sense of intrigue and fear in most people. Still, can a volcanic eruption be predicted? Just what makes a volcanic eruption a natural disaster? What are the differences between natural disasters and natural hazards? How can geologists help the public to better understand natural hazards? The students of GEOL 105 Earth Lab: The Next Big One: The Geology of Natural Hazards, sought to answer these questions and explore the geology behind natural hazards, traveling to one of the most infamous volcanoes in America, Mount St. Helens. Prior to the trip, the students studied hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, establishing the differences between natural hazards and disasters. With a focus on risk analysis of potential dangers, the course equipped students with an understanding of the science behind natural hazards, as well as the skills needed to evaluate and communicate the threat they pose. After researching the government response and public reaction in the past, students planned out their own responses in the face of disaster, role playing positions such as geologists, government officials, or architects. Then, the students flew across the country to visit Mount St. Helens in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Spending a week at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the students learned about the power of Mother Nature up close and personal. They examined the mountain’s history leading up to May 18th, 1980, and took a careful look at the way the surrounding geology changed on that day as a result of the explosive eruption. Hikes in scenic locations such as Ape Cave and Coldwater Lake exposed the devastating power of volcanoes to shape the surrounding landscape, whether over the course of eons or in a matter of moments. Lastly, GEOL 105 Earth Lab revealed just how crucial geology can be in understanding and avoiding the risks that make natural hazards into natural disasters.

- Marina Croy ’22

This field and laboratory- based course will explore the idea that humans can, or should try to ‘save the earth’. What does this mean? And who are we really trying to ‘save’ when we recognize and try to modify the course of recent climate and environmental changes in the earth system? In this course we will explore earth system and environmental changes on the scale of deep time (4.6 billion years) and the time since humans have inhabited the earth. The goals of this course are to introduce you to the geology of Rockbridge County and the geology, ecology, and biology of coral reefs in order to investigate the question of whether the earth is ‘worth saving’. You will complete journal entries, lab and field assignments, written papers, discussions of assigned readings, and quizzes/exams, including a field practical in Belize. You will also present small-group poster projects for the Spring Term Festival on topics explored in the class.

SAND! A journey from mountains to beaches and western deserts! Students in SAND! took a journey to follow sand’s modern path, as it erodes from the high Blue Ridge Mountains into the James River and down toward our barrier island beaches, and then leap with sand grains through the air in western sand dunes and trace its ancient path from the Appalachians west to the stunning cliffs of Zion National Park on the Colorado Plateau of Utah. Where does sand originate? How does it get into rivers and eventually the sea, or the desert? Students explored these questions on local field trips and in the lab when they put some sand under a microscope to learn more about how geologists view these fascinating grains. They learned and camped on Assateague Island, where Appalachian sand is formed into the dunes, inlet bars and beaches of the barrier islands. They explored the rocks from the ancient Appalachians to learn about long-ago seas, beaches, and rivers. Then they went west and camped in dunes on the Colorado Plateau to see how modern winds move sand in ripples and dunes, and explored Zion National Park to learn about the deposition of ancient sandy desert sand grains, including those that geologists know came from the ancient Appalachians! 

 

This Spring Term course has students explore the wonderful world of Environmental Field Methods. In this course students gain proficiency in the standard methods, equipment, instrumentation, and tools used in environmental field studies, as well as the methods geologists use to measure, record, and report (both verbally & on paper) field observations. Focus is given to the validity of data obtained using various investigative strategies as well as data handling and presentation. There was a field trip to WV to visit a remediation site and an exhibition coal mine.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about my Spring Term abroad in Iceland is the gorgeous scenery. Before touching down in Iceland I had never even set foot outside of the United States so I was full of expectations while simultaneously having no idea what to expect. Leading up to the trip, I did my best to avoid exposing myself to pictures of Iceland online, and I was so glad that I did. Everywhere that we went was the most beautiful place that I had ever seen. It felt as if there isn’t a single place in all of Iceland that doesn’t look as if it came straight out of a Nat Geo documentary. Most importantly, however, this stunning scenery houses some of the most impressive geologic features that the world has to offer. I came into Iceland with a fairly complete understanding of structure, basic field methods, and glaciology, but I left with so much more. Throughout only four weeks I gained a plethora of knowledge of petrology, glaciology, geomorphology, sustainability, and field methods all in the context of the regional geology of Iceland.

- Mickie Brown ’21

In this course, students study the regional geology of New Zealand. This remarkably geologically diverse land allows students to learn about coastal and neotectonic geomorphology, structural geology and tectonics, glacial geology, glaciology, volcanology, metamorphic petrology, and stratigraphy, through hands-on direct exposure to beautiful examples available at the surface inNew Zealand. More than one student has called this “the trip of a lifetime."

In this course students studied the regional geology of the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Canyon. The American Southwest is home to some of the most spectacular and diverse geology on the planet and the Grand Canyon lays open one of our greatest geological stories. They studied a record of deep time preserved in the Canyon walls and the plateau above the rim of one of our greatest geological wonders; travelled from modern sediments in the Great Salt Lake and current erosional processes in Arches National Monument, to the ~2 billion year old Vishnu metamorphics deep in the Canyon; and investigated aspects of sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, geomorphology, tectonics, and hydrology along the way. And had a lot of fun.

Positioned on the plate boundary between the African and European tectonic plates, the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea display a remarkable breadth of geology. In this course, students spent three weeks in the Greek isles exploring the diverse geology of Greece with a particular emphasis on the regional tectonics. Topics studied included: high‐pressure/low‐temperature metamorphism, deformation mechanisms, structural and thermal evolution of convergent wedges, geomorphology of actively uplifted landscapes, subduction zone volcanism, the development of metamorphic core complexes, and tectonic mélanges. We saw a lot of amazing geology, ate a lot of great food, and had an all-around great time.

Department Info

  • Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department
    204 West Washington Street
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, Virginia 24450

Jeffrey Rahl

Interim Department Head

Ry Williams

Administrative Assistant