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Summer Field Course in
Geomorphology, Soils, and Geoarchaeology Summer 2003: June 30 - July 25 Prof. Patricia McDowell Department of Geography, University of Oregon |
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The setting: Southeastern Oregon's high desert is the locale for our course. In summer 2003 we will work in the Summer Lake basin, a large structural basin that held deep lakes during much of the last 1 million years of earth history. As the lake filled during cooler climate periods and evaporated during warmer climate periods, the basin was shaped by wave action, running water, wind erosion, and weathering. Today the basin is high desert, with a salt lake bed, sand dunes and sagebrush, ringed by towering cliffs. Waves at the edge of a 200-foot deep lake carved a shallow cave in the cliffs. The cave was occupied by human as early as perhaps 10,000 years ago. Bones of camel and other extinct animals have also been recovered from deposits in the cave. In summer 2003, the archaeology field course will focus on excavations in the cave. The focus of the geomorphology-soils-geoarchaeology course will be ancient lake shorelines in front of the cave, as well as the cave deposits. |
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Course
content and structure: We will study soils and the geomorphic deposits in which they form, to understand how the landscape developed over the last 10,000 to 15,000 years. We will describe and interpret soil profiles and layers of geomorphic deposits laid down by coastal, wind and fluvial processes. We will learn basic surveying methods to map and record landforms and topographic profiles. We will work with archaeologists, and students in the geoarchaeology course may spend a few days doing archaeological excavation if they wish. The course meets in the field Monday-Friday. All class work is hands-on field work.
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The High Desert landscape |
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Schedule and logistics: The course will be four weeks long, June 30 - July 25. The course meets Monday to Friday. We will work in the field each day until about 3:00 pm. Late afternoons and evenings are free time. Transportation to Eugene for the weekend is usually provided each Friday afternoon, with return on Sunday evening. Or you can spend your weekend exploring the High Desert region. Favorite weekend trips are to Crater Lake National Park, Steens Mountain, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, and the Cascades Mountains. We will live at a school facility in the town of Paisley, Oregon, where restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, etc. are available. Group breakfasts and dinners are provided, and we pack bag lunches for the field. All students share in cooking responsibilities, with each person helping to prepare one dinner per week. Some dormitory rooms are available, but most students bring a tent and sleeping bag to set up on the school lawn. |
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Faculty: In summer 2003, three faculty members will teach in rotation: Prof. Pat McDowell, Department of Geography, University of Oregon Prof. Dorothy Freidel, Department of Geography, Sonoma State University Prof. Loren Davis, Department of Anthropology, Oregon State University. All three have extensive experience in geoarchaeology and in semi-arid landscapes. |
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Tuition and credit: The course fee is $1500. This fee covers tuition, lodging, food, and transportation between Eugene and the field. Students will register for 6 credits of Geog 408 (undergraduates) or 508 (graduate students): Field Studies in Geomorphology and Soils. (University of Oregon is on the quarter system, so these are quarter credits.) For Geography majors, the course counts toward physical geography and/or geographic techniques (field studies) requirements. In summer 2003, the geomorphology, soils and geoarchaeology course runs for four weeks, June 30 through July 25. Student who want a six week field course can arrange to arrive June 23 and depart August 1, spending the first and last weeks working with the archaeology field course, for an additional two credits and an extra fee. |
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For more information: See the Archaeology Field Course web page at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ftrock/ Contact Prof. Pat McDowell by e-mail at pmcd@oregon.uoregon.edu or by phone at 541-346-4567. Click here to get the application form. Print it out and fill it in. |
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last update: 04/12/03 03:37 PM
Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene OR, 97403-1251