The class spent three days at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, examining the geomorphology and sedimentology of a range of environments, from hillslopes and debris flows to shallow braided rivers to eolian dunes and playa lakes, and the sedimentary structures present in each. The group were lucky to gain an overview of the park from Park geologist, Dr Andrew Valdez, and then have the opportunity to spend time walking over, trenching through and examining in detail a wide range of sedimentary structures. This field class integrated with lectures and seminars during the semester, including online guest lectures, which examined the dynamics and deposits of a wide range of sedimentary structures. The field course was made possible through financial support from the Hilton Johnson Memorial Fund.
Snow-clad Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, April 21st 2018 - Group (left to right): Nathan Webb, Charles Monson, Julia Cisneros, Jorge San Juan Blanco, Jim Best, Kalin Howell, Ruisong Zhou, Yi Gao, Zihe Zhao (Photo: Zihe Zhao)
Examining interbedded fluvial, slope and eolian deposits, Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Trenching Medano Creek to examine supercritical flow sedimentary structures, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado (Photo: Zihe Zhao)