All is well at the conclusion of the 2024 iteration of USC Geology Field Camp. As seems to be common each year, pressing logistical, educational and related matters — along with fatigue — tend to push my correspondence further down the priority list the deeper into field camp we go. Same was the case this year. Below is a shortened summary of the second half of field camp, picking up where I left off as we prepared for our departure from our camp in the Moab, Utah region.
Our relocation to the Henry Mountains of south-central Utah went well, despite some continuing discrepant behavior from the Badger, our 16’ cabover Enterprise rental truck that transports all of our group gear and most of our personal luggage. As it turned out, the DPF and DEF issues we had heading through eastern Colorado were in fact not solved by a trip to the Denver office of Enterprise Truck, although they seemed to stay enough at bay through our Fruita (western Colorado) and Salt Valley (southeastern Utah) portions of camp that we thought we might be able to eke out success all the way west to Nevada and then back home. Although we successfully navigated to the southern slopes of Mt. Hillers in the Henry Mountains, continued Badger success was not for long…but I am getting ahead of myself, here.
Our time in the Henry Mountains was successful, albeit shorter than usual given cooperation from the weather gods in northern Nevada, whose heavy snowpack prevented a visit to the E. Humboldt Mountains last year, instead allowing us to extend our stay in the Moab and Henry Mountains regions. Although on-the-ground intel from kind USFS folks and local field camp alums in the Elko region suggested we wouldn’t be able to achieve our specific mapping goals in the Angel Lake region this year, by the time we were to leave the Henry Mountains signs were pointing sufficiently towards a worthwhile visit to the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains. Thus we decided to stick with that plan, after a (planned-but-not-to-be) trip to the thin-skinned Sevier fold-thrust belt in the Canyon Range of central Utah (stay tuned for that disaster) after we wrapped things up in the Henry Mountains. Our two-night stay in the Henry Mountains enabled a quick sunset hike up to the southern ridge of Gold Canyon of Mt Hillers to examine classic laccolith exposures of inflating diorite and deformed Mesozoic strata, and a full day of mapping Trachyte Mesa, where students got a closer look at the impacts of magma inflation.
Our departure from the Henry Mountains for the Canyon Range began well, but not halfway along the Badger’s problems with the diesel emissions systems reared their ugly heads again, to the point that she could not muster more than 30 mph, and was threatening a mere 5 mph, while we were — of course — in one of the most remote parts of the lower 48, with limited cell service, hours to the nearest capable truck-mechanic, and on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Disabled on the side of the road, awaiting help from Enterprise Truck for HOURS (grrrrrrr), we decided to take matters into our own hands as dark approached, and rented a U-Haul from Richfield, transferred all of our gear from the Badger to the U-Haul, abandoned the Badger on the side of the road, and traded a night in the wind and rain for a restaurant meal and hotel room in Salina. With Enterprise Truck unable or unwilling to help us, we took matters further into our own hands on Saturday, with Lance and Meredith driving to Salt Lake City to rent a reliable and comparatively affordable Penske truck, to which we again transferred our gear from the U-Haul, which we returned, and headed to stunning Fish Lake to hunker down and recuperate for a day in advance of our trip back through Salt Lake City to pick up some faculty for a week in northeastern Nevada.
Unfortunately, these delays prevented us from undertaking our usual mapping project in the Canyon Range, but whose regional geology the students learned through the making (albeit remotely) of a cross-section across the range from a professional geologic map. While at Fish Lake, the students also enjoyed a tour of Pando — a 106 acre, 47,000 stem, 6M kg stand of a single Aspen tree — and accompanying botany lecture from incoming SEOE geological sciences MS student JD Ross. I am very excited for JD’s arrival to USC, where his inter- and cross-disciplinary interests provide an opportunity to make some transformative steps forward in the natural sciences.
Unlike the previous week of travels, our relocation to Angel Creek campground in the East Humboldt Mountains of northeastern Nevada went off without a hitch, including the acquisition of Drs. Gene Yogodzinski and Besim Dragovic, and one (deeply-missed) Ethan Fenway Barbeau from the SLC airport en route. Suffice it to say that students and staff were all buoyed by the arrival of new companions, and moving on from our vehicle misfortunes. Whereas we were a bit adrift during our first time in Nevada — it’s always a bit nerve-wracking, with potential for chaos, when we teach new geology sight unseen — some absolutely stunning rocks made our visit quite a success, aided by the prowess of Dr. Dragovic, who is amongst the most elite world-wide in extracting fascinating histories from intensely metamorphosed rocks. Alas, we examined high-grade, isoclinal and recumbently folded metamorphic rocks and accompanying synkinematic leucosomes in the largely snow-choked Angel Lake cirque and in Lamoille Canyon, followed by an examination of the range-bounding detachment fault and mylonites through which the E. Humboldt - Ruby mountains metamorphic core complex was exhumed.
Our time in Nevada was further graced by a visit from an alum and former TA of the prior USC-UGA field “school”: Dakota Conn of Nevada Gold Mines (a joint venture between Barrick and Newmont) who along with his NGM colleague Andrew Bochko discussed with our students their paths to and within the extractive minerals industry. I am so grateful for such visits as they provide our students with perspectives that we struggle to understand let alone present from within academia. They are eye-opening, exciting, and inspiring visits for students and staff alike.
Finally, proto-professor Lance Tully led the students in the final part of their hydrology module, an enjoyable and informative examination of the 12 Mile Hot Springs on Bishop Creek, northern of Wells, Nevada. Students collected streamflow and temperature data from above, within, and below the hot springs, which they were able to use to identify whether Bishop Creek is a gaining or losing hydrologic system, and the nature and precise location of the hot spring. In addition to helping students understand the interaction of tectonics, magmatism, lithology, hydrology and geothermal resources, this experience provided them functional experience with yet another set of tools that are useful in the geoscience industries (not to mention a much needed soak). I am so grateful for Lance’s wisdom, experience and teaching efficacy. He truly sets field camp apart from other field experiences, and catapults our students into gainful and meaningful careers.
Refreshed from our time in the comparatively high elevations and latitudes of the mountains of northeastern Nevada, field camp made its way east and south to the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado to examine and map volcanic rocks associated with the Summer Coon and La Garita volcanic complexes. Along the way we dropped Dr. Dragovic and our Penske truck in Salt Lake City, and acquired what proved to be the final Badger of the season for us, one that would get us all the way back across the country (thank goodness). SEOE maven Emily Baumann’s flight to SLC was cancelled, but she was able to join us for the final week-plus of field camp upon Meredith collecting her from the Denver airport (Meredith is a saint, always willing to do whatever is needed for field camp success!).
In the San Juans, Dr. Yogodzinski built upon his already strong Summer Coon project through the addition of petrographic thin sections and XRF elemental data, which greatly aided in student recognition and ability to discern different lithologies and map units. In addition to their Summer Coon mapping project, students wrapped up their hydrology assignments, and the final integrative exercise in which they weave together a comprehensive geologic history of the Nevada-Colorado sector of the western interior of the United States, based entirely upon geology they are able to examine, map, and assess through the dozen or so projects that constitute field camp. It is a joy to watch the students take this victory lap of sorts, for it is an impressive array and amount of material and concepts with which they gain functional knowledge through field camp activities.
On the heels of the bestowing of superlatives, replete with paper-plate plaques— an emerging Meredith-Lance tradition — en route home we capped off field camp with a (hot!) day-and-a-half in the Rio Grande rift of northern New Mexico, with a focus on the Valles Caldera of the Jemez lineament. This year we were joined by Dr. Fraser Goff, retired from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who provided us with a dedicated tour of the Valles Caldera — from arguably the world’s leading expert in the caldera and its associated phenomena. USC geological sciences alum and former field camp TA Marissa Wright also joined us for our time in Valles, and discussed with the students her career path through mud-logging and into a leading technical role in the oil & gas industry in the Permian basin of west Texas. Marissa’s insight was a tremendous contribution to our students, and fundamentally complemented adjacent conversations the students had with Sophie Luna and Dakota Conn earlier in field camp, from different realms of geoscience career paths. I remain moved that former students are so willing and interested to return to field camp to share their histories, paths, and wisdom. The testament that these former students make by returning and contributing is worth far more to me than the usual faculty compensation.
Following a closing restaurant dinner with cake celebrating Meredith’s birthday, the drive home was a comparative breeze, with efficient passengers and safe drivers getting us home in the late afternoon of June 9, a day-plus ahead of schedule and with plenty of time to cleanly secure our group gear in the warehouse before a round of heart-felt goodbyes that brought more than a few tears.
I will go to my grave thankful to have the opportunity to be involved in something so transformative and strengthening for our students, in a time when they face such a daunting and uncertain future, wherein the resilience of thriving through field camp seems to pay significant dividends. Onward.
I send my thanks and love to all who make this happen. From obvious giants like Lance and Meredith who are the boots-on-the-ground brains and brawn of field camp; to the behind-the-scenes giants like Emily Baumann, Barbara Taylor, Lawanda McKnight, Noel Schatz and Alexa Dean without whose help I would have thrown in the towel years ago; to my fellow field camp faculty who help shoulder a heavy load, and provide context and insight from the hard-rock world that I’m incapable of doing justice: field camp thrives because of all of you. And let us remember: field camp only succeeds because of the willing and engaged participation of our students, who year after year embrace the spirit of trusting the process, of being respectful of others, of assuming goodwill, of understanding that field camp is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than the school, the college, the university. Students suffer — nay persist and even succeed through — challenging problems, uncertainty and changing plans, cold and heat, dust and rain, physical and mental fatigue, even the whims and whiffs of field camp faculty, with grace and strength. Field camp only exists because of you.
Finally, I am grateful for the sacrifices that the loved ones of our staff and students make to enable field camp. Whereas field camp exists because of our students, life doesn’t stop just because we are in the desert.
Yours, Barbeau
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