Benefits of Geological Fieldwork

Geological fieldwork’s main objective is to improve our understanding of the subject through primary data collection to improve our knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological processes that have taken place over geological time. An essential component of undergraduate degrees is field trips. In undergraduate degrees, geological fieldwork is typically carried out once or twice a year for anything from a single day to about two weeks at a time. Degrees in geology usually enable students to do more fieldwork than degrees in geophysics or environmental geology. This usually amounts to a total of between two and three weeks per year in the field. Those on other courses in geoscience will also engage in fieldwork, but as an optional module.

Common Goals of Fieldworks at University

During geological fieldwork, your supervisor expects you to:

• Combine location and lithology field observations to produce a geologic map
• Fully understand the continuity of rock units between outcrops and at depth under the topography.
• Know the interpretative quality of geological maps and cross-sections

Fieldwork Skills To be Developed

Here are some of the skills you should develop during geological fieldwork.

• Determine the location on a topographical map
• Infer location by elevation, strike and dip of rock types
• Develop a geological cross-section and topographic profile
• Working on profile and cross-section with a vertical exaggeration
• Describe the field outcrops and hand specimens accurately.

Geological Fieldwork Tools

There are several geological tools required during geological fieldwork that are, in most cases, provided to the students by their institutions. 

Geological Fieldwork Outputs Required From Students

A field trip can be a very intensive learning experience, often involving much work in a short period. In average geological fieldwork, there are about five mapping outputs expected from every student.

• Preparation of a field notebook detailing the field observations, explanations, field sketches and interpretative diagrams for notes (such as strikes and dips)
• A field map of the visited area (hand-drawn)
• A digitized version of the field map using GIS software or a drawing software kit.
• Cross-sections of geological formations (usually hand-drawn)
• A field report (produced afterwards) that uses and summarizes your interpretations of the field photographs. It will also typically include scientific literature of the site visited.