Research Project Assignment in Desert Geology
(Topic due January 30; presentations on May 1)
One of the advantages of a seminar course like this is that we can concentrate on particular scientific questions we find interesting. In this course we combine this curiosity with our writing program. You will be completing a geological research project that will culminate in a poster presentation to the class on May 1. This seems a long time from now (especially when it is so cold out there!), but it will come soon enough. Time to start thinking about topics.
We want our projects to have some connection with our field trip. Ideally, each poster will be illustrated with real examples from the Mojave Desert. Here are some ideas –
Desert pavement development.
Eolian processes on desert sand dunes.
Extensional tectonics of the Mojave Desert.
Quaternary volcanism in the Mojave Desert.
Flash flooding in the Mojave Desert and its effects.
Geomorphology of the eastern Mojave Desert.
Green minerals of mystery. (Includes XRD and XRF analysis.)
Holocene volcanism in the Mojave Desert.
Long-term climate variation in the Mojave Desert.
Off-road vehicle use and the erosion of desert soils.
Pleistocene lakes of the Mojave Desert.
Recent faulting in the Mojave Desert.
Sediment distribution in wadis as related to storm frequency.
Sedimentation on playas.
The development of caliche soils in the Mojave Desert.
The development of cryptobiotic soil in deserts.
The effects of mining on desert sedimentological systems.
The erosional effects of livestock grazing in arid and semi-arid areas.
The origin and distribution of desert varnish.
Thermal stress weathering in deserts.
Trilobites of the Lower Cambrian in the Mojave Desert
Ventifacts: ancient and modern.
Water-harvesting in deserts.
You get the point: there are lots of topics to study. Unlike typical class research papers, you may have fewer sources for these more specific topics, but they are enhanced by our field experiences.
We’d like you now to choose a topic for your desert research poster presentation. You can pick one from the above list (if you do, please rank five or so in the order you would like them) or you can have your own topic (see below; subject to discussion with us). Your project, of course, cannot have the same topic as any paper you have done or will be doing in another course. (That means your Sed/Strat paper must be on a different topic!)
If you have your own topic idea, please write it as a research title.
This sheet is due at the beginning of class on January 30.