Earth Science Field Trips in Southern California Tor Bjorn Lacy Associate Professor Cerritos College Earth Science Department 11110 Alondra Boulevard Norwalk California, 90650 (562) 860-2451 x2662 [email protected] Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... v Preface ................................................................................................................................ vii Maps ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Planning a Field Trip .............................................................................................................. 3 The Big Picture: Overview of the Geology of Southern California ............................................ 7 Chapter 1 – Joshua Tree National Park ................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2 – Pisgah Crater and Amboy Crater ........................................................................ 25 Chapter 3 – The San Andreas Fault, Mormon Rocks, and Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area .... 37 Chapter 4 – Vasquez Rocks Natural Area .............................................................................. 51 Chapter 5 – San Gabriel Mountains and the San Andreas Fault ............................................. 63 Chapter 6 – Crystal Cove State Park ..................................................................................... 79 Chapter 7 – Palos Verdes Peninsula ..................................................................................... 89 Chapter 8 - Red Rock Canyon State Park .............................................................................. 99 Chapter 9 – Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains ................................. 113 Chapter 10 – Rainbow Basin Natural Area .......................................................................... 151 Chapter 11 – Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Field Trip ................................. 165 Chapter 12 – The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum .................................................................. 171 References ........................................................................................................................ 175 Acknowledgements This project would not be possible if it were not for the support of Cerritos College, which has allowed me to pursue an academic endeavor that I feel serves to benefit our students as well as the students and instructors at other institutions of learning. Writing this manuscript has also allowed me an opportunity to deepen my knowledge of California geology, which in turn will help me better communicate content in my courses and in turn be a better teacher. Thank you to my colleagues in the Earth Science Department, Dan DeKraker, Ryan Goode, Olivia Hinton, and Raymond Villalba who encouraged me to undertake the project and provided valuable input. Thank you to Bob “DK” Kreger, who helped me develop the concept of writing a “how to” field trip guidebook and for providing astute observations and editing to the introductory chapters. Thank you to Dee Trent, whose suggestions on the Joshua Tree chapter provided invaluable guidance at the start of my writing. Thank you to Nate Onderdonk, who invited me to join his students on field trips and through doing so, provided me with fresh insights. Huge thanks to Glenda Greene, grammar queen, for her editing prowess and for providing valuable suggestions about adding content to enhance clarity. Finally, thank you to my wife Hilda for being completely supportive throughout this entire process. I would also like to thank the authors of guidebooks from which I’ve learned a tremendous amount, resulting in the addition of meaningful and instructive content to this document: Art Sylvester and Libby Gans and their Roadside Geology of Southern California and Edward Sharp and Alan Glanzer, whom authored Geology Underfoot in Southern California and Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley. v vi Preface This guidebook is written primarily for educators of earth science-related subjects, but should be interesting and useful to anyone that has ever wondered about the “why”, the “how”, or the “when” behind some of the unique and beautiful and natural areas of southern California. At the risk of oversimplifying content, there has been an attempt to strike a balance with the presentation of the material so it will be comprehensible to advanced high school students and college students in introductory-level courses, while at the same time “meaty” enough that it could be used to supplement curriculum in earth science courses. Included is a section on “how to plan field trip” for educators and other group leaders that may be inexperienced in planning field trips and managing large groups of students in the field. If you feel confident in coordinating field trips then feel free to just skim this section or skip it altogether, while keeping in mind the old adage, “prepare for the worst and hope for the best”. The links to videos and animations may or may not be accessible while in the field depending on availability of cellular data or type of phone service. Downloading this content ahead of time to electronic devices is encouraged so instructors can use these instructional tools when a lack of cell service prevents access. Each field trip locality includes a pre field trip assignment that could be used to help students prepare for the field trip curriculum. Suggested “Learning Objectives”, also called student- learning outcomes (SLOs), are included to help provide a framework for instruction, while in- field activities and follow-up/post-field trip questions and assignments are offered to help students master the learning outcomes. You may want to require students to carry a “field book” in order to complete these exercises. Composition books, notepads, or even a stapled stack of papers on clipboard would all make for fine field books. Before embarking on a field trip, consider “copying-and-pasting” the learning objectives for that trip and distributing these to the participants ahead of time. Require your group to monitor your teaching to make sure you’ve addressed each one. I’m pretty sure your students will be motivated to police you . Each chapter includes most everything needed for an educational and fun half-day to multiday trip. However, the reader is encouraged to pick-and-choose from different itineraries to create a field trip experience best suited for them from a logistical standpoint and considering the academic background of their group. Accompanying the field trip destinations outside the greater LA area are suggested “en route talking points” that should serve to broaden the field trip experience by making use of some of “downtime” that comes with road trips. Note that these are written from the viewpoint of the author, departing from Cerritos College, which is located at the junction between CA-91 and I- 605 in southeastern Los Angeles County. Consequently, it may be that some of the talking points will not relate to your route and/or you may have other places or stories that you wish to point out. In any case, southern California has a varied and fascinating geography with a complex and interesting human history that can be shared with students to make for a more intriguing and educational outing. vii viii Maps See maps 1 and 2 for approximate locations. Numbers on maps correspond to field trip chapters. Field trip locations, map 1. – Modified Google Map. 1 Field trip locations, map 2. Modified Google Map. 2 Planning a Field Trip When planning an academic field trip that will take you and your students off campus you are likely going to be required by your managing institution to address some or all of the following: 1. Request: Almost certainly you’ll have to request your field trip, even if field trips are a required part of the course curriculum. In classes where field trips are not required justification may be needed, explaining why a field trip compliments or enhances the course curriculum. This typically does not have to be a lengthy report, but instead a straightforward statement that makes it clear to administration how the field trip experience will help students better conceptualize or appreciate some aspect(s) of course curriculum. This paperwork will likely go to the intermediary between you and the academic Dean or Principal, such as an administrative secretary, but you’ll need to determine the normal practice at your particular institution. In either instance, best practice is to submit field trip request paperwork before or as early in the academic semester as possible. 2. Legal Paperwork: In addition to officially requesting a field trip, some additional paperwork may be legally required by your managing institution. These may include a class roster, medical consent and hold harmless indemnification forms, and transportation requests if charter busses are needed. If students are driving themselves, additional forms may be necessary. While the required paperwork will vary from campus to campus, it is essential that all forms be completed prior to departing for the trip. In the unlikely event that a student is seriously injured, lost, or decides to take legal action against the instructor or the institution for something that happened during a field trip you and the institution that