Geology students take a trip to Yellowstone

Being in the field is undoubtedly the best part of the geology experience! Field trips provide our students with hands-on learning experiences and application of knowledge. 

The AIPG worked with the university to offer a directed study course and field trip on the vocology of the greater Yellowstone area. The course was led by David Doherty and field assistants Ellie Carlson, Mark Kaminski and Madeline Sigler. A total of 26 students attended the 10-day field experience.

The trip was open to guests and inspired a student to transfer to Wayne State and declare a major in geology.

The field trip also allowed many students to go to their first-ever National Park. Students started the trip with the favorites of Yellowstone National Park such as Old Faithful, Painted Pots, and Grand Prismatic. The trip took place in May, making lower elevation stops like the pumice deposits of Ammon, Idaho a great place to sample punky rocks.

Some of the group hiked the Menan Buttes while others sampled the nearby localities. Professor Doherty had the honor of showing us where he worked on his master’s thesis in the Meadowcreek Dugway. The unique layering of deposition and identifying the different flows was a skill many will never forget.

One of the favorite stops was the natural fed hots springs in the Kelly Canyon area and mining for obsidian farther down the road. The trip ended the last day with a bang visiting the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.