Midterm Break Field Trip

This past weekend was midterm break, a three-day weekend halfway through the quarter. Midterm break is great because it slows down the fast-paced ten-week term and lets students relax during the time that most teachers give midterm exams. The best part about midterm break, though, is the Geology Department field trip. In the Fall and Spring, the Geology faculty lead a trip for all students interested in geology to a geologically significant place. Sites include the Black Hills in South Dakota, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the St. Francois Mountains in Missouri, and more.

Last weekend we spent two days on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota. We left around 8:00 AM on Sunday morning and drove several hours to the Duluth area. We spent the day visiting significant outcrops (areas of exposed bedrock) between Duluth and Gooseberry State Park, where we camped overnight. We woke up early on Monday and visited a couple state parks to look at more outcrops. In my opinion, the coolest site we visited was Amnicon Falls State Park in Northern Wisconsin, where we saw three waterfalls and practiced structural mapping.

I learned so much about different rock formations and how they were formed in those two days, and could not recommend these trips more! It is amazing to get away from campus to enjoy nature for a couple days.  More information about Geology Department trips can be found here, but for now, I have included some pictures from different places we visited. Enjoy!

Jacob is a potential physics, math, and/or geology major (he’s indecisive) who appreciates the occasional anthropology or English class. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has made it easy for Jacob to adapt to the Northfield winters, during which he likes to ski and go traying. In more agreeable weather Jacob enjoys going on outings with CANOE, the outdoors club, and playing Ultimate Frisbee on the Gods of Plastic, Carleton’s DIII men’s ultimate team. Read on to meet the rest of our bloggers.