Field Trip

The optional field trip will occur on Tuesday, 30 September 2008, from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.

We will first examine the implementation of Landsat 7 spectral data in the digital soil mapping project for updating the soil survey of the Eastern Shore of the Great Salt Lake. We will then travel from the urban and agricultural setting of Logan in Cache Valley, which is the eastern-most valley of the Basin and Range in northern Utah, to the subalpine crest of the Bear River Range, which is part of the Middle Rocky Mountains. We will observe how parent material, hydrology, aspect, and vegetation affect soil properties and land use along an orographic climate gradient from 1400 to 2700 m in elevation. Additional topics include the origins and evolution of the Basin and Range, Great Basin, Pleistocene pluvial Lake Bonneville, and the Middle Rocky Mountains.

Cost (includes transportation, lunch, and refreshments): $50 USD
Maximum number of participants: 42