Experiential Learning

More than just “seeing” rocks out in their natural environment, experiences such as field school, during which you learn the principles of geological mapping, are the cornerstone of understanding the geological processes that resulted in those rocks being there at all. Field school is a capstone experiential learning experience that allows you to put together concepts from many different subjects in geoscience.

Flin Flon field school (GEOL 408)

This field school is one of the most important courses you could taking during your degree at USask if you plan to make a career of working in the Canadian Shield. Plan accordingly!

This course can be taken after your third or fourth year. See course description for prerequisites. This field school typically takes place in late August, finishing up a few days before the start of the fall semester. To apply, see here. There is a camp fee associated with registration for this course, however, some financial aid is available from the department to offset costs. Field school by its nature means spending most of the day outside. Expect easy to moderate hiking for this field school. Practice walking a few kilometers a day with a backpack to prepare yourself. Participation in this or any geological field school does not require that you be physically fit. Accommodations can be made for any physical limitations, please contact the instructor.

What will we learn?

Any geological field school will cover the basics of geological mapping, which includes navigation, measuring of geological structures, describing rock units, and documenting the contact relationships between different rock types. You will observe primary sedimentary and volcanic structures that will indicate their depositional environment. It also allows you to learn about the geological history of an area, which will put the individual rock packages into regional stratigraphic and tectonic context. You will draft geological maps during field school. Think of yourself as a cartographer with specialized knowledge of what was observed on the ground to make the map. The resulting map pattern will inform you about the structure, stratigraphy, and geological history of the area you mapped. At the end of the 10-day field school, you will be able to apply field mapping techniques and develop observation skills to outcrops of metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks in order to construct geological maps and prepare geological cross-sections, identify and interpret volcanic, plutonic, and sedimentary rocks, identify, measure, and analyze fabrics resulting from deformation and metamorphism, and communicate the findings of your field work.

The Flin Flon Field School (GEOL 408) is designed to introduce you to the spectacularly exposed geology in the vicinity of Creighton, SK & Flin Flon, MB. Flin Flon is the location of a world-famous Cu-Zn mining camp. The deposits form an integral part of the geological evolution of this part of the Trans-Hudson orogen. The Flin Flon belt consists mainly of volcanic and intrusive rocks ranging in age from about 1.92 Ga to 1.84 Ga, that developed in or adjacent to a maturing island arc. At about 1.87 Ga, there was an important transition from dominantly oceanic environments to a thicker crustal (proto-continental crust) environment as a result of intraoceanic collisional events. Crustal thickening eventually led to emergence of this arc crust and deposition of fluvial sedimentary rocks. All these igneous and sedimentary rocks were then metamorphosed and polydeformed during collisions with Archean continents, namely the Sask, Superior, and Hearne cratons.

What will we learn?

Experiential learning is arguably the most formative type of learning you will experience during your undergraduate training. The importance of experiential learning goes beyond the completion of your BSc degree, and is central to graduate studies in the geosciences. Research conducted by my group focuses on field work first, and analyzes samples that were taken in their geological context. To learn more, see my Field Research page or People page for current projects.