Objectives: The objectives of this course are to give the student a working knowledge of the methods and concepts of field hydrogeology, and to use those methods to understand several hydrogeologic settings. Another objective is to introduce you to a variety of practicing hydrogeologists and scientists in related fields.

Prerequisites: GEOL 408/608 or permission of instructor.

Approach: The course will be taught by reviewing principles and methods in the classroom, and then practicing those methods in the field. The class will include field trips as well as field exercises. A detailed schedule is given on the following page.

Many of the projects will involve collaborating with others in a group setting. This is necessary because some of the methods, like surveying, cannot be done individually. Also, it is often helpful to work with others while learning a new technique.

Time Expectations: Field camp will represent a significant time commitment. You should be prepared to meet at 8:30 and to be in the field until dark. We will make an effort to return from the field considerably before dark on most days. Nevertheless, circumstances will require us to be out late for some activities.

Food and drink: Always bring your lunch if you want to ensure that you have something to eat during day. We may have an opportunity for you to buy lunch, but you should not count on it. Always bring enough water, or other non-alcoholic beverage, for you to be comfortable during a full day in hot weather.

Grading:

Field exercises and projects            0.6
Quizzes               0.25
Participation and attitude           0.15

Attendance: It is important to attend every day of field camp. You must inform the instructor that you will not be attending before the start of the day you are going to miss. Failure to do this will result in the loss of 1 letter grade on each occurrence. You must make up every day you miss by completing an extra assignment. You should discuss with the instructor the possibility of withdrawing from the course if you miss more than 3 days.

Graduate credit: Students taking this class for graduate credit will be responsible for combining individual field exercises as projects. The reports are optional for undergraduates.

EQUIPMENT

The following is a list of equipment that you will need, or that is recommended, for field camp. Some items are available locally. Other items can be ordered. Ben Meadows and Forestry Suppliers carry the items, as do a variety of other companies. The product codes for some of the suggested items are given below. The websites for those suppliers are listed below, and the catalogs are available in 340 Brackett.

www.benmeadows.com

www.forestry-suppliers.com

Please have the items listed below with you every day.

FIELD EQUIPMENT

Field notebook: You will need a bound book with lines and graph paper. The bookstore has some, also Forestry Supplier, 49352, $5.95

Compass: You will need a compass that has a sighting mirror and an inclinometer. Here are several that will work. Get the Brunton if you can afford the extra $.

Suunto MC-2, Ben Meadows 101884 $36.50

Silva Ranger, Type 15, Ben Meadows 101924 $44.95
Brunton, Eclipse Model 8099, Forestry Supply 37400 59.99

A Brunton pocket transit will also work well, but they are considerably more expensive than the compasses listed above.

Clipboard: Conventional clipboard will be satisfactory. A clipboard with a cover is preferred , and one that will store extra sheets (Forestry Supplier 53190) is even better.

See-thru ruler and protractor: This is both a ruler with parallel lines and a protractor. It is handy for drawing maps. Get a few of them, they are useful and cheap. Should be available at Clemson Variety and Frame, or at

Forestry Supplier , 47161, or 47420. $1.50

Engineer scale: Available at Bookstore or Clemson Variety and Frame

Forestry Supplier, 45972, $5.25

Graph paper: 5 or 10 squares per inch

Calculator: something to so simple calculations in the field.

These items are needed for various exercises, but are not necessary every day

Hand lens: Available at Bookstore, the one you have from mineralogy would be fine.

Digging implement: Small shovel, trowel or scraper to expose soils or sediments.

These items are useful, but not required

Watch: inexpensive digital watch with stopwatch capabilities. Strongly recommended

Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife: One of these types of tools is helpful for many applications in the field

Colored pencils: useful if you already own them

Rock hammer: useful if you already own one

Acid bottle: useful if you already own one

Grain-size chart: We will provide one, but bring yours if you have one

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

We will be outside in a variety of conditions and you should have the appropriate clothing and equipment to take care of your personal comfort. Shorts and a T-shirt will be fine for most days, but long pants are recommended for some situations. It is probably best to avoid wearing sandals because they can be uncomfortable in tall grass and on uneven terrain. These things will be useful during some of the activities:

Boots with ankle support, Rubber boots, waders or some type of footwear you can get wet and/or muddy, Work gloves, Knee Pads. These will be helpful while caving
Sunscreen, Insect repellent, Rain gear, Field backpack, Water bottles, Hat

LUNCH

You should be prepared to eat lunch in the field every day. Some days we will be in the department and it will be possible to buy something to eat. However, it will often be inconvenient to buy lunch when we are in the field near Clemson, so you should plan to bring something to eat or you may get hungry by dinner time.

WATER

You are responsible for bringing water, or some other non-alcoholic beverage, in the field. Some days we will be unable to refill water bottles during the day, so you should bring water with you in the morning. You can easily drink 2 liters of water during a hot day in the field.

Preliminary Schedule of Activities

Please note that the activities listed below are subject to change due to a variety of factors that are beyond our control. We will keep you informed as soon as we know about schedule changes, but you should contact us to confirm the schedule a few days in advance if it is important.

	Date	Day		Activity	Assignment
1	May 19	T	Hydrogeologic Overview; Spatial Mapping; Campus		Exercise
2	20	W	Transit, depth to water, piezometric surface; Gardens		Exercise
3	21	TH	Saturated zone. Slug test; theory, field methods, data reduction;		Exercise
4	22	F	Blue Ridge hydrogeology field trip
5	25	M	Pumping test; field methods,		Exercise
6	26	T	Well logging, borehole video, and packer tests		Exercise
7	27	W	Borehole geophysics		Exercise
8	28	TH	Clemson Well Field Project;
9	29	F	Clemson Well Field Project
10	June 1	M	Visit Superfund site; Water quality, sampling		Project 1 due
11	2	T	Vadose zone: hydrologic properties of soils		Exercise
12	3	W	Soil description; profiles at Simpson Station		Exercise
13	4	Th	Surface water; Stream gauging, seepage meters		Exercise
14	5	F	Travel, Geology of Appalachians and Mid-Continent
15	6	S	Mammoth Cave; Overview of karst geology
16	7	S	Intro to Caving, Mammoth Cave; Karst in Bowling Green, KY
17	8	M	Fractured sedimentary rock: Knoxville, TN
	9	T	Fractured sedimentary rock: Knoxville, TN; return to Clemson
18	10	W	Surface Geophysics; Resistivity		Exercise
19	11	TH	Clemson Watershed Project overview and initial tests		Exercise
20	12	F	Clemson Watershed Project
21	15	M	Clemson Watershed Project: data review
22	16	T	Peek’s Creek Landslide trip		Exercise
23	17	W	Clemson Watershed Project
24	18	TH	Clemson Watershed Project		Exercise
25	19	F	Watershed project wrap up
26	22	M	Chattooga River Hydrology		Project 2 due
27	23	T

Last Updated: January 11, 2005 -- Questions or comments, contact Larry Murdoch.
School of Environment, Department of Geological Sciences -- Hydrology -- Hydrogeology Field Camp
340 Brackett Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 USA -- Telephone: (864) 656-3438, Fax: (864) 656-1041
© 2004-2005 Clemson Univeristy, Clemson, SC, USA. All rights reserved.