Black Hills Field Studies

Geography 440/540
Geology 401/501

Martin Mitchell, Professor of Geography, Martin.Mitchell@mnsu.edu
Bryce Hoppie, Associate Professor of Geology, Bryce.Hoppie@mnsu.edu

Note to Students of Black Hills Field Studies: My apologies for this bare-bones webpage: it isn't pretty but it will clearly and quickly get you all the information you need for our trip. You have already received a preliminary itinerary and the date of our first meeting. This page will provide you with access to everything else, including:

-- a schedule overview,
-- a list of expectations,
-- details pertaining to your assignments,
-- copies of all required readings and field data, and
-- copies of additional readings needed to make the most out of our trip.

Here is the information you will need:

I. Overview of Schedule

Our departure time on Thursday, September 20 is firm. We have a long drive and many studies planned for that day.
Be at the departure point by 6:00 am. We leave promptly at 6:20 am, with or without you.

Where are we going and what will we see?

Click here to see a day-by-day map of our destinations and what we intend to do.

II. List of Expectations

1. Be prepared (... academically, physically, and logistically)
2. Be flexible (... things change and we must adapt to ensure success)
3. Be good-natured (... the most-important quality of a successful trip)
4. Be an active field trip participant (... ask questions, give comments, volunteer to wash dishes...)
5. Write excellent reports
6. Turn in your reports on time.

AND just in case you haven't heard...

bring all the usual camping supplies, including

• sleeping bag and pillow;
• a raincoat, hat, sunscreen, and other "gear" to protect you from the elements;
• hiking socks and boots, backpack / fannypack, and other "gear" you would require for our two brief hikes;
• a field note book or clip-board, a ball-point pen for taking notes, and a camera for documenting your trip;
• miscellaneous items like flashlights, binoculars, GPS receivers, or other gadgets that will enhance your experience.

III. Assignments (The following files list your reading and report-related assignments).

Geography 440 / Geology 401 Required Reading Assignments
Geography 440 / Geology 401 Final Report Instructions (download and read before trip!)

During the trip, we learn by taking observations and drawing on our accrued knowledge (and new reference materials). To direct our learning, we regularly sit down and discuss the things we've seen. To guide these discussions, we've created Discussion Questions. You must bring these along. They were printed and distributed at the pre-trip meeting. The following links will take you to copies of these questions-- if you can't find the originals, make sure you print and bring these.

Student Questions (Required)
Black Hills Landscape Evolution-- An Exercise for The Harney Peak Summit (Required)

IV. Required Readings

1. Mitchell, 2002, Sketches of a Western Landscape (handed out at the pre-trip meeting; here's a copy just in-case you loose the original).
2. Roadside Geology of South Dakota by John Paul Gries. See reading assignments here.
3. A Natural History of the Black Hills and Badlands (Froiland): Start reading asap. Dr. Mitchell will direct further reading.
4. Warf Mine: Informational brochure handed out at pre-trip meeting.
5. Gilt Edge Superfund FAQ’s: Photocopy handed out at the pre-trip meeting.
6. Fire History in Interior Ponderosa Pine Communities of the Black Hills, South Dakota , USA and Historical Variability in Fire at the Ponderosa Pine – Northern Great Plains Prairie Ecotone, Southeastern Black Hills, South Dakota by Peter Brown and Carolyn Sieg. (Note same authors, two different papers). These were photocopied and given to students at the pre-trip meeting.

V. Copies of Field Lecture Handouts and Field Data

At each of our major stops, Dr. Mitchell and I will introduce the site with a short lecture. The following links will take you to excerpts of each of these lectures. While not required, copying and bringing these notes along could make your note-taking much easier and make the whole learning experience much more complete.

1. Glaciated Plains Lecture Notes (Recommended)
2. Western South Dakota and Badlands Lecture Notes (Recommended)
3. Black Hills General Geology Figures (Highly Recommended)
4. Black Hills Gold Lecture Notes (Recommended)
5. Black Hills Water Quality-- Key Figures-- (Highly Recommended)
6. Jasper Fire Photographs (Useful background info).
7. Black Hills Hydrology and Caves Lecture Notes (Recommended)
8. Illustrations of Forest Growth, 1874-1973 (Useful illustrations)

VI. Copies of Recommended Reading

The following articles will help put everything we see and learn into a larger context.
I urge you to read these articles; however, the sum of the pages is very large--

Only print paper copies if you

(a) are particularly interested in the information;
(b) need copies of figures for your notes, queries, or report;
(c) can't get them read before we leave on the trip.

1. Missouri River Management Issues

Note: The handout Dr. Mitchell distributed during the pre-trip meeting that tells of Missouri River management is all you need to read before we leave. The following sources will be of interest to you when you get back and need sources for your term paper.

A. AP News, July 2003
B. MPR News, August 2003
C. Army Corps of Engineers Record of Decision, March 2004
D. AP News, July 2004
E. American Rivers Appeal, August, 2004 (Only pages 1-4 are relevant to our discussion).
F. Low Water Provokes Political Action, MRP News, January 2004

2. Badlands Geology and Landscape Informational Sheet (National Park Service): Front Page; Back Page
3. Frost, 1979, With Custer in '74, James Calhoun's Diary of the Black Hills Expedition (excerpts) (this one was handed out at the pre-trip meeting)
4. History of South Dakota Mining Regulation
5. Lead, South Dakota-- A City in the Wake of Mine Closure

A. Lead, South Dakota Community Statistics from All City Data Dot Com (Recommended)
B. Homestake Mine Closure (Recommended)
C. The DUSEL (The Black Hills Pioneer, July 2005)

6. Black Hills Pegmatites (Pages 1-3 are very useful; thereafter, just skim and look at the pictures).
7. The Black Hills Hydrology Study (USGS) (This one has a couple of great figures).
8. Black Hills Water Quality Characteristics (excerpts of USGS report) (WARNING: 37 pages: Just skim this report.)
9. Minnesota River Basin Water Quality Overview (Read but don't print)
10. Using GIS to Develop a Cave Potential Map for Wind Cave (Great example of geoscience in practice)

VII. Photographs of Past Trips (so you can know what you are in for...)

Looking for fault(s) in the Badlands.

In the pit, looking for gold.

Get closer to a gazillion gallons of cyanide than you'll ever get again.

See environmental remediation first hand.

Qualify for extended caving tours.

Unbelievable cave formations.

Instruction from one of the greatest living cavers, Dr. Jim P.

Study unique and important landforms.

Take breaks so your instructors, ok... so Hoppie... won't blow.

Up high for better prespectives on Black Hills geomorphology

And views you can't get anywhere else.