Field Observations, Measurements, & Mapping

Learning how to write scientific descriptions, measure relevant structures, compile maps at the outcrop and quadrangle scale, and gather rock samples for laboratory analysis are important skills for a structural geologist.

Such observational and measurement skills cannot be learned from reading a textbook. Rather one must go into the field and practice these techniques on the outcrop and in different geological and tectonic settings. We assume that typical courses using this textbook will include or be followed by field instruction.

One can learn to appreciate what should be measured and mapped from a textbook that puts field measurements into a context of conceptual and mechanical models that describe tectonic processes and their products. This textbook describes the geometric quantities that can be recorded in the field to constrain or test models of geological structures.