Field Camp Introduction

Geophysical Field Camp

2008 Summer Field Camp Report
Characterization of the Upper Arkansas River Valley

Each year, students in the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines participate in a summer field session upon completion of their junior year. In most recent years, the field session has taken place in Chaffee County, Colorado, characterizing the Upper Arkansas River Valley.

The goal is to determine the depth and location of the water table and to map the faulting structures. The first three days were spent studying the geology of the area, using a variety of geophysical methods to characterize the subsurface geology of the Upper Arkansas River Valley. Methods such as deep seismic and gravity were used as well as other electrical methods including electromagnetics, self-potential, ground penetrating radar and shallow seismic techniques.

Following a thirteen days of data acquisition in the field, the students returned to CSM for an additional two weeks of data processing and interpretation. The report on their interpretations and conclusions were presented on the final day. The reports and slide presentation are available from the links above.