You will use topographic and geologic maps of your hometown (or some other place that is special to you) to explore and summarize the area’s geology. This module is best done using a library that has topographic and geologic maps of your chosen area. The ASU Map Collection, on the third floor of Noble Science Library on the main ASU campus, is an excellent facility for this exercise – it has a very extensive collection of topographic and geologic maps, and the staff has much experience guiding students through this exercise. If you are not near the ASU campus, you can use any other library, if it has the maps you will need. Most university libraries will have the maps you need, as will the library of the geological survey for your state. Most other libraries, including public libraries, will have a limited collection of topographic and geologic maps. If you do not have access to any map library, you can complete this assignment with only online sources.
For some areas, sufficient online resources are available to do this module without visiting a map library, using maps from the U.S. Geological Survey website and other sources (see below). If you have access to a map library, we recommend using that facility to complete this module.
Each of us has a place outdoors that is special to us. Maybe it is the region around your hometown, or your favorite hiking spot, or a national park, or where you got married. In this module, you will get a chance to learn some more about that place, maybe why there is a waterfall or why that one ridge was so different. Or why Grandpa’s farm was always getting flooded.
Your assignment is to research and write about the geologic setting of your home town or some other area (such as a national park, mountain range, or other geologic feature, city, state, country, or any region). Your main source of information will be topographic and geologic maps in a library, like the ASU Map Collection, located on the third floor of the Noble Science Library. The very helpful people from the map library will assist you in finding the information you need. The map collection has limited hours compared to the rest of Noble Library, so check their hours before you arrive at the library.
Goals for This ModuleIf you are able to visit the ASU Map Collection or other library with topographic and geologic maps, visit the internet sites identified below While on a trip to the library, locate a topographic map and geologic map of your home town Make observations about the topography of the area, based on the topographic map Make observations and mark off the boxes about rock units, geologic structures, During or after your trip (or after your online research), complete the geologic summary worksheet, draw an accompanying sketch, |
Complete Module 13 as described in your lab manual. Some links we used on the ASU Libraries page no longer work, so complete your assignment using the two links below and fill out the worksheets as best you can using the information you find. Ignore any specific references to the ASU Libraries page.
To find your topographic and geologic maps online, follow the links below.
USGS Topographic Maps: This link takes you to the USGS website for topographic maps, which brings up a map on the right side and search tools on the left side. The easiest way to find a map is to zoom and click-drag to find the place of interest. Once you have done that, select the Box/Point checkbox and then click on the map or draw a box around the area of interest. Then click the "Find Products" button and it brings up a list of maps for that area. The default selection, of US Topo current, will be your best bet. You can click the "Zoom to" button to see in more detail what area the map covers. Once you find the map you want, you can download a PDF of the map using the Download button. That's it!
If the map occupies most of the screen and the Find Products button is NOT showing, click on the little right-pointing arrow in the upper right corner of the gray upper tab. This will open the tools on the left side, including the Find Product button. We do not recommend you using the Advanced Search option, which seems to find nothing.
USGS Guide to Geologic and Topographic Maps: This link takes you to a guide to USGS maps, but not maps by other organizations (such as State Geological Surveys). Choose Mapview for a visual approach to finding geologic maps for some parts of country. This brings up a map of the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Zoom and click-drag to focus on the area of interest. Then choose the little hand with the "i" icon and click on one of the colored rectangles. Then you can choose browse to examine the map, or you can instead select Download, which takes you to a page where you can choose what resolution to download. The Browse resolution is OK, but the Print Optimized PDF is better. If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you can download a version for that program by downloading and then opening the kmz file. This is the coolest way to view the map, since it's a type of 3D perspective.
You can also access topographic maps from this site, but we think the other one is easier, so you are on your own here.
Geologic Maps by State: If you cannot find a detailed geologic map for your area by using the links above, then do a web search using the name of a state geological survey (e.g., Utah Geological Survey). These maps will not have the same level of information as a detailed geologic map, so use the state maps as a last resort.