This virtual field trip is an opportunity to explore the exposures of Pennsylvanian bedrock at Grand Ledge, Michigan. This locality is a very special place for geologists because good exposures of bedrock are rare in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. These outcrops at Grand Ledge are the only exposures where we can see sandstones, shales, coal (and many more sedimentary facies), and there are plenty of fossils too.
In the Field Localities section of this field trip, you will visit different outcrops, each of which exposes a set of unique, but related, strata. All of these strata are clues to past depositional environments, which can be integrated to describe a whole depositional system. After studying the lithology of these outcrops you will be able to discuss stratigraphic relationships between them and gain insight into the complexities of the depositional environments of the Michigan Basin.
By participating in this field trip, you will become part of a tradition -- nearly all students of Michigan geology study this site during their careers! (You can meet your field trip guides/creators too.)
Your visit will be guided by the Assignment, which will take you through the process of field reconnaissance, data collection, field sketching, making a stratigraphic column, collaborating to assess nearby data, and presenting and discussing your findings. Make frequent use of the resources for field notes-sketches-logs, as well as referring to the extra resources on describing sedimentary rocks. As you work through the project and develop your report and presentation, the criteria for success will be useful resources too.
Before we visit individual outcrops of Grand Ledge, explore the Background Geology section of this website to learn more about the context of the Pennsylvanian and the general geology of Michigan and Grand Ledge.