5 The 2016 field camp was enjoyable and successful with 66 students attending. The contingent included 43 students from OSU and 23 students from 10 other schools. Outside institutions represented included Arkansas Tech, Southern Mississippi, Bloomsburg (PA), Wayland Baptist, Sam Houston State, Midwestern State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Middle Tennessee State. Camp started cool and damp, but the summer was climatically mild without any excessively hot days. Precipitation patterns were normal, which allowed us to visit field areas rendered unreachable by the 2015 flooding. Field projects in 2016 included Phantom Canyon/Gnat Hollow, Grape Creek, Mixing Bowl, Big Orange, Red Canyon Park, Blue Ridge and Twin Mountain. Field trips included Cripple Creek and Victor, Pikes Peak, Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Leadville. In the Cripple Creek and Victor area, we visited the CC&V Gold Mine and stopped at the overlook to watch excavation of the new pit northeast of the Cresson pit. Afterwards, a group toured the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine and for some this was their first underground trip. Our motoring up Pikes Peak was uneventful and while we learned that the new vans have sufficient engine breaking for safety, female van drivers are the coolest as evidenced by the lowest temperature brakes at the Glen Cove safety check station. While in the Colorado Springs area, we hiked Pulpit Rock next to the University of Colorado‐Colorado Springs campus to see the ash‐rich early Tertiary sedimentary rocks. We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park on a beautiful cool and sunny day with little wind. In these ideal conditions, a group of about twenty climbed the tallest dune. The rest of us enjoyed wading in Medano Creek, relaxing in the cool climate of the San Luis valley and admiring the magnificent scenery of the Sangre De Christo Mountains. At Leadville, Newmont Mining gave a tour of their water treatment facility that removes metals from the acidic mine waters draining from the YAK Tunnel. Newmont personnel outlined the physical and chemical processes used to clean the water and restore the pH before it is discharged into the Arkansas River watershed. We also tested the pH of the water in one of the catchments below a sulfide dump, collected mineral specimens on the Irene dump, and toured the National Mining Museum. The 2016 faculty were George Bolling, Rick Hobbs, Jim Puckette and Chet Wallace. Teaching Assistants were Josh York and Bryan Clappe. Tim Sickbert and Andrew Fletcher were our medical officer and custodian, respectively. Michelle Leach and Jan Van Pelt were our wonderful cooks. Ms. Tiny Striegel of Canon City, an honorary alumnus of the Boone Pickens School of Geology and camp benefactor, enlightened us with her ninety three years of wisdom. Demand for field schools remains high and the 2017 OSU Field camp roster filled in late September. FIELD CAMP NEWS Participants of the summer 2016 Geology Field Camp.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=