EARTHWATCH Denali Fault Project
Pre-Trip Information
This page contains information that updates what is in the Project Briefing distributed by EARTHWATCH.
7/14/97: Updated Schedule
7/7/97: Natalia Rathckovsky new graduate student mentor
August 3
Students arrive in Fairbanks. After settling in the dorms, we will spend
some time getting acquainted and discussing group norms over pizza.
August 4
Introduction and training in Fairbanks. Over the next three days we will
cover the geologic history of Alaska, and background information about the
geophysical methods we will use. We will train the team in the use of the
equipment and prepare for the field. While we are in Fairbanks, both before
and after the field trip, we'll take a few hours out to tour some of the
facilities of the Geophysical Institute including the Seismological Laboratory
and the Poker Flat Research Range, as well as a few of the historical sites
in the area. During the evening we will visit and eat at the
Tanana Valley State Fair (this year's
theme: Attack of the Killer Cabbages.
August 5
Introduction and training in Fairbanks. In the evening, we will go out to
the Alaska Salmon Bake for a classic Alaskan dinner.
August 6
Travel to the field area and set up camp. We will arrive in the Denali National
Park area around noon, set up camp and get a start on the data collection.
August 7
At work in the field taking gravity, magnetics, GPS and seismologic measurements.
August 8
At work in the field. We will begin analysis of our data in the field.
August 9
At work in the field.
August 10
At work in the field.
August 11
Wildlife viewing trip through Denali National Park (all day).
August 12
At work in the field.
August 13
Complete field work in the morning and break up camp in the afternoon. Return
to Fairbanks in the evening.
August 14
Analyze data in Fairbanks. We will also take the opportunity do a little
tourist and site seeing activities.
August 15
Analyze data in Fairbanks.
August 16
Analyze data in Fairbanks and wrap up project. In the evening, we may have
a barbecue and definitely a party to celebrate the success of the project.
August 17
Students depart from Fairbanks. Most of your flights will probably leave
in the morning. You will be taken to the airport at an appropriate time
by a University vehicle.
When we are in the office, we will keep fairly normal hours, with breakfast at 7:30 am. We will arrive in the office around 8:30 am. After the workday is finished, we will have dinner and possibly a trip to see the sights of the Fairbanks area.
In the field, the daily schedule will vary depending on the type of measurements to be made by each student team. Certain GPS sites will need to be operating at a specific time, usually at or before 8:00 am, so every team will get at least one day of very early rising. Also, we may need to leave very early for our Wildlife Viewing trip.
On other days the schedule will be something like this:
7:00 - 8:00 Breakfast
8:00 - 5:30 Off to make measurements, with a lunch stop
6:00 - 7:30 Dinner
7:30 - 8:00 Daily discussions of the days work
8:00 - 10:00 Campground activities, and enjoying the evening sun.
Some days we will return to our field base early to download and process some of the data. Each day during the field studies, student teams made up of two to four students will accompany one of the principal investigators or the graduate student mentor as they carry out the field activities. The student teams will be changed each day so that you will have an opportunity to work with all of the other students. Each student will also have the opportunity to work with each type of field instrument during the course of the study.
Hilary Fletcher, who was originally scheduled to be your graduate student mentor, has been called away to England for her sister's wedding on August 10. Her place will be taken by Natalia (Natasha) Ratchkovsky, a Ph.D. student who originally hails from Novosibirsk in southwestern Sibera, Russia. Her web page has more information about her. Hilary will still help us out for a couple of days with your training, before she goes home for the wedding.