Precambrian Research Center

2007 Capstone Mapping Projects

The highlight of the 2007 Precambrian field camp was detail mapping projects in four different locations within or near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota. These capstone projects were conducted during the fifth week of camp with students dispersed into small field parties composed of 2-5 students and an instructor. None of the capstone field areas had been previously mapped in detail. Indeed, a major objective of the capstone projects is to emulate a real world experience of mapping in an area where there "is no key". Students were mentored in the technical and practical aspects of mapping in wilderness areas by experience field instructors. Students were able to choose the capstone project they wished to participate in.   Following the week of field mapping, students returned to UMD to digitally compile their field data and construct geologic maps of the capstone areas during the final week of camp. They presented their final geologic maps and reports on their capstone experience on the last day of camp to their fellow students, instructors and invited geoscientists from industry, academia, and government agencies.

The map below shows the location and lead instructor for the four capstone project areas for 2007. Click on Capstone Project titles listed to the right of the map to download a pdf of the geologic map and a Powerpoint presentation produced by the students for each project.

Download (be patient, may take several minutes) Geologic Maps (pdfs) Gabbro Lake Twin Lakes Cavity Lake Fire Homer Lake   Powerpoint Presentations: Gabbro Lake Twin Lakes Cavity Lake Fire Homer Lake

2008 Capstone Project Areas are now being planned and will be finalized in November.