General comments for field trips! AS/A2 prep The fieldwork programme BUILDS visit by visit Herbert Harold Read (born Whitstable 17/12/1889, died 29/3/1970) was a British geologist and Professor of Geology at Imperial College. From 1947-1948 he was president of the Geological Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1939 & won its Royal Medal in 1963 for "outstanding contributions to the understanding of the processes of rock metamorphism and the origins of granite". He said “The best geologist is the one who has seen the most rocks." (1940)

WEATHER! Remember visits are primarily work! We HOPE FOR warm, dry weather BUT We PREPARE FOR cold, wet, windy weather! You will not work at your best (and gather sufficient data) in either extreme of weather, but complaining only makes everyone feel lousy!

So what do you need to wear, take etc ….. Personal Protective Equipment (things that will keep you safe)

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) 1. Hard hat 2. Footwear 3. Clothing

HARD HAT Available on loan from Earth Science department OR You can supply your own (must be less than 3 years old, without cracks, or to have been stored in direct sunlight) They are regularly monitored and upgraded since their strength to protect relies on this.

ALWAYS wear hard hat when rocks are higher than you are Hard hats will not protect you from a boulder fall (CRUSH), but will protect you from small pebbles which would CUT your head TOURISTS may not be wearing a hard hat, YOU have been INSTRUCTED to wear one!

FOOTWEAR No great hill climbs, but lots of loose fragments which can twist ankles. STOUT footwear is recommended (ankle support) with cleated soles. Trainers are not advised, leather is easily scuffed by rock fragments and they provide little ankle support.

CLOTHING It is NOT a fashion show or a catalogue shoot! The idea is to keep warm! LAYERED LOOK is recommended Each layer traps air and will keep you warm Or you can remove a layer at a time to cool down Denim jeans are not recommended – they “wick”water (act like blotting paper and suck water upwards). If they get wet they take a LONG time to dry, this could lead to hyperthermia. “jog pants” “trackie bottoms” etc are recommended.

WATERPROOF JACKET Hood Long enough to cover lower back and kidneys Warmth factor also a consideration. Waterproof trousers are also useful

Sunny weather …. Hat Sun screen Plenty of water All depend on the weather!! SO watch the forecast the night before! HOPE for the best but ALWAYS prepare for the worst!

Extras…. Gloves “Woolly” hat Thermals Spare socks All depend on the weather!! SO watch the forecast the night before! ALWAYS prepare for the worst!

The Worse Case….  in which case we would postpone! EXTREMELY WET! SNOW!

What else? 4. Food and beverages - ie. to have eaten breakfast/have a packed lunch (whichever is appropriate to the trip); to have sufficient supplies of fluids - NON-ALCOHOLIC (hot fluids or cold – weather dependent / personal preference). This trip is ONLY half day – so you may take a bottle of water – but we’re not out for a picnic! 5. Convenience stops (toilets) – there aren’t any nearby! There is very little shelter either (you are in full view!). You need to “go” before you get on the minibus!

So what do you need to take etc ….. To record what you see To collect data for writing up later

How will you record what you see? FIELD NOTEBOOK PENCIL CLEAR PLASTIC BAG CAMERA (but not essential) COMPASS-CLINOMETER TAPE MEASURE

FIELD NOTEBOOK Lots of different types Geological, waterproof …… expensive! Anything you can write in/on …. File paper not great (too easily blown away! And you’ll need a clipboard) … Hard backed book easier because you can lean on it (and cheap – check out Stationery stores!) Cheap enough that you can take the pages out to keep with relevant write up (or send off to the moderator)

FIELD NOTEBOOK “Goldilocks” …. Not too big that it is difficult to carry … not too small that you can only fit 1 letter on a page! Field notes are usually not as neat as your notes from class Lined or plain - your choice!

http://britgeoheritage. blogspot. co http://britgeoheritage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/drummond-hill-sketches-in-field.html

PENCIL Ordinary HB (or even B) hardness Sharpener (or not - if a propelling pencil!); eraser. Will write even on slightly soggy paper! http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Chancellor_fieldNotebooks.html Charles Darwin’s field notebooks

CLEAR PLASTIC BAG You can put your notebook and pencil inside and it will keep the paper dry if it rains Large enough that you can put your hand in and write in your notebook

CAMERA Not essential I have an archive of pictures taken going back to 2001 (in electronic format) – so if you were going to write this up I could put photos onto S drive for you to use DO NOT SPEND ALL YOUR TIME TAKING PHOTOS ….. We are doing A level Geology not A level Photography!

COMPASS CLINOMETER Supplied by JLC approx £50 each So don’t leave them at the site! Enables you to put a north arrow on your field sketches (COMPASS) Enables you to work out the dip amount and direction (CLINOMETER) There are some good smart phone apps too ….. But I’ve not used them – so can’t recommend one in particular!

TAPE MEASURE Supplied by JLC May use meter sticks instead Just useful for measuring You may wish to have a small ruler too to measure smaller things!

SMALL RUCKSACK Might be useful to carry things in Jackets with pockets work well too!

How do you need to behave? In a sensible manner This is work not a social event! We are there to learn things not rock climb or photograph things or pick flowers or sunbathe

Take away only photographs and memories …. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=36354489

Risk assessment Is to make you aware of new risks which are unlikely to have been encountered outside of the subject Don’t forget the basics – like how to cross a road and looking out for traffic! Be aware, and if there are any aspects of the visit you are not sure about – please ask The safety onus is on you!

Any questions? Anything you are not sure about, or is unclear – ASK……!