Greetings
I agree with the comments of Rob and Alan, and I would like to add a few
more. I apologise if this looks basic and preachy, but I think it's
important. The basic advice is to keep looking, keep thinking, and have your
lunch handy (see below)!

I once put together a field mapping crib sheet for students faced with
mapping in complex structural regions. Most of these were outcrop-rich
regions, where there is too much rock to measure every outcrop.
Overabundance of outcrop, such as in glacially eroded mountains, is a mixed
blessing; it's easy to get lost in the detail. In these regions, the most
important success factors are (a) devising a strategy that leads you to
examine the critical surfaces and (b) thinking as you go. (The same problem
is true of 3D seismic interpretation, where you can spend for ever picking
wiggles and still miss the important points, unless you have a sound
interpretation strategy.) In such an area, the rote examination of random or
grid outcrops following a template (rather than a thought process) is a
recipe for failure.

Over the years I got a fair bit of feedback from the troops as to what they
found useful and what was not. Based on these comments, the most useful bits
of advice seemed to be:

"You are not in the business of merely collecting data or sampling outcrops;
your objective is to understand and define the geology, and the data you
collect has to be suitably spaced and targeted to do this.

"As you walk through the field area, construct running sections and maps
that record the general structure between the points where you take
measurements. Look particularly for changes in structural orientation,
vergence, facing, texture, etc. At all times think about the big picture and
how the outcrop under your feet fits in to it.

"When you get to a good outcrop or overview, the first and most important
activity is to
sit down and do nothing for a few minutes. Look at the rocks. Try to
understand what is going on in them, and how they relate to the regional
structure. Draw an oriented sketch diagram. Write down in words what is
important about this outcrop. If the rocks have you flummoxed, don't panic,
take a pause, amd if still confused, have lunch. In really complex areas, a
little grappa may help as well.

Decide what the critical measurements will need to be at this location
before you start taking them. Only now take out the compass clino (and
nowadays probably your GPS, laptop, or whatever) and take measurements".
(this is the stage where a template may be useful).

"Before moving on, think where you would need to go next to test the
hypothesis, or to follow the critical surface (fold axis, fault,
unconformity, marker bed etc), and aim to get there if it's accessible."

A basic template is useful if it provides a standard notation for recording
structural data, and a reference to remind you how to define vergence,
facing, color, etc.; it should be a tool not a crutch.


Cheers
Frank Peel
Principal Structural Geologist
BHP-Billiton Petroleum

EOM

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