Geologic Mapping

Geologic Mapping will be a trial event for Division C at the 2013 National Tournament. Some states have run this event at their competitions, most notably New York.

Event Overview

Geologic Mapping requires that students be proficient in both reading and constructing topographic maps, geologic maps, as well as geologic cross sections (usually depicted as layers). Students should also be able to infer things such as landslide risk, flood risk, whether this region would experience earthquakes, etc. It can be compared to Road Scholar in Division B, but it is much more advanced.

The Event

Geologic Mapping has 3 types of questions: theory, calculation, and construction. Theory questions can include questions such as "What type of volcano makes up most of the Pacific Ring of Fire?". Students will be required to know data about the geologic time scale. Calculation problems usually involve calculating attributes of a map, such as strike and dip of certain geologic formations. Construction problems require students to draw their own cross sections / use a topographic map to create a profile / use a stereonet, etc. Students take a test on the topics mentioned above, and are given 50 minutes to complete it. Tests may also include construction using stereonets.

Geologic Maps

One of the major components of this event are geologic maps. Students should be proficient at reading and analyzing geologic maps. For example, here is a geologic map with its accompanying cross section.

The different colors represent different types of rocks and minerals, shown in the legend. The symbols on the cross section refer to strike and dip, a very important concept when reading geologic maps. Below is a diagram explaining strike and dip

The strike of a fault is the direction that the fault runs. The dip of a fault is the perpendicular of the strike.

There are many other symbols and properties of geologic maps, information is included in "External Links"

Topographic Maps

Topographic maps usually consist of concentric rings that show the elevation and other features of a region. In the below image you can see how hills and other higher elevation features have more rings surrounding them. The rings are called "contour lines". Each line represents a certain change in elevation, called a "contour interval". Some problems require first calculating the contour interval by taking 2 elevations, finding the number of contour lines between them, and then dividing.

External Links

Official Trial Rules

New York Trial Rules

Introduction to Structural Geology

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