Geology 370 Field Excursion
to Central and Northeastern Wisconsin
April 22-23, 2000

Logistics and gear:

Meet in the parking lot behind Weeks Hall at 7:15 AM on Saturday; the bus will leave promptly at 7:30 AM. The weather this time of year can vary from warm and sunny to cold and rainy (snowy?), so bring adequate clothing and raingear. Also bring your hand lens, a rock hammer, a field notebook, and a camera (if you have one).

Bring lunches for both days. Due to the possibility of bad weather, we'll stop somewhere for dinner on Saturday, rather than cook at the campground. However, bring something to eat for Sunday breakfast (something simple that doesn't require cooking, such as rolls, etc.), some kind of beverage (coffee, tea, etc.), and a cup. Stoves will be provided to heat water.

You'll need a sleeping bag, insulating pad, and tent (or one to share) for camping Saturday night at Bagley Rapids, which is a National Forest campground located on the Oconto River.

Itinerary:

During this two-day field excursion we'll examine a variety of Precambrian rocks in the Wisconsin Rapids-Wausau area, central Wisconsin, and in Oconto County, northeastern Wisconsin. The excursion is designed to illustrate in the field and outcrop a variety of petrologic features you've learned about in the classroom and to acquaint you with many aspects of the Precambrian history of Wisconsin.

April 22: Drive to the Baraboo Range via highway 12; Baraboo Quartzite; continue to central Wisconsin via Highway 13; Biron Dam, Linwood Quarry, and Conants Rapids in the Wisconsin Rapids-Stevens Point area; syenite complexes of the Wausau area; metamorphic rocks at Dells of the Eau Claire; dinner in Antigo; drive to Oconto County and camp at Bagley Rapids National Forest campground (Hwy 32 south of Mountain, WI).

April 23: Examination of a Proterozoic greenstone belt and the Wolf River batholith in Oconto County; several stops in the Wolf River batholith between Mountain and Stevens Point; return to Madison via Hwy 51; arrival in Madison at approximately 7 PM.

The Baraboo region is a truly "classic" area to examine geologic relationships in the field. Many geologists from throughout the upper midwest have cut their teeth on the geology of this area. Devils Lake State Park contains a segment of the Ice Age Trail, which is part of the National Park System. (Too bad the rest of the National Park System is not accessible for weekend field trips from Madison.)

I strongly recommend that you look at A Geological History of the Baraboo Hills and Devil's Lake, WI by Dr. Keith Montgomery - UW-Marathon County.

You might also take a virtual fieldtrip to Parfrey's Glen by Dr. Phil Brown - UW-Madison.

Anyone interested in doing a little reading about the geology of the Baraboo area should check out Information Circular Number 14 Geology of the Baraboo District, Wisconsin by Ian Dalziel and Robert Dott. This publication has an excellent map and field trip guide to some of the stops we'll be seeing on Saturday. A copy is on reserve in the Geology Library (440 Weeks Hall) or you can purchase it from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.

Dr. Keith Montgomery (UW-Marathon County) has done it again with a great introduction to the geology of the Rib Mountain area. This website also contains a good deal of information about the Wausau Syenite.