With a month into the term, the GeoSystems Master students who are enrolled in CE 281 Engineering Geology took their first field trip of the semester. The class visited a total of six different sites to learn about geology and its role in engineering.

The first stop of the trip was at Treasure Island where the students learned about the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and how there were two seismograph stations a mile apart, one on rock and the other on soil, which was the first concrete evidence of how site conditions matter and how site conditions can amplify ground shaking. 

The second stop on the trip was Sansome and Telegraph. This site is located just below Coit Tower and shows impressive engineering efforts put in place to prevent rock fall failures of the slope. The students learned about different techniques used to reduce rock slope failure impacts such as rock bolting, shotcrete, and wire meshing. 

Other sites visited included Corona Heights Park where the students were able to make strike and dip measurements of an exposed fault face and trend and plunge measurements of the striations on the fault. They were able to apply the knowledge they learned in lab to real world geologic formations. 

Twin Peaks in San Francisco was also visited to learn about the sea mounts that helped create the area and to look at the famous Marin Headlands Chert. This site also provided students with gorgeous views of San Francisco. 

In the afternoon, the students visited Devil's Slide along the coast of California to look at tunnels and highly weathered granite slopes. 

The day was wrapped up at Montara State Beach where students were able to make strip and dip measurements of an exposed reverse fault trace and see aeolian sand deposits in person.