This book is a basic guide to field techniques used in geological mapping. It is meant to be kept in camp with you and even carried in your rucksack in the field. In addition, because no piece of geological mapping can be considered complete until the geology has been interpreted and explained, chapters are provided on drawing cross-sections; on preparing and presenting ‘fair copy’ maps; and on presenting geological diagrams from your fieldwork suitable for inclusion in your report. A report explaining the geology is an essential part of any field project and a brief chapter on the essentials for writing and illustrating it concludes this book. Some emphasis, too, is given to field sketch-mapping because many reports lack those large-scale detailed maps of small areas which can often explain complex aspects of the geology that cannot be shown on the scale of the field map being used, and which are difficult to describe in words. Attention is also given to field notebooks which are, in many cases, deplorable.
It is assumed that readers of this book have already had at least one year of university or equivalent geology, and have already been told what to look for in the field. Geological mapping cannot, however, be taught in lectures and the laboratory: it must be learnt in the field. Unfortunately, only too often, trainee geologists are left largely to their own devices, to sink or swim, and to learn to map for themselves with a minimum of supervision on ‘independent’ mapping projects. It is hoped that this book will help them in that task.
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