Field notes record the detailed observations of geologists working in the outdoors. Typical notebook entries include sketches of geomorphological landforms and outcrop features, preliminary maps and cross-sections (q.v.), detailed maps of critical or complex areas (e.g., contacts and faults), stratigraphic sections, tabulated quantitative data (e.g., structural measurements), pit and trench logs (see Vol. XIII: Pipeline Corridor Evaluation) lists and descriptions of samples and fossils, and a variety of written notes. The notebook contains the first record of the field geologist's observations and the interpretation of what he or she sees in the field and is a testament to the old Chinese proverb that “the faintest ink is better than the best memory.”
The field notebook represents the first link in a long chain of geological data gathering, mapping (see Geological Survey and Mapping), interpretation, and presentation. It represents not only the first record but also the most complete...
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© 1988 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
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Lemon, R.R., Watsons, I. (1988). Field notes, notebooks . In: General Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_30
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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