The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh field camp will be based in or near Park City, Utah, a city of 10,000 nestled at 7000 feet elevation in the Wasatch Mountains to the east of Salt Lake City. Park City owes its origin to prospecting activity in the 1860s and 1870s, when word of lead-silver strikes spread and attracted fortune hunters. Although the last mine closed in 1981, old prospects occur throughout the mountains acting as reminders of the regions rich historical past.
Park City is a rapidly growing town due popularity among winter sports enthusiasts.
The summer weather in Park City typically consists of warm to hot days, and cool nights. For this reason, the UW Oshkosh geology field camp is based in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, which offer diverse and well-exposed rocks for study. As illustrated below by the maps below, the Wasatch Mountains mark the intersection of a wide array of tectonic elements in North American Cordillera that include the Sevier fold-thrust belt, the Laramide Uinta uplift, the Tertiary Cottonwood intrusive belt, and the Basin and Range rift. Students at the camp gain practical experience and instruction in geologic mapping and field analysis of geologic structures and sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock assemblages. The camp is ideal for geologic field trips within a wide variety of geologic settings.