Field Notebook Best Practices

The field notebook is a legal document and permanent record of observations. Notebook Requirements - Bound, numbered pages not loose-leaf - Waterproof if possible - Your name and project on cover - Date every entry Entry Format Each station should include: 1. Date and time 2. Location coordinates 3. Observations 4. Sketches 5. Sample numbers if collected 6. Photographs taken with numbers Sketching Elements of Good Sketches - North arrow - Scale bar - Legend - Labels and annotations - View direction noted Do NOT: - Erase entries cross out mistakes - Leave blank pages - Remove pages - Write in pencil except sketches

All lessons in Field Mapping — Return to the complete Field Mapping course outline.
Previous lesson: Structural Measurements — Structural geology measurements document the orientation and character of deformation features. Planar Features Bedding Primary sedimentary layering.
Next lesson: Photo Documentation — Photographs complement field notes and provide permanent visual records. Photo Requirements Standard Shots 1. Overview shot showing context 2.

Verification resources

Cross-check terminology, classification, methods, and safety with these authoritative external resources.

Geoscience maps — Natural Resources Canada. Government bedrock, surficial, geochemical, glacial, and hazard map resources.
National Geologic Map Database — U.S. Geological Survey. Geologic maps, reports, standards, and mapping resources from geological surveys.

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Field Notebook Best Practices

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Verification resources