The rocks and sediment beneath our feet are part of a billion-year story that shapes much of what we see around us, from the contours of our mountains to the biodiversity of our forests to the locations and industries of our towns. Even the character of our communities are partly determined by what’s underfoot. Yet for as fundamental as geology is to our lives and landscape, it is among the most difficult sciences to learn and to teach. In this three-day dive into the bedrock and surficial geology of Vermont, we will marry science and exploration to discover and interpret the patterns and processes that characterize our landscape.

This course explores the full rock cycle on display in the wilds of Central Vermont. We’ll start by visiting modern streams and deltas to examine how sediment erosion and deposition happens in real time. We’ll then visit hills and terraces formed by these same processes operating at larger scales during the ice ages. We’ll turn our attention from sediment to stone, and see how plate tectonics and time operate over millions of years to turn sediments into the mountains and landforms we find today. Finally, we’ll scour our built environment to see how Vermont’s geology is infused directly into our architecture and settlement history. Along the way, we’ll discuss strategies for communicating earth science with students in ways that are scaffolded, interdisciplinary, standards-aligned, and deeply rooted in place.