Field Camp: Learn Hydrogeology in the Real World
Field camp isn’t just about local sites; it’s about getting out into some of the most dynamic landscapes in the Southeast. Throughout the course, we take day-long and multi-day field trips to the Blue Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains, and Mammoth Cave regions, where you’ll see how geology directly shapes water movement in the real world.
Diverse Hydrogeologic Settings
Most field exercises are based around Clemson’s campus, located in the Piedmont, a region defined by fractured crystalline bedrock. Here, you’ll work directly with active wellfields, learning how groundwater behaves in complex subsurface systems. You’ll collect data from wells near streams, across groundwater divides, and in both shallow and deeper environments, gaining experience with the kinds of systems you’ll encounter in professional work. You’ll also investigate a shallow alluvial aquifer along the Seneca River floodplain, where you’ll help install monitoring wells and run aquifer tests in unconsolidated sediments. This setting offers a completely different perspective on groundwater flow and storage.
Regional Field Experience
Midway through the course, you’ll spend a week in Tennessee and Kentucky working in sedimentary aquifer systems. At the University of Tennessee field site, you’ll conduct aquifer tests in layered alluvial deposits over fractured bedrock, gaining experience with more complex subsurface conditions. You’ll also explore karst systems in and around Mammoth Cave National Park, where groundwater moves through caves, fractures, and hidden pathways. These environments highlight the challenges of tracing and understanding flow in real systems, skills that are critical for both research and industry.
Why It Matters
These trips aren’t just sightseeing; they’re where concepts click. You’ll see how geology controls water movement across different environments and scales, and you’ll leave with experience that applies whether you’re heading into hydrogeology, environmental science, engineering, or related fields.
Weekly Schedule
Week 1 & 2
May 11: Move-in Day/ No official activity
May 12: Introduction to Field Sites and Objectives
May 13-15: Week 1 Activities
May 16-17: Off
May 18: Week 1 Activities (cont)
May 19: Week 1 Synthesis Day
May 20-22: Week 2 Activities
May 23-24: Off
May 25: Week 2 Activities (cont)
May 26: Week 2 Synthesis Day
Week 3 & 4
May 27-30: TN/KY Field Trip
May 31 - June 1: Off
June 2-5: Week 3 Activities
June 6-7: Off
June 8: Week 3 Synthesis Day
June 9-12: Week 4 Activities
June 13-14: Off
June 15: Week 4 Synthesis Day
June 16-17: Field Trip
June 18-19: River Trip
Real Hydrogeology. Real Field Experience.
Spend your summer in rivers, mountains, and aquifers, applying hands-on methods across diverse geologic settings and building the skills to work as a field hydrogeologist.
