CPCL on the Road: Exploring Kentucky’s Sedimentary Record

The GEOS 4350 class gathered for a group photo after visiting Carter Caves State Park during the 2025 field trip, continuing a tradition of taking a class picture at this same spot each year.

From October 1–5, 2025, Dr. Stephen Kaczmarek, with Teaching Assistant Saeed Norouzi, led the GEOS 4350 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy class on a multi-day field trip in Kentucky.

The trip focused on examining Paleozoic carbonate and siliciclastic successions within the Appalachian Basin, providing students with hands-on experience in field-based rock description and stratigraphic interpretation. Students visited multiple roadcuts and natural exposures, where they identified lithologies, sedimentary structures, fossils, and discussed the depositional environments represented in the rock record. The group also visited Carter Caves State Park to observe karst features and discuss how carbonate dissolution contributes to cave formation.

Each evening, the group returned to the campground in Morehead, where students relaxed and spent time together around the fire, enjoying the outdoors and reflecting on the day’s experiences.