Pomona College’s Southern California location – within easy reach of the coast, mountains, and desert – allows geology majors to bring classroom knowledge to life in the field. Students gain hands-on experience while exploring spectacular and active geologic settings.
Starting with their introductory classes, students investigate geologic problems at locations in the San Gabriel and Sierra Nevada mountains, including Sequoia National Park and Long Valley, at points along the Pacific Coast and San Andreas Fault and within the Mojave Desert at sites such as Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks.
At the start of each academic year, students and faculty in the Geology Department take a multi-day trip to re-connect and dig deeper into active learning. With so much of the West within reach, geology at Pomona offers boundless opportunities for exploration and building community in the outdoors.
Recent Class Field Trips
- Sequoia National Park
- San Gabriel Mountains
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Salton Sea
- Long Valley Caldera
- Mecca Hills
- Black Mountain
- Peninsular Ranges
- Mormon Rocks
- San Onofre
- Corona & Dana Point
- Mojave Desert
- Glen Helen
- Vasquez Rocks
Department Field Trips
- 2019 - GSA conference in Phoenix, AZ
- 2018 - Grand Canyon National Park
- 2017 - Sequoia National Park
- 2016 - White Inyo Mountains
- 2015 – Santa Cruz Island
- 2014 – Mount Shasta and Medicine Lake Volcanoes
- 2013 – Mineral King
- 2012 – Pinnacles NM and central California coast
- 2011 – Zion National Park
- 2010 – Sierra Nevada
- 2009 – Lost Coast, California
- 2008 – Zion National Park
- 2007 – Big Sur
- 2006 – Grand Staircase of the Esclante
- 2006 Spring – Anza Borrego
- 2005 – Canyonlands National Park – Needles Section
- 2005 Spring – Mojave National Preserve
- 2004 – Big Sur
- 2003 – Utah