| Public Land Name: | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | | Position Title: | Field Paleontologist | | Position ID Number: | 85 | | Location: | Pine Springs, TX | | Position Description: | The GeoCorps participant will be responsible for: 1) reconnaissance search for paleontological features, and 2) GPS mapping and photo documentation of paleontological features in the Middle Permian Bell Canyon Formation in the foothills of the southeastern escarpment of the Guadalupe Mountains within the park. This effort will follow a planned prescribed fire in order to take advantage of visibility provided by removal of vegetation from soil and outcrop surfaces. Specifically, much of the field effort will likely involve searching bedrock on steep mixed soil and rock ridges for fossil material. This includes finding and identifying silicified invertebrate fossils, carbonate molds of ammonoids, and marine trace fossils on a site-by-site basis. The participant will make numerous single-day field traverses to target areas, taking field notes on physical conditions, relative fossil concentrations, and boundaries of each site, documenting each find by logging GPS coordinates, field reference numbers, and photo and/or drawing documentation of the feature(s), and other pertinent data. Some portions of the effort (up to 20% of the time) will consist of using a GPS unit to map contacts of key stratigraphic members of the formation and providing accurate locations of measured sections using GPS and topographic maps. Participant will use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to organize and prepare field data as well as download and organize photographs for entry into the park’s geology database. Participant may prepare sketches of stratigraphic sections to document particularly concentrated fossil zones, noting relationships of internal depositional features and fossil distribution. Additionally, some currently known paleontological sites will be inventoried and updated, including: site re-location, fossil type confirmation, site condition assessments, and other documentation.
The participants will also occasionally assist in leading or lead in-park field trips especially on the interpreted Permian Reef Geology Trail, and assist the park geologist regarding outside research efforts or performing fossil salvage operations during trail maintenance work. Additional assignments may include in-office management of collected geological specimens and related databases. Prior to starting this position a government security background clearance will be required. This position is offered through the Geological Society of America's GeoCorps America Program in partnership with the National Park Service’s Geoscientists-in-the-Parks Program.
| | Qualifications: | Applicants must have completed at least three years toward an undergraduate degree in the geosciences, including required coursework in historical geology, paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and field methods & mapping. Additional coursework in GIS and experience using GPS units and post-processing software would make the applicant more competitive. The applicant should be able to work well independently, both in the office and in the field with little supervision, have good map reading and GPS orientation skills, and be physically able to perform assignments during several successive days of hiking cross-country in a rugged mountain environment. Computer skills in Microsoft Excel are required. Applicant must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record. | | Position Dates: | May - Aug; 12 weeks; start/end dates flexible | | Payment: | $2750; housing provided | | Housing Available: | Housing will be provided at no cost to the participant. Housing is furnished as a dormitory situation (with generally 4-6 roommates) with stove, refrigerator, sink & cupboards, cookware and dishes, hot and cold running water, and shower. Laundry facilities and recreation hall with satellite TV, VCR, and pool table are available. Some field work might involve remote site camping, therefore applicants must also be prepared to backpack in rugged terrain. Backpack camping gear (backpack, tent, sleeping bag, stove, cooking pots, etc.) can be supplied by the park, or personal gear can be used at applicant’s option. Most people like to have their own sleeping bag. | Physical/Natural
Environment: | Guadalupe Mountains National Park contains 86,416 acres of which nearly 80% consists of bedrock outcrops of Early and Middle Permian limestone, dolostone, and siliciclastic units. The park lies at the faulted western end of the Guadalupe Mountains and includes the type area of the Capitan Reef system. Exposures in the park encompass all of the depositional facies of the Capitan system including shelf, reef, fore-reef, and basin sediments. Total relief in the park exceeds one mile and includes the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet above MSL. The park contains the IUGS Global Stratotype Section and Point for the Middle Permian (Guadalupian) series as well as GSSP’s for the Roadian, Wordian, and Capitanian Stage boundaries. The terrain is extremely rugged and steep with some canyons abruptly plunging 2,000 feet. | | Work Environment: | Field work will be performed in a park environment where the terrain is moderately sloped to steep, uneven, and rocky. Approaches are frequently covered with thick vegetation in higher elevations and unfriendly desert vegetation at lower elevations. Assignments involve tasks that include moderate to strenuous physical exertion (long periods of standing, hiking, or climbing). Weather is moderate, but early summers are usually hot, sunny, and dry with relatively clear conditions, while mid- to late summers may be slightly cooler with intervals of late afternoon monsoonal precipitation. Sturdy footwear is a must and good raingear is recommended. Much of the inventory area is on exposed ridges and slopes where weather can change rapidly. Park Headquarters are at Pine Springs, TX, 110 miles east of El Paso, and 65 miles north of Van Horn. The closest supply town is Carlsbad, NM, 55 miles away. While not necessary, it is recommended that participant drive a personal vehicle. | | # of current Applicants: | 18 |
If you have questions about the application and selection process, please contact Anny Jones. If you have questions about any aspect of the position — description, qualifications, housing, dates — please contact the primary or secondary contact below:
| | PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Gorden Bell | | Title: | Geologist | | Street Address: | 400 Pine Canyon Dr | | City/State/Zip: | Salt Flat, TX 79847 | | Phone: | 915 828 3251 x249 | | Email: | gorden_bell@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/gumo |
| | SECONDARY CONTACT INFORMATION | | Contact Name: | Jonena Hearst | | Title: | GIS/Data manager | | Street Address: | 400 Pine Canyon Dr | | City/State/Zip: | Salt Flat, TX 79847 | | Phone: | 915 828 3251 x231 | | Email: | jonena_hearst@nps.gov | | Website: | http://www.nps.gov/gumo |
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