ERTH 114 California Geology, a field trip-based course at City College, visited Gaviota State Park beach for its first trip of the semester Friday, Sept. 26.

Students examined and identified different types of fossils, cave formations and rocks. 

The six-mile hike started at 9 a.m. and lasted until around 2 p.m. Despite the early hour students were eager to hike and look at fossils and the difficult uphill sections that left everyone out of breath did not hinder anyone’s enthusiasm. The trail offered many coastal views and exposed rock layers.  

The class, taught by geology professor Stephanie Mendes, explores the different types of geology throughout California and offers a refreshing combination of lectures, labs and fieldwork. 

Mendes has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a doctorate in earth sciences. She is known in her department for making students feel comfortable and for her ability to make complex topics feel accessible. She has her lessons be a personable and exciting experience, keeping students immersed in the experience by allowing them to give their own thoughts and opinions. 

Numerous students said they chose this class simply because Mendes was the instructor. Her approachable teaching style kept students engaged and interested during mid-trip lectures. 

Mendes stopped during the trip multiple times to allow students to jot down notes on what they were seeing.

“Once you take your first geology class, your “geo eyes” turn on,” Mendes said.

The class holds a wide variety of students. While some were dedicated third-year geology majors, others were there ‌out of their own interest to discover California’s unique geography firsthand. 

City College Student Grace Wilson, a paleontology major said that she has found a home through the department and made unforgettable bonds through the long field trips.

Originally from Ventura, she heard about the City College’s geology department from a friend and called it the best decision she has ever made. She credits the department not only for shaping her academic path, but also for giving her a strong sense of belonging through the friends she made. Support from faculty and peers has made her college journey more meaningful and fulfilling. 

“It’s such a welcoming department even with people who aren’t earth science majors we have a lot of other majors who hang out here,” Wilson said. “I want to tell people to just join the class and come on the field trips even if you don’t know anything.” 

Students can see the fossils discussed in the lecture in real life. Wilson said she expected to find a variety of specimens on the trip. 

Seeing these formations up close gave students the chance to develop a deeper appreciation for how geological processes shape the landscape that California holds today.

The Gaviota wind caves were one of the trip’s main attractions. In front of beach and mountain scenery, Mendes gave her lecture explaining how the caves were carved by wind erosion over time in the soft sandstone. These forces created the smooth, hollowed-out features now popular among hikers and geology enthusiasts. 

At the end of the field trip students visited part of the Monterey Formation, a sedimentary formation that lies along the coast of California. There they found multiple fossils with complete fish spines and skeletons. 

Mendes said that the class had existed for years, but COVID-19 hindered the immersive experience. After immersive experiences became limited because of social distancing, Mendes created the Gaviota State Park field trip and designed lab questions and papers. 

The field trip not only allowed students to apply what they learned in lectures and pre-labs to real life, but also built a sense of community in the department. 

Other field trips in the ERTH 114 course will include a trip to the San Andreas fault and the St. Francis Dam disaster site