Faculty and Staff Travel and Study Abroad Grant Report

Belize – A Potential GEOL 390 Field Trip

During February 23 – March 3, 2013 I had the opportunity to travel to Belize with the primary goal of developing a GEOL 390 Special Field Studies course for VIU students. The purpose of the course would be for students to explore the very varied and different geology of Belize - the bedrock types, its geologic history, the weathering processes and its geomorphology. In particular, I was interested in visiting the caves and karst landscapes that dominate the region, as these could provide a key focus for the field trip. I was also interested in looking at how students could learn about the culture of the region during their visit.

For the first three days I visited Sand Pedro on Ambergris Caye – one of the low-lying islands offshore and adjacent to the reefs. I joined nine students participating in a GEOL 390 field trip lead by Steve Earle of the Earth Science Department to examine carbonate reef and processes of the region. We stayed at the Ak Bol Resort. After three days I went to the mainland of Belize and the Monkey Bay Reserve – a field camp used by the VIU Biology Department as their field school. At the Monkey Bay Camp I was able to hire a driver and did a series of day trips to explore the geology of region. One night was also spent at the Monkey Bay’s camp in the Maya Mountains. These day trips included visits to the: Sibun River Karst, the Blue Cave National Park, Spanish Lookout, San Ignacio, the Maya Mountains, Caracol Mayan Ruins at Caracol and Rio Frio Cave. The details of these field trips are included in the attached table and some selected photographs are also provided.

Contacts we also made with a number of local people who might be able to assist with logistics and information in the region including: Larry Wolfe (a retired professor from VIU living near Belmopan), Matt Middleton (Manager of the Monkey Bay Camp), Dr Jaoquin Urbina (the Dean of Science at Belize University), a Geology Instructor at Galen University, and Madela Wade (a geologist with the Government of Belize.)

Overall, Belize has great potential as a geology field trip site. The key challenge is to find interesting and accessible sites to visit, particularly as a significant portion of the country is privately owned – with some geological areas of interest requiring significant cost to visit. Monkey Bay is an ideal location for a field school set up and is well suited for student accommodation and meals. The owners have a wealth of knowledge for the region. February is a good time to travel as weather is not too hot. It will also be important to find small research projects that students can be involved with during the field trip to enhance their learning experience. There are also a variety of possible opportunities to meet with local people, and possibly interact with Belizian students interested in earth science and related issues.

Tim Stokes June 12, 2013

Table 1 – Field Trip Daily Log in Belize

Day 1: Ambergris Caye Reef Area – Feb 24, 2013 A boat ride was made out to nearby the reef to examine the sediments, reef structures and organisms of this area. I also had the opportunity to explore the north part of the island and some of Holocene and Pleistocene bedrock that underlie the island. A collapse sinkhole was also encountered - likely related to fluctuations of the shallow groundwater in the region. Day 2: San Pedro Lagoon – Feb 25, 2013 On this day we went by boat to the inner lagoon area away from the reef and examined sediments in this region as well as some of the flat limestone surfaces – some of which displayed extensive solutional weathering. Day 3: Monkey Bay Reserve – Feb 26, 2013 Travel to the mainland of Belize from San Pedro via Belize City and afternoon exploring the Monkey Bay Reserve. Day 4: Sibun River Karst- Feb 27, 2013 An afternoon was spent in a karst area after crossing the Sibun River and passed through a citrus plantation in a lowland savannah type environment. The karst area was located within a large 100’s m-size depression lined by a series of limestone bluffs. Along the edges of these bluffs were a series of cave entrances and large interconnected and dry passages. A wide variety of mineral formations (columns, flowstone & pop-corn) were evident along with a range of wildlife (e.g., birds, termites, lizards, bats) and plants (e.g., dangling roots and algae) using the cave entrances. In one location a selection of Maya pottery was also present, indicating ancient use of the cave for either cultural purposes or food storage. Fossilized freshwater snails were also located on the floor of the caves within the sediments. Developing a surface and cave map for part of this area and its components might be a good field exercise. Day 5: Blue Cave National Park and Hummingbird Highway - Feb 28, 2013 A day was spent exploring this region that is one of the classical karst areas of Belize including the Caves Branch River. At the Blue Hole National Park, Henry’s Cave was examined and is a classical river cave of Belize with evidence for significant flooding and extensive fine sediment and rocky blocks. This cave is also used for river rafting with inner tubes. A hike was then done through the rugged and irregular karst landscape to a look out over the Caves Branch River with its flood plain and karst hills. A wide range of plants were encountered in this jungle environment, along with sinkholes and limestone bedrock exposures. The Blue Hole was then visited - a blue-coloured pool that occurs in a steep side-depression and likely developed from a collapsed cave. Water flows in one end and out the other. A number of sites were examined along the Hummigbird Highways including: limestone quarries on the edge of karst cones/hills, logged karst areas, clearing for agriculture/new settlements, a lime kiln operation, and a landfill located on karst. All are examples of land development activities on karst. Day 6: Spanish Lookout, San Ignacio & Maya Mountains – March 1, 2013 The first part of this day was spent exploring the area around Spanish Lookout which is one of the main areas in Belize where oil is being extracted and a small petroleum industry is present. The small town of San Ignacio was visited, as well as a number of other sites on the way to the Monkey Bay camp in the Maya Mountains including: a limestone quarry, a small private cave, and extensively weathered outcrops of red shale and granite. The vegetation in these region is very different being an upland savannah dominated with small pine trees. Two key sites that were examined include the 1000’ Falls and ‘Rio on the Pools’ Day 7 – Maya Mountains, Caracol Mayan Ruins & Rio Frio Caves – March 2, 2013 The final field day was spent visiting the Mayan Ruins at Caracol. These extensive ruins in the far west of Belize are close to the Guatemalan border. Due to past border issues Belizian Guards provide access to and from this site using a convoy approach. These ruins provide a great insight into the past and ancient culture in the region. All of the structures are made of limestone and located within a karst landscape. A number of excellent bedrock exposures of limestone and granite were encountered on the road to Caracol. In addition, a relatively new and controversial dam was viewed from a look out. On the road back to San Ignacio the Rio Frio Cave was visited. This cave is located along a major geological contact between limestone and granite, and appears as a large 200-300 m long and 50-60 m diameter tunnel with a large entrance. An extensive amount of sediment is moved through this cave.

Geological Photos from Belize Trip: 1) View of cone karst landscape, Sibun River. 2) Rio Frio Cave, Maya Mtns. 3) Tropical weathering of granite, Maya Mtns 4) Entrance to Rio Frio Cave. Maya Mtns 5) Limestone Quarry, near San Ignacio.