  Let $C$ be a smooth projective curve of genus $g\geq 3$ and let $\eta$ be an
odd theta characteristic on it such that $h^0(C,\eta) = 1$. Pick a point $p$
from the support of $\eta$ and consider the one-dimensional linear system
$|\eta + p|$. In general this linear system is base-point free and all its
ramification points (i.e. ramification points of the corresponding branched
cover $C\to\mathbb P^1\simeq \mathbb PH^0(C,\eta+p)$) are simple. We study the
locus in the moduli space of odd spin curves where the linear system $|\eta +
p|$ fails to have this general behavior. This locus splits into a union of
three divisors: the first divisor corresponds to the case when $|\eta+p|$ has a
base point, the second one corresponds to theta characteristics which are not
reduced at $p$ (and therefore $|\eta + p|$ must have a triple point at $p$) and
the third one corresponds to the case when $|\eta + p|$ has a triple point
different from $p$. The second divisor was studied by G. Farkas and A. Verra
in\cite{FARo} where its expansion in the rational Picard group was used to
prove that the moduli space of odd spin curves is of general type for genus at
least $12$. We call the first divisor a Base Point divisor and the third one a
Caustic divisor (following Arnold terminology for Hurwitz spases). The
objective of this paper is to expand these two divisors via the set of standard
generators in the rational Picard group of the moduli space of odd spin curves.

Algebraic Geometry