Mother Earth naked reveals world’s geology *
Posted on 31 July 2008 by Jack
This is Mother Earth - naked.
Stripped bare of forests, plants, soil, water and man-made structures it is the earth caught undressed and without her make-up.
The striking images are revealed for the first time as part of OneGeology, an ambitious plan to produce the first digital geological map of the world.
It is intended to do the same thing for rocks as Google did for maps - stripping away the outer layer and zooming in on the previously invisible structure that lies beneath.
Little more than a year after its inception, 79 nations have come together and pooled data to produce a comprehensive online geological map.
They have each provided a piece of a global jigsaw which put together provides almost a complete picture of what the earth is made of.
It will give instant access to 170 years of continuous scientific survey from 97 organisations employing 15,000 earth scientists worldwide.
Because all countries are providing the information for free and paying their own costs, the start-up cost of the project has been only £500,000.
Unlike Google Maps - where the information is centralised - individual countries will be responsible for the 50 internet servers giving access to the information which will be continuously updated and improved.
Note: OneGeology will hold its official launch at the International Geological Congress (IGC) in Oslo, Norway, 6th -14th August 2008. The OneGeology Portal will be launched by Simon Winchester, and is supported by the major global geoscience bodies. Please see the links below for further details of events, meetings and symposia.
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July 31st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I can barely wait for this one because many years ago I saw a map one night at UWO (geological) — a rock formation — and a story that comes from my childhood.
I’ll share when it appears because you have to see the map to understand what I will be telling you. The story makes “El Dorado” seem like small potatoes.