DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE 3-D GEOLOGIC MAP

Visualization of geologic maps in 3-D can make it much easier to understand the often complex distributions found in the subsurface. This can be particularly true for geologists who are unfamiliar with the geology of a specific map, or with non-geologists who don't understand much geology. There are limited options available for publishing fully interactive 3-D geologic maps. Some 3-D mapping and visualization packages do provide license options for freely-distributable 3-D viewing software, but these require purchase and licensing of the full 3-D mapping and visualization packages, which are often very expensive. We also found the viewers on some of these packages were complex or difficult to use. As an alternative, we created a 3-D Quicktime VR presentation that provides a large degree of interaction, allowing the user to explore the map in a relatively undirected way. Through use of a third party Quicktime authoring software package, we were able to create a sophisticated presentation that uses graphical elements within each view as links to new views. This allows for the exploration of a map on multiple scales, and allows the user to view customized groupings of maps, cross sections and data elements. To demonstrate, we have generated a Quicktime presentation that includes a bedrock topography map, a Surficial geology map, a land surface elevation model, several base maps, several cross sections and a set of graphical borehole logs all compiled for the Fox Lake quadrangle in Lake County, Illinois.