CREATING A GEOLOGIC BROCHURE AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL: THE OURAY, CO, MAPPING PROJECT STATUS

Ouray, CO, sits on the floor of a glaciated valley. This U-shaped valley is the backdrop of spectacular scenery and provides extensive vistas of the formations of the area. The City of Ouray has constructed a perimeter trail around the valley, so visitors and residents can walk the trail and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Unfortunately, most visitors do not have the geologic background or the knowledge to appreciate how the various formations and landforms manifested. After walking the trail many times, we decided an explanation of the geology needed to be developed. So, we began to map the geology of the Perimeter trail with the ultimate goal of producing a brochure/map that visitors could carry with them as they traversed the trail.

For the past five years, we have been mapping the geology and landforms of the area. We decided our work on the geology and geomorphology could be put best to use by creating a 3D geologic map that the layperson could understand. The goal of the project is to provide a way for hikers on the Ouray Perimeter Trail to gain an understanding and appreciation of the geology of the Ouray area.

The project entailed mapping the geology and geomorphology at a scale of 1:12,000. This map was then converted to a digital file that was draped over a DEM of the Ouray area to create a 3D map. ESRI ArcScene^®was used to produce a 3D model that is placed on one side of the brochure and annotated with photographs and explanations of the formations and landforms encountered along the trails. The other side of the brochure is used to provide an introduction to geologic processes and to explain the geology and geomorphology of the area.

This model was imported into Cortona^®, a software that facilitates a “fly through” of the area and ability to rotate the model to gain different perspectives. The model is illustrated well on iPad^®. The next step is to publish the brochure and produce an application for the iPad^®of the Ouray Perimeter Trail.

We have presented our work to the Mayor of Ouray and members of the Ouray Historical Society to gain acceptance for the project and serve as publishers of the brochure/map.