MODIFYING THE GOOGLE EARTH TERRAIN USING GOOGLE SKETCHUP

Google Earth (GE) is a dynamic virtual globe that can be used to display and link field data to geologic maps and cross sections. On occasion, however, the GE terrain does not accurately reflect the present-day land surface. For example, the GE terrain does not depict several large outcrops that formed during 1990s construction along I-26 in Unicoi Co., northeastern TN. To correct this discrepancy, Google SketchUp (GSU) was used to build a topographic model from a copy of the GE terrain. This model was then imported back into GE and georeferenced to align with the surrounding terrain. The result is a virtual excavation of the GE terrain that better represents the current topography. Here, we demonstrate step-by-step instructions for building a topographic model using GSU and then placing the model back into GE. This technique can be used anywhere a mismatch exists between the GE terrain and the Earth’s surface.