MILLIMETERS TO MICRONS: TINY SAMPLES, BIG PICTURES

The Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image Collection (MAGIC) is a constantly-growing repository of gigapixel-resolution geologic imagery developed as a tool for geoscience professionals, educators, students, & researchers. It is located at http://gigapan.com/groups/100/galleries. The GigaPan medium provides a unique combination of context & detail, with images that maintain high resolution through every level of magnification. These images are ideal for use in online & classroom exercises, & virtual field trips.

MAGIC has produced more than 900 GigaPan images with an average resolution of 0.9 billion pixels each. The largest is 7.9 billion pixels in size. Internet users have viewed the collection a million times. MAGIC GigaPans have been featured in virtual field experiences at Northern Virginia Community College, on the AGU-hosted geology blog “Mountain Beltway,” in textbook exercises, as elements in the new online 'EarthQuiz' game, & on the website accompanying the new PBS series Making North America.

Most MAGIC GigaPans are on the landscape or outcrop scale, but about 300 images feature rock, fossil, & sediment samples captured with the GIGAmacro imaging system. MAGIC has bolstered its imaging capabilities with the addition of an SEM & a Four Chambers Magnify². The GIGAmacro is the fastest, requiring 2 to 40 hours from start to finish, & capable of resolving details as small as 0.1 mm across. The Magnify² is far slower, requiring at least 10 hours to image a sample, with commensurate increase in processing time. It also produces a much more detailed image: for example, It can resolve fine detail in individual forams which are themselves only 1 mm across. Finally, the SEM, which requires more direct input from the operator than the fully automated GIGAmacro & Magnify², allows anyone with a computer to examine structures only microns across. This presentation explores the pros & cons of the various imaging systems.

The addition of gigapixel-resolution imagery on the scale of millimeters & microns bolsters the range & utility of the overall MAGIC image repository, making it an ideal source of virtual geologic experiences for students, professionals, & enthusiasts.

Support for this project comes from the Google Earth for On-site & Distance Education (GEODE, DUE 1323419).