DIGITAL FOSSILS: PHOTOGRAMMETRY APPLICATIONS FOR DOCUMENTATION, IDENTIFICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES DATA FROM NATIONAL PARKS

Morphologically accurate reproductions of fossil specimens are becoming increasingly useful for scientific research, resource management and public education involving paleontological resources. Photogrammetric technology provides a precise and objective methodology for documenting paleontological specimens from in situ localities to curated museum collections. Photogrammetric modeling is a non-destructive approach for documenting in situ fossils, and which also captures the geologic context. Digitized fossils can be easily disseminated both electronically and physically, via 3D printing, thereby expanding the availability of specimens that may be rare, fragile, or ephemeral. The technique is especially useful for documenting resources preserved or exposed in difficult to access localities including cave passages, remote sites, or periodically submerged areas (e.g. intertidal zones or in drought impacted reservoirs). We present photogrammetric models and the methodologies used to document marine invertebrate fossils from Fossil Point in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Alaska), and paleontological sites found within cave passages at Oregon Caves National Monument (Oregon). The Fossil Point invertebrate models are being used by scientists to precisely measure fossil morphology and by interpreters for public education. In-cave photogrammetry and modeling are not yet widely reported in the literature. At Oregon Caves, we created photogrammetric models of fossilized trace and body remains identified as possibly Canidae and Ursidae discovered deep within the cave, some distance from any known entrance. These in-cave models document pre-excavation conditions and locational context of these specimens. Photogrammetry is a powerful and inexpensive tool for making 3D renderings of fossils. The photo-realistic models can be archived for future research and shared with specialists who otherwise might not be able to observe these specimens unless removed from the cave or visit the museum collections.

For more information about National Park Service photogrammetry efforts, please visit:http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/monitoring/photogrammetry/index.cfm