MODDING FIELD GEOPHYSICS: USING MINECRAFT TO REPLICATE THE GEOPHYSICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE IN A VIRTUAL CAPSTONE GEOLOGY COURSE

Every summer, geology students from James Madison University and elsewhere travel to Ireland to participate in a six-credit capstone field course for geology majors. This project-driven course is focused on geologic mapping and data collection, but includes diverse components such as engineering geology, hydrology, karst geology, geophysics, and glacial geology. When JMU transitioned to online classes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the faculty became determined to create a virtual alternative that would retain the fundamental learning objectives of this field course. The solution was a four-week, four credit Arc-GIS based mapping and engineering geology course, with an optional fifth week virtual geophysics component for those students needing an additional credit for graduation.

The geophysics project was embedded into a virtual Minecraft world mimicking the karst features of Cave Hill, Virginia (home of Grand Caverns), complete with topography, trees, sinkholes, and caverns that the students could explore. The surface was populated with outcrops where strike, dip, and rock unit information could be obtained, allowing the students to map both the surface and subsurface and tease out the regional geology. The students were then given a geophysical (resistivity) data set that was collected at the actual Cave Hill site, and given coordinates for electrode deployment to connect the real data to the virtual world. The students were tasked with processing and interpreting the geophysics results within the context of their preferred geological interpretation.

The feedback from the course indicated overall success, but the limited preparation time meant that we were not able to include some desired features. While the course was intended to provide a field-like experience during a pandemic, we think its value extends beyond the initial conception. The opportunities to use these tools for future remote learning, to reach students with mobility challenges, or simply to have a backup when the weather interferes with a planned field excursion provide ample motivation to take this project further and eventually to share the final product with the community.