DOCUMENTING UNIQUE GEOLOGIC LOCATIONS AS VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS: OSBORN PRAIRIE, MS VERSUS SWEETING’S POND, ELEUTHERA

The growing use of virtual field technologies to capture and represent unique geologic locations, such as structure-from-motion photogrammetry, is important for the preservation of sites that are becoming endangered due to climate change and anthropogenic processes. For this reason, two unique sites containing similar features were chosen for the development of virtual packages containing a variety of 2D and 3D visual representations of their unique geological characteristics including fossil outcrops, exposed limestone landscapes, and caves. Osborn Prairie is a small remnant of the Black Belt Prairie which is situated on 16^th section land in Oktibbeha County, MS. It was chosen as a site due to preservation efforts currently being made through its lease to the non-profit organization known as Friends of the Black Belt Prairie and its relative ease of access. Sweeting’s Pond is an anchialine lake in Eleuthera, The Bahamas and is home to a unique population of seahorses. This site was chosen due to unique geological features in and around the lake as well as the preservation efforts of the Bahamian National Trust to protect the area as Seahorse National Park. Both sites had exceptional logistical and visual challenges which occurred while capturing and documenting the features that made them so unique and worthy of preservation. Some challenges included vegetation overgrowth, varying lighting conditions, and wind which made operating a UAV difficult. A comparison of challenges for the two sites has been made to better understand and overcome similar issues for future virtual documentation of other unique locations.