FROM GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT TO ACROSS THE MOJAVE ON FOOT: FIELD-BASED PUBLIC OUTREACH VIA YOUTUBE

By literally drawing readers into the field to see geology firsthand, Art Sylvester’s coauthored books Roadside Geology of Southern California and Geology Underfoot in Southern California provide opportunities for public education that no textbook ever can. Although there is no substitute for actually learning in the field, virtual field trips provide an accessible alternative for public engagement, particularly when enlivened with a narrative component. Towards this end, as a sabbatical project, I filmed a 35-day, 530-mile hike across the California desert and used the resulting footage to create a YouTube series, Across the Mojave on Foot, about the geology and history of the region. Partly to ensure an engaging storyline, the trek was mostly off trail, mostly relied on natural water sources, and was routed to stay in wilderness areas as much as possible between its start at the Mexican border near Yuma, AZ, and its terminus at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Olancha, CA. Roughly 70 hours (one terabyte) of video were collected via GoPro, and batteries were kept charged using portable solar panels. Thirteen episodes, each almost an hour long, feature vignettes about the geology and history of the California desert, held together by the overarching narrative of the adventure itself. Featured geology topics include various desert landforms, plutons, volcanoes, and sedimentary strata, active and inactive fault zones, and even the Snowball Earth hypothesis. The YouTube channel received nearly 30,000 views and 5000 hours of watch time in the first year of the project. Audience demographics via YouTube analytics suggest a male-dominated audience among retirement-age viewers but gender parity among college-age viewers. These videos may not directly lead people into the field, but YouTube comments anecdotally suggest many viewers have enhanced their appreciation for geology; some have even enquired about traditional geology field guides.