The world's geologists have dug out their maps and are sticking them together to produce the first truly global resource of the world's rocks. The OneGeology project pools existing data about what lies under our feet and has made it available on the web. Led by the British Geological Survey (BGS), the project involved geologists from 80 nations. Between 60% and 70% of the Earth's surface is now available down to the scale of 1:1,000,000. With that resolution, people can focus in on a small part of their city. Eventually, people will be able to get up close and see the rocks beneath their house. Project organisers explained that what is novel about this project is that it takes local geological information and makes it global.
The resource displays geological information with the use of a "virtual globe", in much the same way as Google Earth now presents satellite images. Eventually, it is hoped that the geological maps will be detailed enough to help companies find the Earth's exploitable resources, such as minerals and oil. The developers of the system added that it would also help scientists and engineers learn more about the Earth and its environmental changes. At present, most of the globe is available at the scale of 1:1,000,000. The project is the first global geological map that is constantly updated, so the resolution will only get better. In France and Britain, users of the OneGeology resource can already look at the rocks that lie directly beneath their feet in 3D.
More information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7535379.stm
More information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7535379.stm