Skye 31st July 2009 This post is mainly a response to Bob's questions about my mapping technique. Having made a paper-based map three years ago, this time round I've been mapping drastically differently - taking a GPS point every 10-30m, always on outcrops, both sides of the contacts. I've been recording mostly just the contacts in well-exposed areas but each available piece of outcrop in areas where exposure is poor. This, I assume, is "hard evidence", irrefutably I have been there and there is some rock to see, although what you classify it as might be up for argument at times. I've used this to make a digital fair copy map in the evening. This is available as a Garmin GPS basemap for the next day, and can also be imported into ArcGIS for geomorphological analysis, and Google Earth for prettiness. The downside is that the charging-over-the-hillside approach has restricted the number of structural measurements I've taken, and has reduced sketching to near-zero. I have been recording colour-coded waypoints into the GPS memory and moving on rapidly. Whether I can make better interpretations this way is doubtful, but it does make a near-perfect (in some areas) record of what is exposed, with the ability to return to these locations with +-3m accuracy. This has proven essential when locating faults in the bog, but may have missed some of the more interesting structures. In conclusion, technology can save time in some cases, but also has huge downsides (don't get me started on the data-interoperability issues I've faced, that's a whole post in itself just trying to describe how to move the information around) and I would not recommend this approach to anyone mapping an area for the first time. However, it means that I can easily improve the map next year, as I can locate myself along the contacts and check that all my interpretations fit. Also, if I am not returning, I can pass the basemap to someone else for them to check. |
Skye 230th June 2009
Now off to soothe my sunburn with some wine :-) There's been plenty of that flowing over the past week. My fitness has definitely improved overall though. Update - mmm that's much better! Next post (whenever that might be) will probably contain some panoramas. |
Skye 124th June 2009 This is the first of hopefully several posts from Skye, where I'm sunning myself in the hillsides, demonstrating on a part 1B field trip. Fingers crossed the weather stays as it is, because at the moment my days are a mixture of wandering around in ~25 degree heat and swimming in the sea (which is substantially less than 25 degrees...) Photos tomorrow hopefully, if I remember my camera. Must dash - off to otter watch :-) |
Civiballs7th June 2009
Come on sunshine, find a way through the clouds :-( |
Terra Andina - 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Chile6th June 2009
2 stars for being boring but serviceable. In unrelated news, the undergrad exams are over, which means that May Week beckons. I hope it's still fun as a grad student; although it's likely that I will be in work for some of the days I have tickets for Downing and Corpus balls, and also have garden party/punting/fireworks plans. Bring on the Pimms. |
Sorry for the lack of photo - it's been pretty mental here. Full days hiking around in the heat, near-100% sunshine and about 1000 localities mapped so far. In the evenings I've been trying to make a digital geological map, which it turns out takes lots more time and isn't On our day off we saw sea eagles and golden eagles; also finding time for some "wild-swimming". Demonstrating here is great - it's very independent both for the students and demonstrators, and the kids have so far been quite keen and hard-working. I think the weather has helped, I hope it doesn't break!
While waiting for the weather to improve so we can go to a garden party, I found this. It's not particularly taxing, nor is the music gentle on the ears, but it's relaxing enough and worth a couple of minutes. Put the coloured balls into the correct vases (should that be amphora?).
If anyone really cares (Adam) my total score was 16566.
