Mary Caperton Morton on EARTH Magazine

Geomedia: Books: "Aerial Geology": A stunning and informative addition to any coffee table

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:22:50 -0500

My fellow EARTH Magazine contributor Mary Caperton Morton is the author of “Aerial Geology,” a beautiful and massive tome that profiles a hundred geologically interesting locations across North America. Mary was kind enough to forward me a copy for review, and I was delighted to flip through its gorgeous pages. It’s a visual feast, with a mix of satellite imagery, aerial photography and ground-based photos. Each site is allotted two to four pages for photos and Mary’s written descriptions, which are sometimes augmented by excellent schematic illustrations by the talented Kat Cantner, the illustrator for EARTH and the American Geosciences Institute (which publishes EARTH).

Early fossils demonstrate dinosaurs' slow rise

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 09:33:06 -0500

Dinosaurs were so dominant through much of the Mesozoic that it’s easy to forget that wasn’t always the case. The discovery of a specimen of an early small dinosaur alongside a lagerpetid — a precursor to the dinosaurs — is giving scientists a glimpse into the slow-paced early stages of dinosaur evolution.

Arctic humidity on the rise

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:43:57 -0400

As the Arctic warms and sea ice melts, scientists suspect that system feedback cycles may further speed up the warming process. Now, a new study looking specifically at the Arctic water vapor cycle shows how shifting patterns of humidity may bring about changes in the Arctic atmosphere.

Mobile mapping with lidar hits the road

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:13:55 -0400

Mobile lidar mapping unit. Courtesy of ELMF

Traditional lidar data are collected from airplanes or satellites. Mobile mapping using lidar can now be done from a car. Courtesy of WHPacific

Mobile mapping can be used in large cities to map everything from power lines to high-rise buildings to highways. Courtesy of Optech

Mobile mapping can also be done from a boat, such as while motoring down the Snake River in Hells Canyon along the border of Oregon and Idaho, as seen here. WHPacific mapped the waterway for Idaho Power for hydroelectric and water management purposes. Courtesy of WHPacific

About a decade ago, Light Detection and Ranging technology, also known as lidar, burst onto the geoscience scene. The tool was quickly adopted by researchers, from archaeologists and geomorphologists to seismologists and atmospheric scientists.