How this Wisconsin Geology project was born

This Wisconsin Geology project started as my effort to use GIS to map the rock outcrops that I have visited (or hope to visit). I wanted to attach basic information about each site so that it's all with me as I travel around my home state of Wisconsin. I also wanted to capture photos and notes about each site that I visit.  Further, I wanted to be able to access the unique perspective offered by LiDAR terrain maps to help interpret the geology of any given area.

That's how this GIS map came to be.

It was originally intended for my own use, but I decided to share it with you and create this companion blog because I thought you might find it interesting too.

When you open the GIS map and begin to zoom in and play with it, you'll see:

GIS app on a smart phone

• Outcrop locations mapped with a red or orange X.   When tapped on, these outcrops will bring up descriptions and/or photos or short articles about the outcrop.  Thousands of additional outcrops are mapped with a black X (visible when zoomed in) but the black ones will not have as much attached information as those colored red or orange.

• Landforms illustrated with a "hillshade" effect. There is a medium-resolution hillshade for the entire state (source: Wisconsin SCO) and this is displayed at the intermediate map scales.  When zoomed in to large scales, some areas (about half of the state so far) have an even more detailed hillshade that was produced from county LiDAR projects. The hillshade / topographic relief layers make landforms "pop out" and they help illustrate Wisconsin's wonderful glacial landscapes. 

• Lithology and stratigraphy:  Well and other borehole locations are represented as black dots. When clicked, these points will bring up information about subsurface lithostratigraphy (click the Related Tables link on the popup to view formation and rock type information with depth of each layer).  This GIS app includes about 35,000 of these locations.  The data source is the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) "WiscLith" database dated January 2018.

• Property lines show up when zoomed in (large scale).  You can click on each property to see the land owner (helpful for field trips!). This information is from the Wisconsin Statewide Parcel Map project.  The base map also switches to an aerial photo at large scale. 

• Other map layers that further illustrate various aspects of Wisconsin's geography and geology are listed to the right of the map (click on the checkbox to make them visible--some are only visible at appropriate map scales).    You can also read more about the GIS app on it's description page. 

If you haven't done so already, go to the GIS map (click here) and start exploring!  Zoom to a place you are interested in (be that your home, your favorite park, etc) and learn more about the fascinating geology and natural history that belies the surface.

I intend to do much more with this project in the future.  Stay tuned!

Special note:
A great deal of information for this project comes from the WGNHS and I am grateful they make so much of it available.