Virtual Geomorphology

Little Rattlesnake Butte / Crooked River Gorge, Oregon

Recently, staff at the Allan Price Science Commons were asked to help with a virtual geology field camp. Ray Weldon is the professor and given the current pandemic, he was concerned that students may not have the opportunity to see one of his research areas, the Crooked River Gorge.  This is not the gorge by Redmond, Oregon, but another gorge associated with a large thrust fault that is in the very heart of the state, near its geographic center.  Our assistance was to fly the PSC quadcopter to capture the geology, the geomorphology, the outcrops, the patterns of the strata of the gorge.  The area is remote and the slopes difficult to traverse. And, while the 4K quadcopter video doesn’t replace being there in person, it certainly adds to the experience of anyone being there.  It also is probably the next best thing to have if a student can’t be there.  That’s why Ray asked us to help.

Here’s a link to one of the videos: