Figure 1- 3D visualization of the Rice Lake corridor! Click on the bottom right of the image to make it fullscreen.

Visualizations are an essential tool for researchers studying glacial landforms. The Planet Earth lab has been using new technologies and data processing methods to develop 3D images of topographic surfaces to provide a new perspective on old problems. See an example from the Rice Lake Corridor in Ontario, a region ripe with glacial landforms (Figure 1). The adoption of 3D visualization is revolutionary in the sense that it transitions our typically used natural plane view of landforms to new points of view that help us look at the morphologies from all angles. This leads to new information about landform features and their dynamics that previously could not be discerned from conventionally used approaches and views.

The Planet Earth lab is finding uses for 3D visualizations in both teaching and research. Intuitively, it is a great visual aid in teaching. It is already finding use in the lab’s online teaching modules for remote learning. This gives a more robust view of landscapes that students are learning about, giving them the opportunity to better experience geology as they would in the field. In terms of research, 3D visualizations can help inform ‘bigger picture’ dynamics and the regional evolution of landscapes. In a sense, it allows to see the forest rather than the trees, illuminating a different perspective on research questions being tackled.The lab will continue to use 3D visualizations to learn more about Ontario’s glacial history so stay tuned for more work being done in this field.

Want to learn more?

Check out an example of the lab’s work using 3D visualization which can be found in the recent publication:

Bukhari, S., Eyles, N., Sookhan, S., Mulligan, R., Paulen, R., Krabbendam, M., & Putkinen, N. (2021). Regional subglacial quarrying and abrasion below hard‐bedded palaeo‐ice streams crossing the Shield–Palaeozoic boundary of central Canada: the importance of substrate control. Boreas, 50(3), 781–805. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12522