Julia Alvarez / Earth & Environmental Sciences / Faculty Mentor: Nathan Brown
Ventifacts are rock formations sculpted by the abrasive action of wind-driven particles in arid environments. We can use ventifacts to assess past climate conditions and wind erosion processes. They also function as analogs for studying planetary geology, thereby contributing to our broader understanding of landscape evolution and environmental change. This study aims to produce digital photorealistic renderings and handheld 3-D models of Californian ventifacts that we will integrate into an interactive video presentation tailored for K-12 classrooms. This video will illustrate the importance of rocks like these and their formation mechanisms to our understanding of aeolian erosion and past climate models. In this study, ventifact samples were collected from two desert locations in southern California: Garnet Hill, nestled in the Coachella Valley north of Palm Springs, and Silver Lake, north of Baker. The collection is comprised of 10 samples, five obtained from each site. To generate accurate models with sub-millimeter resolution, Agisoft Metashape software was used to spatially locate common pixels between images and generate a dense 3-D point cloud. These 10 digital models will then be converted into a suitable format for 3-D printing at the UTA FabLab. In addition to making the STL files easily accessible to the public, these educational resources will be submitted to the State Education Resource Center (SERC) for inclusion on the Teaching with Augmented and Virtual Reality (TAVR) website. Furthermore, as many as 50 ventifact models will be 3-D printed for distribution to classrooms lacking access to such resources. These educational materials will then receive additional promotion at the 2024 Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting.
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