This is Mother Earth - naked. Mother Earth naked reveals world's geology

Stripped bare of forests, plants, soil, water and man-made structures it is the earth caught undressed and without her make-up.

Earth's geology: outer layers are stripped away to reveal invisible structure beneath

The striking images are revealed for the first time as part of OneGeology, an ambitious plan to produce the first digital geological map of the world.

It is intended to do the same thing for rocks as Google did for maps - stripping away the outer layer and zooming in on the previously invisible structure that lies beneath.



<snip>
The countries taking part cover more than 102m sq kilometres - 69 per cent of the earth's land surface. Geological Surveys in the different countries have co-operated and written a new web language for geology which will allow all the data to be shared online for free.

Poorer countries affected by conflict such as Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, who don't have the resources or technical ability, are being given help to prepare mapping of their countries.

The mapping has already unearthed a previously undiscovered and huge deposit of valuable copper in Afghanistan. Developing countries hope the detailed inventories of resources will help drawn in investors such as mining companies.

The scientists who devised it say it will help in finding more natural resources - minerals, oil, gas, coal and water, help in planning for hazards, in monitoring climate change, managing waste and storing carbon.

"It's crucial that we know what the rocks are beneath our feet. Our changing climate means the need for this information is even more urgent," they said in announcing the success of the project which is the flagship programme for the International Year of Planet Earth 2008.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/07/31/eaearth131.xml

Thanks for sharing :)

It reminds me of the set-up NASA has, called World Wind. Maybe they'll get involved (if they aren't already.)

I'd love to be able to download shapefiles for use in GIS, too :D

We'd have to research the geological maps of assigned regions in Texas and be able to draw them from memory on exams. BTW, this was back -- and I'm not kidding -- before plate tectonics was part of accepted geology. At the time, it was just kind of a wild theory!

The colored zones show outcrop formations -- Glen Rose limestone, Hammett shale, Carrizo sandstone, etc. Only here, it's for most of the planet! Very cool.

Now let me tell ya about those Ptolemaic epicycles...

;)

Book recommendation for those interested in the history of the first geologic map:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_vg?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=the+map+that+changed+the+world&x=12&y=17

very interesting read