1995 Oklahoma Academy of Science Geology Field Trip – An Online GIS Map

Stop 1 is at the unique Cherokee Baths and is one of the oldest formations seen on the field trip - Ordovician Burgen Sandstone.

​Ever in the pursuit of new challenges and skill-honing opportunities, I decided to take an independent study GIS class at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) during the fall of 2015.  In the previous semester, I had begun the development of a geology field trip guide into an on-line GIS map. My interest in fossil-hunting from my undergraduate days at Harding University (under Dr. Rushton’s tutelage) is what drove me to originally consider developing this GIS map. 

But, I took advantage of a spring break trip and switched to another focus (Topsail Hill Preserve State Park), and therefore did not finish the geology field trip guide project in the spring of 2015.

At the encouragement of Paul Lowrey, NWACC professor, I took on this project as an independent study class in the following semester and also developed an ESRI story map of the field trip. Below are the links to the two GIS map products:

http://arcg.is/1SAnOEs                  Link to ESRI Story Map

http://arcg.is/1lwbbzk                   Link to 1995 Geology Field Trip interactive GIS map

The GIS Map: The nine field trip stops are all found within Cherokee County, Oklahoma, and can be visited within one day.

I was fortunately accepted to present the development of the on-line geology field trip at the Oklahoma Academy of Science 104th Annual Technical Meeting this past November 13, 2015, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The concurrent OAS symposium to the technical meeting, Effects of Climate Change: Past, Present, Future, was very informative, and I found the OAS community very professional and encouraging.

During the development of these map products, I also experienced lots of positive feedback and assistance from NWACC Instructor Dianne Phillips, my professor for the class. She created the NWACC EMPACTS website for my project and is hoping to use this geology field trip next semester during her Honors geology course at NWACC. 

Video assistance for this project was provided by Jacob Wells, a NWACC student finishing up his degree requirements this semester. He was able to make the second visit to the field trip that was taken in September 2015, and additional video was recorded at that time. Jacob edited all the videos for subsequent posting on YouTube and the NWACC EMPACTS project website.

Overall, this was a GREAT experience and I hope the on-line field trip helps a variety of individuals interested in the geology of northeast Oklahoma.

-JMB