When the Idaho Geological Survey released a new geologic map of Idaho in 2012, it concluded a decade of work for the department.
“It’s really a relief to get it out, get it printed,” said Reed Lewis, director of the Idaho Geological Survey. “There has just been a lot of good feedback on it.”
Lewis said the map identifies potential land hazards across the state, including active faults and landslides. He said the map also shows the general distribution of minerals across the state, as well as the age and depth of the rocks beneath it.
Lewis said his department used 99 regional and local geological maps to compile the information into a general state map. He said the process required geologists to simplify the maps and present a broader view of the land.
“It requires using lots of information, other people’s maps, so you have to interpret what they looked at,” Lewis said.
Lewis said interpreting two conflicting geological maps is often the most difficult and time consuming part about compiling a map. A statewide map is also the largest project a state geological survey can take, he said.
That same map has been sent out to 360 middle and high schools across Idaho with the help of the University of Idaho’s Department of Geological Sciences.
Lewis said the idea to send the current geologic map to schools across the state came from the Idaho Gem Club located in Boise.
Philip Neuhoff, president of the Idaho Gem Club, said the club sent out more than 425 maps to elementary schools across the state last September, in an effort to increase geological education.
“It’s a really great resource for students to learn about the geology and natural history of the state,” Neuhoff said.
Lewis said once the IGC had sent out maps, it only made sense to continue the project.
“Once they did that, then we thought ‘Okay, we are part way there now, let’s get one to all of the middle schools, all of the junior high schools, the rest of the schools,'” Lewis said.
Lewis said the geology department stepped up and paid for the printing of the 360 maps.
Neuhoff said he hopes the map raises interest and sparks curiosity about geology in schools across the state. He said funds from selling specialized gem state license plates were used to buy and distribute the maps to elementary schools.
Lewis said the geological map will help science teachers throughout the state educate their students on Idaho’s geological history, as well as provide a holistic view of the state’s geological resources.
“The science teachers at these different schools can put it on the wall and they can use it as a prop, whenever they are talking about the geology of Idaho,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the map was not a high priority endeavor for the department, until the final two years of the project.
Neuhoff said it is wonderful that UI and the IGS could collaborate to bring the maps to a wider audience. Lewis said the IGS won the Charles Mankin Award from the Association of American State Geologists in 2012 for their work on the state map.
Loudon Stanford, manager of digital mapping for IGS, said he used a geographic information system to digitize geological data, which allowed him to make detailed boundaries and accurate fault lines.
Stanford said the survey also has an interactive map on their website where students can receive more information on specific rock formations. He said the survey is also in the process of developing a phone application that will feature the map.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]