... Even though people can now travel and assemble, the team believes virtual experiences could become part of a “new normal” for geology research and education.
“Part of increasing access to the field is to help people know what to anticipate,” Crider said. “To the extent that we can help students anticipate both the outdoors experience and the science experience, then the uncertainty and maybe anxiety is reduced, and people can focus on the learning goals.”
The virtual experiences allow people to visit the field site and use common geology tools to measure angles in the rock layers or orientation of cracks that explain a landscape’s history. While a virtual option benefits anyone challenged by the travel and access to a remote field site, it also lets all students and researchers have a “dry run” experience and review techniques before reaching the actual location. ...
See the full story here: https://www.newswise.com/articles/bringing-the-field-to-students-with-virtual-field-geology