Two sweet snippets of a new 15mb kml file that shows the distribution of piedmont and playa flood hazards in Ivanpah Valley, Nevada (just south of Vegas) as inferred from geomorphology. I think that the information content of these types of derivative characterizations of hazards is optimized in Google Earth (or similar virtual globe application). In this case, some arguably arcane geological characteristics are boiled down to a straightforward relative hazard scheme running from cool colors (low hazard) to warm colors (high hazard). The closeup is dominated by the 'Barbie' fan (almost too perfect in shape). It straddles the border of NV and CA. Note how the trunk stream just bisects the Lucy Gray Range...Note that the playa at lower left is the proposed site of a major airport. Yes. That is what I said...Airport.
The other snip is a sky view of the entirety of the map area with Las Vegas just out of the frame at the top. Just look at that playa (Roach Lake...yes...that is right...Roach Lake). Nice and flat. Just begging for an airport. Such ideas are far from outrageous in Nevada. Go check out area 51 sometime.
Using the transparency slider in GE allows for the user to become familiar with the distinctive surface characteristics of Quaternary desert piedmont deposits (mainly alluvial fan deposits) that inform the hazard interpretation. The high-res imagery available for this area really helps in this regard and completely trumps the overall value of a flat, paper, colored map.
House, P.K., 2007, Assessment of piedmont and playa flood hazards in the Ivanpah Valley area, Clark County, Nevada. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Map 158, 1:50,000.
House, P.K., Ramelli, A.R., and Buck, B.J., 2005, Surficial geologic map of the Ivanpah Valley area, Clark County, Nevada. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Map 156, 1:50,000.
Online report coming soon...seriously.
