BEDROCK GEOLOGIC MAP OF OHIO NOW AVAILABLE IN DIGITAL FORMAT FROM ODNR
New digital map complements paper version released in 2006
COLUMBUS, OH - Geologists, educators, land-use planners and others interested in the state's earth science can now obtain a digital version of the Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio, which was released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in paper form last year. This is the first time the map has been available to the public on CD-ROM.
Prior to last year, the most recent version of the bedrock map was published in 1920. The current version depicts nearly 50 bedrock units (as opposed to 14 units shown on the 1920 map).
Now, digital map users will be able to overlay numerous geographic information system (GIS) layers, such as bedrock formation contacts and faults, over their own unique digital map datasets. This will enable users to analyze where and how the rock formations and cultural features shown will affect current and future land-use practices. For example, individuals exploring oil and gas deposits could place the fault GIS layer over their own maps to identify where oil and gas might be gathering.
Digital map users who have access to computerized plotting equipment can print the full-color, wall-size version of the Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio. The digital and paper versions of the map illustrate the distribution of rock formations at the surface or immediately beneath glacial drift materials that conceal most of Ohio's bedrock formations, especially in the northern and western portions of the state. Both versions of the map contain descriptions of Ohio's bedrock units and summaries of the state's economic geology and geologic hazards. There is also a chart showing the geologic age of Ohio's bedrock formations, a statewide geologic cross section, and extensive text that describes the geologic framework of Ohio.
Some points of interest on the map include the complex geology of the Serpent Mound Disturbance, which is an ancient meteorite impact site in Adams, Highland and Pike counties that is adjacent to the famous prehistoric effigy; the location of the massive sandstone formation that is responsible for scenic wonders such as the Hocking Hills and Black Hand Gorge; and the specific locations of shale and mudstone formations that cause landslides in southwestern and eastern Ohio.
The division began an extensive statewide bedrock-geology mapping program in the 1980s, which was completed through several cooperative bedrock-geology mapping initiatives between the ODNR Division of Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio (map BG-1) is available on CD-ROM for $25 (plus sales tax and $6.50 in shipping) and in a wall-size paper version ($15 plus sales tax and shipping) from the ODNR Geologic Records Center by calling 614-265-6576 or emailing geo.survey@dnr.state.oh.us.
More information about the Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio is available through the ODNR Division of Geological Survey's website.
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For Further Information Contact:
E. Mac Swinford, ODNR Division of Geological Survey
(614) 265-6473
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860