This week Simon was once again running the virtual outcrop interpretation part of AG-222 at UNIS. Virtual in name and virtual in nature in 2021, having to be taught remotely from Bergen this time around. Fortunately, the students were allowed to work in the UNIS computing lab under careful observation of guidelines, which meant they could still confer for the group assignment - interpreting virtual outcrops selected from the wealth of data on V3Geo. The module aims to teach modern digital methods to support geoscience field-based learning. Module leader Dr Kim Senger is very active in integrating multiple methods and data types in geoscience education, and Svalbard provides the perfect playground for their application.

LIME was once again in focus during the week, with the students learning how to load 3D models, carry out simple measurements and interpretation, before getting to some more advanced visualisation and data integration topics. There was even time to hunt down some publicly available DEMs, geological maps and fun 3D scale bars to add context to their projects. It was a very engaged bunch who worked hard to present some impressively creative group assignments on the last day. Thanks to Kim and also Tom Birchall for organising.

Amazing folds and other structural features present in the remote Mediumfjellet outcrop (c. 800m high), surrounded by glaciers and a logistically challenging place to do geological fieldwork:

 Data from V3Geo and Norwegian Polar Institute.

The only thing to complain about was that last year the view was better: