Virtual tourists can teleport 600 million years to explore an ancient landscape - Phys.org

Fancy donning a VR headset and taking a travel done heavy geological time? From contiguous it's possible, with the motorboat of a 360-degree virtual circuit of the 600-million-year-old Flinders Ranges successful South Australia.

One of Australia's astir captivating landscapes tin present beryllium explored virtually, acknowledgment to a University of South Australia task that documents the geological and taste value of the Flinders Ranges.

Led by UniSA geologist Professor Tom Raimondo, the task is supporting the SA Government's bid for World Heritage presumption of the region, expected to beryllium submitted successful 2024.

"The motorboat of this immersive virtual circuit marks a important measurement towards opening the Flinders Ranges to the planetary community," Prof Raimondo says. "Ultimately, UNESCO World Heritage presumption volition let it to basal alongside icons similar the Great Barrier Reef and Yosemite National Park."

"The Flinders Ranges has a singular history, taste practice and technological value. It is location to our earliest carnal ancestors, the Ediacaran biota, and we've unlocked fractional a cardinal years of the communicative of beingness done the powerfulness of virtual reality. Now, anyone from crossed the globe tin spot wherefore this scenery is truthful peculiar and unique."

The virtual circuit takes viewers connected a formation implicit rugged upland ranges, discovering however Ikara (Wilpena Pound) was formed; transporting viewers underground done historical tunnels to acquisition the challenges of aboriginal copper miners; and including a virtual aquatics connected the Ediacaran seabed, location to the archetypal animals connected Earth.

The Ediacaran fossils are unsocial to the Flinders Ranges and a cardinal constituent of the World Heritage nomination.

From 2023, South Australia's school children volition go precise acquainted with their significance, learning astir these unthinkable fossils arsenic portion of the Year 8 subject curriculum.

"We person worked with the South Australian Science Teachers Association, the Department for Education and the Ediacara Foundation to nutrient contented for this caller assets that is drawn from the virtual tour.

"Students volition beryllium capable to presumption 3D reconstructions of the past animals and virtually aquatics done their seafloor habitat. It volition beryllium the adjacent champion happening to bringing 600-million-year-old fossils backmost to life, and hopefully animate a caller procreation of budding geologists to travel successful the footsteps of Douglas Mawson and Reg Sprigg."

The virtual tour has been created arsenic portion of UniSA STEM's Project LIVE initiative. More details here:https://www.projectlive.org.au/360-flinders-ranges