Tahoe map goes three-dimensional

INCLINE VILLAGE - Out of all the maps produced of Tahoe, this is the first one that will pop out at you - literally.

Just put on a pair of 3-D glasses and watch this new map produced by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology come alive.

"We've had some beautiful images before, but this one really pops out at you," said Rich Schweickert, a researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Not only does this represent the first 3-D map of Tahoe produced by the University, it also represents years of research by the University.

"This represents about three to four years of mapping on land," said Schweickert. "And 400 miles of seismic reflective mapping."

The University of Nevada along with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Tahoe Research Group have been working over the years to develop information provided for this map and other research regarding fault lines.

"This is just the beginning," said Schweickert, who added there is about a year and a half of research left regarding faults and fault lines in the Tahoe basin.

Even with all the research provided by researchers actually making their first 3-D map was not an easy process by cartographers at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.

"We experimented with it off and on for a couple of months," said Kris Ann Pizarro, a cartographer with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. "Though we've seen 3-D artwork, this is the first time we've applied 3-D practices to a map."

The basic principle behind the map lies behind the fact that blue colors recede and red colors pop out at the viewer when they have 3-D glasses on.

"If you made the lake too dark, it looked like you could fall in," said Pizarro.

Pizarro had to work with the colors and determine which one looked best with the 3-D glasses while fellow cartographer Gary Johnson worked on the map itself.

The map became available to the public about a week ago and is now available for purchase, just in time for the Christmas season.

To preview the map, visit www.nbmg.unr.edu/tahoe.htm or call (775) 784-6691 and speak to someone in the publications department.

The Lake Tahoe 3-D Shaded Relief is an 18 by 24-inch map complete with 3-D glasses and a 4-page informational guide.

The cost is $15 plus $7 shipping and handling if ordered by mail.