Technology and geologic mapping capabilities have grown tremendously with the advent of Geographic Information System technology (GIS) over the past 10-15 years. As part of the structural geology series at UC-Davis, we teach the students to create a neatly-drafted, “old-school” paper map, and then digitize their work in ArcGIS. But because using ArcMap isn’t always the most intuitive process, I have written a detailed tutorial on how to construct a geologic map.
If you are interested, here is a .pdf version of this tutorial (link opens in a new window):
Creating a geologic map using ArcMap 10.x
What this tutorial covers is just the raw basics for creating a map. It is no-where even close to tapping into the use of the Arc suite of software. I encourage you to play around with the various toolbars and extensions in ArcMap and ArcCatalog, and explore what can be done using utilities in ArcToolbox. See what can be done, and how things are done. The more you know about this program from exploring on your own, the better you’ll be at creating maps and beyond.
ArcMap is a great way of creating and manipulating geospatial data. Perhaps the most important thing- do not treat this tutorial as a cook-book for using Arc. That is not its intention. It is meant to serve as a brief introduction, and to give you the tools you’ll need for future exploration into the realm of visualizing and creating geospatial data.
Questions? Feel free to send me an email at jaselander@ucdavis.edu, visit my personal page HERE, or fill out the contact form below.
Creating a geologic map using ArcMap 10.x 