VIRTUAL FIELDWORK
Tuolumne Meadows
California, USA
- meandering river with a range of features (e.g. bars, islands, bank collapse)
- roche moutonnées and views of the surrounding granite peaks
Tuolumne Meadows is located in the Sierra Nevada in California, in the eastern part of Yosemite National Park. The valley floor sits at an elevation of ~2600 m, and is surrounded by granitic domes and peaks that rise conspicuously above the forests to heights in excess of 3000 m.
The field trip starts on Lembert Dome, which provides a good overview of the meadows and surrounding terrain. It then follows the Tuolumne River for ~5 km downstream. Although glaciated landforms are visible, this field trip is really about the river and meadows.
Fieldwork was undertaken in 2013 as part of a collaboration between the University of Worcester and the University of California, Davis. Support from both institutions is gratefully acknowledged, with special thanks to Ian Maddock, Sarah Yarnell, Nick Santos and Ryan Peek. The imagery was re-processed to improve clarity in 2018.
Start of Virtual Field Trip
I'm a Physical Geographer at the University of Worcester (England, UK). Interests include mountain glaciers, mountain geomorphology and Quaternary environmental change. I'm also interested in the use of virtual reality in teaching.
In order to support the ongoing development of this site, it would be really helpful if you could let me know why and how you use the resource. I’d also appreciate hearing any ideas you may have for improvements. Thank you!
This website allows you to explore glaciers and glaciated landscapes using virtual field trips. High quality, 360 degree interactive panoramas (panospheres) allow you to look all around and zoom in on features of interest – a bit like Google Streetview ©.