News and Updates

The Journal of the Virtual Explorer is now taking advice as to proposed 2009 volumes

To submit a paper contact team@virtualexplorer.com.au and Email the editors of the specific volume in question.

Proposed volumes in 2009 include "Geodynamics of the West African Craton" and the "Geological Anatomy of East and South East Asia"

Please contact the journal if you would like to consider a specific volume in 2009.

Note in relation to volume 30 "Google Earth Science"

For two centuries, earth scientists collected field observations from the complexly curved surface of the Earth, determined the time-scale and sequence of events, and projected their interpretations of the four-dimensional geologic record onto two-dimensional paper maps. With the aid of GPS, GIS, and now GES (Google Earth Science), future generations of field geologists will transfer data directly from the geographic space of latitude / longitude / altitude / time to the virtual space of pan / zoom / tilt / play.

Virtual Globes such as Google Earth, NASA World Wind, etc., are creating a revolution in earth science visualization and real-time monitoring of earth systems. An initial trickle of oral presentations on the topic has quickly become a torrent in the past two years; special conference sessions are giving way to special conferences devoted to virtual globe applications. JVE therefore invites you to join the vanguard of refereed publications in this emerging field with contributions ranging from tutorials on the mechanics of projecting geologic map data onto virtual globes, to real-time natural hazard monitoring, interactive virtual field trips, and research results obtained with the aid of virtual globe technology. The Journal will host KML/KMZ files that readers can download and run on the own computers. Authors are urged to obtain map and other image copyright permissions before submission.

Note in relation to Volume 31 "Making Sense of Shear"

This is a Festschrift honoring Dr. Carol Simpson on her 60th Birthday, covering both the specific topic of sense-of-shear determination and the general study of shear deformation processes in rocks. During the past quarter century, Simpson – both alone and with her colleagues and students – contributed seminal work under these headings, including evaluation of criteria to deduce the sense of movement in sheared rocks; deformation across the brittle-ductile transition; porphyroclast systems as kinematic indicators; strain and kinematic analysis of general shear zones; and numerous field studies of shear deformation on four continents. Nevertheless, much remains to be fully understood, including the relationship between shear in two and three spatial dimensions (orthorhombic / monoclinic / triclinic symmetries), the temporal evolution of shear zones (steady / unsteady), relative roles of coaxial versus non-coaxial and volume conserving versus volume-altering processes, and the kinematic memory of fabrics.

We aim to make this volume a standard reference for future generations. Contributions are invited from theoreticians, experimentalists, modelers, microscopists, and field scientists. Submissions may be in the form of traditional research papers, reviews, computer programs, tutorials, animations, simulations, image atlases, virtual field trips, etc.

The Journal of the Virtual Explorer is ideally suited to accommodate both traditional and novel publication formats, and offers authors the advantage of a rapid decision process. All contributions are reviewed by at least two members of the Editorial Board within a matter of days of submission. If a contribution is accepted, it will be published immediately in Dynamic Review. During the dynamic review period, authors may receive feedback from multiple reviewers. In order to ensure thorough evaluation of all contributions, submitting authors will be asked to review at least two other contributions to the volume.

Please send initial enquiries and suggested contributions to: Declan De Paor, North America Editor, Journal of the Virtual Explorer; declan@wpi.edu. Topics deemed unsuitable for this special issue may nevertheless be acceptable for the journal's general contributions volume.

- April 25th, 2008