PHOTOGRAMMETRIC MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF A STROMATOLITE BIOHERM FROM THE YACORAITE FORMATION (MAASTRICHTIAN-DANIAN, ARGENTINA): A TOOL TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE PALEONTOLOGICAL HERITAGE

DÍAZ-MARTÍNEZ, I.; VILLAFAÑE, P.G; CITTON, P.; DE VALAIS, S.; FRIAS SABA, R. C.; DELLA VEDOVA, M.; SERRANO, P.; CÓNSOLE-GONELLA, C.

Virtual

Congreso; 3rd palaeontological virtual congress; 2021

The virtualization of the fossil record has aroused an increasingattention. Fossils, as well as outcrops, can be digitized byvarious techniques, e.g., laser scanner, photogrammetry and/orcomputed tomography. One of the less explored applicationsinvolving 3D models is related to digital preservation andenhancement of the paleontological heritage. Here wepresent a 3D modeling experience, using high resolutiondigital photogrammetry and post-processing method offossil stromatolites from a Maastrichtian outcrop in Maimará(Quebrada de Humahuaca, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jujuy,Argentina), well known for its ichnological and paleontologicalrecord. To model the outcrop, 408 photographs taken over a 18x7m area were processed using the software Agisoft Metashape.The obtained 3D model (3.63 GB and about 41 million faces) wasoptimized to facilitate visualization and promote dissemination.Optimization consisted in simplifying the geometry of the modelmaintaining its original appearance and without changing theoverall topology. Retopology was conducted using the softwareInstant Meshes, while different textures were generated throughthe software Blender. The resulting 3D model has 31000 faces(4.36 MB), being externally very similar to the original. It canbe viewed through any device for domestic use (e.g., laptop,tablet, smartphone) on digital repositories (e.g. Sketchfab),which allows the user to also share relevant informationabout the real specimens, such as their geological context orpaleontological importance. 3D modeling of the fossil recordand its optimization represent a very powerful and reliable toolin education, promotion of science and heritage preservation.