Peter Olsen has built some great 3D models for Google Earth in the past, including items such as the animated Disney monorail and the Tenerife Airport disaster.
When he told me he was working on a model of Stone Mountain, I was excited to see what he could come up with because it’s located very close to where I live. However, things got interesting when he tried to start finding the exact measurements of the sculpture.
The carving on the mountain is widely thought to be 190 feet x 90 feet, provided by their official website as well as on Wikipedia. However, based on measurements made in Google Earth, Peter believed the actual size to be closer to 167′ x 77′. After repeated inquiries, Stone Mountain Park was able to confirm the actual size of the carving at 158′ x 76′ — even smaller than he had suggested (though still quite massive).
It’s also widely advertised that the total cutout on the mountain covers 3 acres. As it turns out, the cutout are is roughly 359′ x 191′ which amounts to 1.57 acres.
Peter’s new model just recently went live in the 3D Warehouse, so you can use this KML file
to fly there and see it in Google Earth.As Peter says, it’s “another win for “armchair archaeology”. Great work!
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
Google updated Rome with thousands of 3d models, looks stunning
We conduct Geoprobe Direct Push services in and around Stone Mountain just east of Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The carving visually looks bigger than that.
I was fortunate enough to live in Snellville a couple of years ago while I wrote for a living.
My days consisted of taking my laptop, kayak, and 21-speed to Stone Mountain State Park, and periodically producing spurts of writing between kayaking the lake, riding around the mountain, and walking up to the old quarry near the peak. Oh, and riding the tram up to the observation area on top.
I’ll never forget the carillon bells striking the hours as I drifted by with my paddle shipped, nor the tourists in the Ducks and paddle-wheelers who thought this lone kayaker was somehow part of their paid tour.
Loved it beyond measure during the week, when the place was mostly empty – then I could go into the antique car museum and loiter to my heart’s content, or just find some place to sit and enjoy the water.
I can testify that the quarry is haunted, by the way.
Go up there some quiet evening (alone) if you doubt me, and stand by the long portrait of the miners.
You’ll see.
But the Saturdays in the park under the sculpture were the best by far; great bands, fireworks, good company, and that fantastic laser show on the carving.
Whoa.