RockWorks | Borehole Manager | Stratigraphy | Profile
Use this program to:
- Interpolate grid models for the upper and lower surfaces of the project's stratigraphic units (all units or selected ones) - or - read grid models that you've already created.
- "Slice" these grid models between two points and create a 2D profile diagram. Because surfaces are interpolated across the entire project, you can place the profile slice anywhere you like. The profile layers can be color- or pattern-filled. Logs can be projected onto the profile using true downhole geometry.
- Display the completed profile in RockPlot2D.
See also:
Modeled Stratigraphy Sections for grid-based cross sections with multiple slices
Striplog Sections for multi-slice sections with linear correlation options.
Feature Level: RockWorks Standard and higher
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
Menu Options
- Correlation Options: Expand this item to choose how to fill the profile layers:
- Fill Background will fill the profile panels with the background color selected for the formation in the Stratigraphy Types Table.
- Plot Patterns will display the pattern selected for the formation in the Stratigraphy Types Table.
- Plot Outlines will border the layers with a solid black line of the width you set.
- Stratigraphy Types to be Included: This setting defines which of your formations are to be included in the modeling and display. (More.)
- All Stratigraphic Units: Choose this if all units are to be modeled (if Interpolate Surfaces is checked, below) and displayed in the profile diagram.
- Only Units Flagged As "Show In Legend": You can limit the interpolation (Interpolate Surfaces checked) and display to only those formations with a check in the Show in Legend check-box, in the Stratigraphy Types table.
- Interpolate Surfaces: When this option is checked, the program will interpolate grid models for the top and bottom of all/selected stratigraphic units (as specified above).
Interpolate Surfaces: When this option is not checked the program will assume that the grids already exist, from a previous pass with a Stratigraphy menu option, from making custom edits to the grids, from importing them from another source, etc. In other words, you may not want to create new grid models every time that you generate a diagram.
! Important Note: The existing grid models must follow the automatic naming scheme: Models for formation tops are named formation_top.RwGrd and those for formation bases are named formation_base.RwGrd, where formation is the exact name of the formation as defined in the Stratigraphy Types Table. The program will assume these grids exist if Interpolate Surfaces is turned off.
- Gridding Options: Click on the Options button to the right to establish the gridding method, the grid dimensions, and other gridding options which will be used to interpolate the formation surface models.
- Algorithms: Select a gridding method from the list on the left, and establish the method-specific Options in the middle pane.
- Grid Dimensions: Specify how the grid dimensions are to be established, using the settings on the right side of the dialog box. Unless there's a specific reason to do otherwise, you should probably leave the grid dimensions set to the current project dimensions.
- Additional options: Establish the other general gridding options (declustering, logarithmic, high fidelity, etc.).
- Onlap: This is a tool unique to stratigraphic modeling. If activated (checked), Onlap will "fix" stratigraphic models in which portions of an upper unit extend below the base of a lower unit. The program will give lower units "priority," building model from the bottom-up. (More.)
- Constrain Model Based on Ground Surface: Insert a check here if you want the stratigraphy model to be filtered with a surface, typically representing the ground surface.
! This model must have the same dimensions and node spacing as is represented in the stratigraphy model surfaces. If you need to resample the ground surface grid, refer to the RockWorks Utilities Grid | Resample option. Expand this heading to specify the name of the ground surface grid model (.RwGrd) and the filtering direction. (More.)
- Polygon Filter: Activate this option to remove portions of the stratigraphic surfaces that lie either the inside or outside of a user-defined polygon. (More.)
- Baseplate: Insert a check in the Baseplate option if you want the base of the lowest formation to be extended down to a set elevation. This is helpful for data sets missing depth-to-base values in the lowest formation (boreholes never reach the bottom).
- Strat Unit: Click on Strat Unit to select from the stratigraphy types the name of the formation to be extended to the baseplate elevation declared below.
- Elevation: Click on this item to type in the elevation to assign as the base of the unit selected above. NOTE that you must enter the baseplate ELEVATION not depth. Some users find it helpful to create first a profile with no baseplate, and then to estimate the baseplate elevation in the RockPlot2D window. (Point the mouse cursor to any location on the diagram to determine the Y or elevation in the profile.)
- Smoothing Passes: Use this to define how many times the stratigraphic contacts should be smoothed. Enter "0" for no smoothing, "1" for slight smoothing, "2" for more smoothing, etc. Note that if you smooth the contacts, the diagrams will look more aesthetically pleasing, but the contacts may not exactly match up with observed data in an overlaid log diagram, for example.
- Stratigraphy Legend: Insert a check here to include listing of the formation names along with their represented patterns/colors in the profile diagram. Expand this item to establish the width, to specify whether color blocks should be bounded by solid lines, and to set label size. (More.)
- Plot Logs: If you would like for the program to append striplogs to your profile diagram, as shown in the sample at the top of this page, insert a check here.
! Deviated/inclined boreholes can be displayed.
- Clip Logs: Check this sub-item if you want to restrict the logs to a particular elevation range. This should match the elevation range of the stratigraphy model you are creating at this time. See also the Truncate option, below. (More.)
- Include Stripmap: Insert a check here to include a stripmap above or below the profile diagram, which depicts the position of the logs within the search "swath" relative to the profile. Expand this heading to establish the Stripmap location and appearance options. (More.)
- Show Collar Distances: Insert a check in this box to display at the top of the profile a series of labels that represents each borehole's distance to the profile line. (More.)
- 2D Striplog Designer: Click on the 2D Striplog Designer tab to the right, to select the items to display in the individual logs to overlay the stratigraphy profile.
- Visible Items: Use the check-boxes in the Visible Items column to select which log items are to be displayed. See Visible Item Summary for information about the different log items.
- Options: Click on any of the Visible Items names to see the item's settings in the Options pane to the right. See the Visible Item Summary, for links to the Options settings.
- Layout Preview: For each item you've activated, you'll see a preview cartoon in the upper pane. Click and drag any item to the left or right to rearrange the log columns. See Using the 2D Log Designer.
- Plot Surface Profile: Insert a check here to include a line on the profile that represents a user-selected grid model, typically the ground surface. Expand this heading to access the line profile options.
- Surface Profile Options: Click the Options button to select the grid model to be represented, and to establish the profile settings. (More.)
- Create Additional Parallel Profiles: Check this box if you want multiple profile lines to be drawn automatically, offset from the profile that you define. Expand this heading to define the direction and spacing of the automatic profile lines, the maximum distance, and diagram labeling options. (More.)
- Show Fault(s): Check this box if you want to display vertical lines in the output diagram where the section slice intersects the fault(s) defined in a project Faults Table.
- Expand this heading to set up the fault lines. (More.)
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- Show Infrastructure: Check this box to display buildings, pipes, or other infrastructure with your profile. Click the Options button to define the infrastructure file and plot settings. (More.)
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- Perimeter Annotation Options: Click on this button to access a window where you can establish title, border, and vertical exaggeration settings for the profile. (More.)
- Create Location Map: Insert a check here to have the program create, along with the profile, a reference map that shows the profile cut's location. It can be embedded in or created separately from the profile. (More.)
- Clip (Vertically Truncate) Diagram: Check this box to limit the profile slice to a specific elevation range. For example, if you have stratigraphic data from -1000 to -3500 (subsea) feet in elevation, but you only want to see the units from -2000 to -2500, you would enter "-2000" for the top elevation and "-2500" for the base.
- Top Elevation: Click here to type in the uppermost elevation to include in the profile.
- Base Elevation: Click here to type in the lowermost elevation to include in the profile.
- Profile Selection Map: Click on the Profile Selection Map tab to the right, to select where the profile cut (or multiple cuts, if you've requested parallel profiles, above) to be placed. The most recent profile drawn for this project will be displayed. (More.)
- Rules & Filters: Use the settings on the far right side of the window to apply stratigraphic rules to data being processed here, and date filters for data you may be displaying in the logs. More.
Step-by-Step Summary
Follow these steps to create a 2-dimensional (flat) vertical profile of the project's interpolated stratigraphy:
- Access the RockWorks Borehole Manager program tab.
- Enter/import your data into the Borehole Manager database. This tool specifically reads location, orientation (if any), and stratigraphy data. You might also refer to the Missing Formations section regarding the best way to deal with including/not including absent formations.
- Enable boreholes: Be sure that all boreholes whose data are to be included in the stratigraphic model (which will be sliced for the profile) are enabled.
- Select the Stratigraphy | Profile menu option.
- Enter the requested menu settings, described above
- Set up logs: If you are including logs with the profile, be sure to click on the 2D Striplog Designer tab to establish how you want the logs to look.
- Pick the profile: Be sure to click on the Profile Selection Map tab to establish the profile location.
- Click on the Process button to create the stratigraphy profile diagram.
- If you have activated Confirm Dimensions, above, the program will display a window with the model coordinates and node spacing. Adjust these items if necessary and click OK. (More.)
If Interpolate Surfaces is turned on, the program will create grid models of the surfaces and bases of the formations listed in the Stratigraphy tabs, storing the models in the current project folder. The grid file names are assigned automatically, based on the formation: "formation_top.RwGrd" and "formation_base.RwGrd". Two grid models will be created for each formation using the specified gridding settings.
It will then look at the coordinates specified for the profile cut and determine the closest nodes along the cut in each grid model. It will construct a vertical profile to illustrate the stratigraphic elevation, using the colors and/or patterns defined for the strata in the Stratigraphy Types Table. If requested, it will fill the layers, annotate the border with tick marks and axis labels, and include a color legend. Logs and a profile location map will be appended if requested. The completed diagram will be displayed in a RockPlot2D tab in the Options window.
- You can adjust any of the following items and then click the Process button again to regenerate the profile.
- Stratigraphy model settings in the Options pane on the left*, and/or
- Profile settings in the Options pane on the left, and/or
- Rules and filter settings in the pane to the right, and/or
- Striplog settings in the 2D Striplog Designer tab, and/or
- Profile location in the Profile Selection Map tab.
! Each time you click the Process button, the existing profile display will be replaced.
! * If the stratigraphy surfaces look OK and you just need to adjust one of the diagram settings, you don't need to keep re-gridding over and over: Un-check Interpolate Surfaces and the profile will be built with the new diagram settings from the existing grid models.
- View / save / manipulate / print / export the profile in the RockPlot2D window.
Tips:
- Use the Stretch button in RockPlot to fill the window with the profile. This is helpful if it is long and shallow.
- If the profile looks better with a vertical exaggeration greater than or less than 1, you can pre-define this in the Perimeter Annotation Options and then recreate the profile; this will generate better-looking axis annotations.
Back to Stratigraphy Menu Summary
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