Create Stratigraphy Profile Diagrams

RockWorks | Borehole Operations | 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.
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• 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.
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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

• Rules & Filters: Use the buttons at the top of the window to apply filters and rules for this program. (More info)
  • Spatial Filter: Filter the input data for the stratigraphy model based on XYZ location, filter the data to be displayed in striplogs, if activated. Note that these tools filter the data that is passed to the modeling and log-generating procedures. This is distinct from the filters that are applied once the model is completed, and described below.
  • Time Filter: Filter any T-Data or Aquifer data in striplogs, if activated.
  • Stratigraphic Rules: Apply stratigraphy rules for stratigraphic modeling and striplogs, if activated.
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• 2D Log Design
  Click here to choose which data items are to be displayed in the logs, if activated via the Striplogs checkbox below, and in which order. See Using the 2D Log Designer and the Visible Item Summary.
  ! For Profile diagrams, striplogs will be projected onto the line of section; you'll be able to select the distance from the profile cut within which logs will be "grabbed" for display in the diagram. See Multi-Log Profiles for information.
  ! Deviated/inclined boreholes can be displayed with true geometry on the profile.
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• Profile Location
  Click on this button at the top of the window to draw or import, on a map display of your enabled boreholes, where the profile cut (or multiple cuts, if you've requested parallel profiles, below) is to be placed. The most recent profile drawn for this project will be displayed. (More info)
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• Location Map
  Check this box to 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.
  Click on this tab to establish the map options. (More info.)

  

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• Vertical Exaggeration
  Click here to pre-define the vertical stretch you would like to apply to your diagram. By giving the program this information in advance of generating the profile, it can help with text and graphic sizing and placement. (More info.)
  ! Note that you can always change the vertical exaggeration at which the diagram is displayed, in the RockPlot2D window itself. But, by telling the program up-front how stretched it will be, you'll get better placement of the graphic components.
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• Stratigraphic Units
  Click on this tab to define which of your formations are to be included in the modeling and display. (More info)
  • 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.
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• Interpolate Surfaces: If checked, the program will interpolate grid models for the top and bottom of all/selected stratigraphic units (as specified above).
  Interpolate Surfaces: If unchecked 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.
  Options: If you have Interpolate Surfaces turned ON, click the Interpolate Surfaces tab to set up the modeling options in the tabs to the right.
  • Gridding Method
    • Dimensions: Click this tab to 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.
    • Algorithms: Select a gridding method for the interpolation of the surfaces.
    • Options: Establish the other general gridding options (declustering, logarithmic, high fidelity, etc.).
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  • Modeling Sequence: Click on this tab to tell RockWorks whether the formations are to be modeled as entered, from the base upward, or from the top down.
    • None: Choose this option to model the formations based on the data as entered, with any applicable rules you have activated.
    • Base-to-Top (Onlap): Click in this option to "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.)
    • Top-to-Base (Underlap): Choose this option to give priority to upper units instead. Any portions of lower units which extend above the base of an upper unit will be constrained to the base of that unit. (More.)
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  • Constraining 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 ModOps Grid | Math | Resample option. Click to the right to specify the name of the ground surface grid model (.RwGrd) and the filtering direction. (More info)
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  • 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 info)
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  • Baseplate: Check this 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). (More info)
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• Fill Style
  Click on this tab to define 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.

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  • 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.
    • 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.
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• Truncate: Check this box to limit the profile diagram 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.
  ! This setting clips the stratigraphy panels only. Clipping of striplogs is done separately, see the Clip setting under Striplogs, below.
  • 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.
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• Striplogs
  Check this item to include 2D logs with the stratigraphy profile display. Click the 2D Log Design button at the top of the window to set up how you want the logs to look. Click on this tab to establish some additional striplog settings.
  • Clip: Check this box if you want to display a subset of the log data. Click on the tab to define the elevation range to be displayed.
    • Top Elevation: Enter the uppermost elevation to be displayed in the logs.
    • Base Elevation: Enter the lowermost elevation to be displayed in the logs.
      ! Log clipping parameters are defined using elevations, not depths. (More info.)
  • Save Log List: Check this to save to a text file the names of the boreholes that are included with the profile diagram.
    • File in which to store the Log List: Enter the name for the log list text file.
    • Display List Upon Completion: Check this to display the text list in Notepad (or equivalent) after the profile is completed.
  • Collar Distances: Check 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 info)
  • Stripmap: Check this item 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. Click on this tab to establish the Stripmap location and appearance options. (More info)

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• Annotation
  Click on this tab to establish title, border, axis labels, and other perimeter settings for the profile. (More info.)

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• Surface Profile
  Check this box to include a polyline on the profile diagram that represents a user-selected elevation grid model, such as a water level surface.
  Click on this tab to access the surface profile options.
  • Grid Model: Browse for the name of the existing grid model (.RwGrd file) to be represented in the polyline.
  • Polyline Attributes: Click this tab to establish the line settings. (More info.)

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• Faults
  Check this box if you want to display lines in the output diagram where the profile slice intersects the fault(s) defined in the Faults program tab.
  Click on this tab to set up the fault lines. (More info.)

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• Parallel Profiles
  Check this box if you want multiple profile lines to be drawn automatically, offset from the profile that you define.
  Click on this tab to define the direction and spacing of the automatic profile lines, the maximum distance, and diagram labeling options. (More info.)

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• Infrastructure
  Check this box to display buildings, pipes, or other infrastructure with your profile.
  Click this tab to define the infrastructure file and plot settings. (More info)

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• Other 2D Files
  Check this option to include existing RockWorks profiles as layers with your stratigraphy profile.
  Click on this tab to select the existing profiles (.Rw2D files) to be included. (More info)
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• Peripherals
  Check this option to include various peripheral annotations with your profile. Options include titles, text blocks, pattern legends, and more.
  Click on this tab to activate the items and establish their settings. (More info)
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• Border
  Check this option to include a solid line border around the entire profile image.
  Click on this tab to establish border settings.
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• Output Options: Use these settings to define whether the output graphic is to be displayed after it is created and how/whether it is to be saved in a file in the project folder. (More info)
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Step-by-Step Summary

Follow these steps to create a 2-dimensional (flat) vertical profile of the project's interpolated stratigraphy:

1. Access the RockWorks Borehole Manager program tab.
2. Enter/import your data into the Borehole Manager database, if you have not already done so. 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.
3. 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.
4. Select the Stratigraphy | Profile menu option from the Borehole Operations menu.
5. Enter the requested menu settings, described above
6. Click on the Continue button to proceed.

   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, and add all peripheral, border, and other layers to the output. The completed diagram will be displayed in a RockPlot2D tab in the Options window, if requested.

7. You can adjust any of program settings in the Options tab and click the Continue button again to regenerate the profile.

   ! * 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.

8. 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 Options tab and then recreate the profile; this will generate better-looking axis annotations.
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See also

• Adding this program to your Playlist
• Adding this program to your Favorites
• Save/load/view menu settings
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Back to Stratigraphy Menu Summary

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