Creating a 2D Aquifer Surface or Thickness Map

RockWorks | Borehole Manager | Aquifers | Plan

Use this program to:

• Interpolate grid models for the upper surface, lower surface, and thickness of a single aquifer listed for a particular date or date range in the Water Levels table, and
• Create a 2-dimensional (flat) contour map of the aquifer surface, base, or thickness. 

Numerous modeling options are offered for creating the aquifer surface models.  The grid models will be stored as .RwGrd files on disk.  The completed contour map will be displayed in a RockPlot2D window.

Feature Level: RockWorks Standard and higher

Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary

Menu Options

• Aquifer: Click to the right to select which aquifer is to be represented in the plan map.
   
• Date / Time Filtering: Use this checkbox along the right side of the options window to select the individual date or date range for the data to be processed. 
  • Choose Exact to enter the date for which the data is to be processed. The date you enter here should match the date you entered into the Water Levels data tables. 
  • Click in the Range button if you want to process water level data for a range of dates, and then specify the starting and ending date and/or time for the data to be included in processing.  (See Entering Water Level Data for details about how the dates are entered.)
    ! If you have multiple entries for a borehole for the selected date range, the program will include all of them when interpolating the surface, in effect averaging them.
     
• Map Type: Expand this to select whether the map should illustrate the surface elevations (Superface) of the aquifer, the base elevations (Subface) or the aquifer’s thickness (Isopach).
   
• Surface Modeling: Expand this heading to establish the options for creating the upper, lower, or thickness surface model. 
  • Gridding Options: Click on this button to access a window where you can establish the gridding method or algorithm, the grid dimensions, and other gridding options.
    • 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 output dimensions.
    • Additional options: Establish the other general gridding options (declustering, logarithmic, high fidelity, etc.).
       
• Diagram Options: Expand this heading as necessary to set up the diagram.
  • Background Image: Insert a check in this check-box to include a raster image behind the line contours. Expand this item to establish the image settings. (Note that this layer will be hidden if Colored Intervals are selected.)  More. 
  • Contour Lines: Insert a check in this box to illustrate the surface with line contours. Expand this item to establish the contour settings. More.  
  • Colored Intervals: Insert a check in this box to illustrate the surface with color-filled intervals. Expand this item to establish these settings. More.  
  • Labeled Cells: Insert a check in this box to display on the map the actual contents of the grid model. Expand this item to establish this layer’s settings. More.  
  • Borehole Locations:  Check this box to include a map layer with the borehole locations noted.  Expand this item to select symbol and label settings.  More.
  • Border: Insert a check in this check-box to annotate the map borders with axis titles and/or coordinate labels. Expand this item to access its settings. More.  

Step-by-Step Summary

Follow these steps to create a 2-dimensional contour map of an aquifer surface, base, or thickness: 

1. Access the Borehole Manager program tab. 
2. Enter/import your data into the Borehole Manager. This tool specifically reads location, orientation (if any), and water level data.
3. Enable boreholes:  Be sure that all boreholes whose data are to be included in the aquifer surface or isopach grid are enabled.
4. Select the Aquifers | Plan menu command. 
5. Enter the requested menu options, described above.
6. Click on the Process button to create the aquifer map. 
7. If you have activated the gridding Dimensions / Confirm Dimensions option, the program will display a summary window with the grid boundary coordinates and node spacing.  Adjust these items if necessary and click OK.  More. 
8. If you have activated the Confirm Intervals setting for the Contour Lines, the program will display a summary window with default contour intervals.  Adjust these items if necessary and click OK.  More. 
9. If you have activated the Confirm Intervals setting for the Colored Intervals, the program will display a summary window with default color-contour intervals.  Adjust this item if necessary and click OK.  More. 

The program will create a grid model of the aquifer's upper elevations, base elevations, and thickness using the selected gridding method.  The grids will be named automatically using a "aquifername_date_top.RwGrd", "aquifername_date_base.RwGrd", and "aquifername_date_isopach.RwGrd" naming convention.  The date portion of the file name should comply with the mm_dd_yyyy or dd_mm_yyyy date format as established in Windows.

The program will then create the selected 2-dimensional top/base/thickness map with the selected layers.   The completed diagram will be displayed in a RockPlot2D tab in the Options window.

10. You can adjust any of the following items and then click the Process button again to regenerate the map.
    • Aquifer model settings in the Options pane on the left, and/or
    • Map settings in the Options pane on the left.

    ! Each time you click the Process button, the existing map display will be replaced. 

11. View / save / manipulate / print / export the map in the RockPlot2D window.
    
    

 Back to Aquifers Menu Summary 

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