Creating Interpolated Stratigraphic Fence Diagrams

RockWorks | Borehole Manager | Stratigraphy | Fence (3D Profiles) | Fence Diagram

Use this program tool 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, and
• "Slice" these grid models along multiple panels.   Because surfaces are interpolated across the entire project, you can place the fence panels anywhere you like. You may request regular fence panel spacing, in a variety of configurations, or you can draw your own panels.
• Display the fence diagram in RockPlot3D. The layers will be color-coded based on the formation's background color in the Stratigraphy Types Table.

See also:
      Hole to Hole Stratigraphic Fence Diagrams for fence diagrams drawn with linear correlations (not grid-based)
      What is an Interpolated Fence
      Manually Building 3D Stratigraphic Fences for building diagrams from existing grid models (filtered, imported, etc.)

Feature Level: RockWorks Standard and higher

Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary

Menu Options

• 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 3D 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.).
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  • 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 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.

  
   

• 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 there is a paradox here: If you smooth the contacts, the diagrams will look more aesthetically pleasing, but the contacts may not exactly match up at intersection points between the panels. 
   

• Include Stratigraphy Legend: Insert a check here to include a listing of the formation names along with their represented colors in the fence diagram.  Expand this item to establish the size, position, etc.  (More.) 
   
• Plot Outline Around Each Panel: Insert a check here to include a solid-line outline around each fence panel, and expand the heading to define the line style and color.  Leave this option un-checked to omit the outline.

• Plot Surface Profile:  Insert a check here to include a solid line profile on each fence panel that represents a user-selected grid model, typically the ground surface.  Expand this heading to establish the profile settings.  (More.)

• Plot Logs:  Check this box to append striplogs to your fence diagram.
  ! Note that 3D logs for all active boreholes will be appended to the fence diagram.
  • Clip Logs: Check this sub-item if you want to restrict the logs to a particular elevation range. (More.)
  • 3D Striplog Designer: Click on the 3D Striplog Designer tab to the right, to select the items to display in the individual logs to plot with the fence diagram.  

  • 

    • 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.
    • Options: Click on any of the Visible Items names to see the item's settings in the Options pane to the right.  See 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, showing an overhead view of the log columns.  Click and drag any item to rearrange the log columns; click and drag the circle handles to resize a column.  See Using the 3D Log Designer.

  
   

• Reference Cage: Insert a check here to include in the diagram a 3D frame with coordinates and elevation labels. 
  • Expand this heading to access the cage options. (More.)
     
• Create Location Map:  Insert a check here to have the program create, along with the fence diagram, a reference map that shows the fence panel locations.
  • Expand this heading to access the mapping options. (More.)

    
    

• Truncate: Check this box to limit the fence 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.
  • Top Elevation: Click here to type in the uppermost elevation to include in the fence. 
  • Base Elevation: Click here to type in the lowermost elevation to include in the fence.
     
• Fence Selection Map: Click on the Fence Selection Map tab to the right, to draw where the fence panels are to be placed. The most recent panels 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 3D fence diagram illustrating grid-based stratigraphic layers, for display in RockPlot3D: 

1. Access the RockWorks Borehole Manager program tab. 
2. 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.
3. Enable boreholes:  Be sure that all boreholes whose data are to be included in the stratigraphy model (which will be sliced for the fence diagram) are enabled.
4. Select the Stratigraphy | Fence (3D Profiles) | Fence Diagram menu option. 
5. Enter the requested menu items, described above
6. If you are including logs, be sure to click on the 3D Striplog Designer tab to establish how you want the logs to look.
7. Click on the Fence Selection Map tab to select the fence panel locations.
8. Click on the Process button to create the Stratigraphy fence diagram. 
9. 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.  

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 each fence panel and determine the closest nodes along the cut in each grid model.  It will construct a vertical profile to illustrate the stratigraphic elevations, using the background colors defined for the strata in the Stratigraphy Types Table.  This process will be repeated for each fence panel you drew.  If requested, logs will be appended to the diagram.  The completed view will be displayed in a RockPlot3D tab in the Options window.

10. You can adjust any of the following items and then click the Process button again to regenerate the fence diagram.
    • Stratigraphy model settings in the Options pane on the left*, and/or
    • Fence diagram settings in the Options pane on the left, and/or
    • Rules and filters settings in the pane to the right, and/or
    • Striplog settings in the 3D Striplog Designer tab, and/or
    • Fence location in the Fence Selection Map tab.

    ! Each time you click the Process button, the existing fence 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 fence will be built with the new diagram settings from the existing grid models.

11. View / save / manipulate / print / export the fence in the RockPlot3D window.

Tips: Unlike lithology, geochemistry, and geophysical fence diagrams, which are built as vertical panels extracted from a solid model, modeled stratigraphic fences are displayed simply as pieces of the stratigraphic surface models. For this reason, you can expand the data tree in the RockPlot3D window and turn on/off entire formations in the fence display. 

 Back to Stratigraphy Menu Summary 

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