Surpac Structural Suite – Part 2

By

 

The modelling of structural geology is often an over-looked, misunderstood and underutilised facet of the mining process, where deeper knowledge of structural trends can provide vital insights into design considerations, safety, ore genesis and structural controls on mineralisation. With the release of the GEOVIA Surpac 6.9 Structural Suite, geologists now have the capability to visualise, interpret and plot these trends. The key benefits and use cases of this toolset are outlined in the GEOVIA Blog post, entitled ‘Extending Geology Modeling for Structural Geologists with the Surpac Structural Suite’.

 

 

 

*Structural symbols visualising the dip of a bedding plane across an area and Stereonet projection

 

In part 2 of this 3 part GEOVIA blog post series we continue to discuss some of the key functions available within this suite of tools that help users interpret and plot structural data. The functions covered in this post include: Create stereographic projection from selected data, Create Planes from stereographic projection and Dip/dip direction of the intersection line of two planes.

 

 

1) How to create a stereonet from structural measurements?

Firstly, use the Data Visualizer function described in the last blog post to plot 2D or 3D structural measurements on screen. Then navigate to Database > Structural Suite > Create stereographic projection from selected data.

The user when prompted, must then click points within the graphics window around the structural measurements for analysis (see image below). Press Esc on the keyboard to close the segment and process the data.

 

 

 

 

The stereonet projection will then appear as an additional viewport within the interface:

 

 

 

 

2) How to create a mean plane from structural measurements?

Now the stereonet is displayed on screen other functions can be utilised, such as Create Planes from stereographic projection to determine the mean plane of a group of structural measurements. This plane can be used within mine designs to ascertain whether slope failure is likely.

To generate the mean plane go to, Database > Structural Suite > Create Planes from stereographic projection. Digitise around the points of interest within the stereonet or symbols in the graphics window. For example:

 

 

 

 

A mean plane will then be generated in a new layer called, ‘mean planes’. The mean plane is usually represented by a green symbol and can be enlarged by using Database > Structural Suite > Expand Segment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) How to create a line of intersection between two intersecting planes?

When multiple planes are generated from different structures their intersections can also be modelled for safety consideration in mine designs and/or geotechnical assessments.

To generate an intersection line between two planes, firstly have two intersecting planes displayed, then go to Database > Structural Suite > Dip/dip direction of the intersection line of two planes. Click on both planes and the resulting intersection line will be store in a layer with the name of ‘plane intersections’.

 

 

 

 

In the last post of this 3-part series, we will look at the following Structural suite functions:

  • DTM gradient data
  • Locate Drillhole.
  • Fit Plane to selected DTM or solid
  • Fit plane to selected points

 

 

0

Ross Pemberton

Mining Knowledge Consultant, GEOVIA at Dassault Systèmes
Ross is a qualified Resource Geologist with 9 years' industry experience in database management, geological modeling, grade control, geostatistics, resources estimations and process mapping. Since joining GEOVIA, Ross has worked with and assisted mining clients across Europe, Middle East and Africa. His commodity experience includes gold, copper, lead, zinc, iron, coal, bitumen and various industrial minerals. He regularly delivers support, training and consultancy services in GEOVIA Surpac, GEOVIA Minex, GEOVIA MineSched and various roles on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Ross is based in Coventry, UK.