Appendix I

Stereonets for hand plotting of

structural geology data

I.1 Introduction The procedure for plotting poles is to lay a sheet

of tracing paper on the printed polar net and mark
Analysis of the orientation of structural geology
the north direction and each quadrant position
data involves first, plotting poles representing the
around the edge of the outer circle. A mark is
dip and dip direction of each discontinuity. This
then made to show the pole that represents the
plot will help to identify discontinuity sets, for
orientation of each discontinuity as defined by its
which both the average orientation and the scat-
dip and dip direction. Poles for shallow dipping
ter (dispersion) can be calculated. The second step
discontinuities lie close to the center of the circle,
in the analysis is to plot great circles representing
and poles of steeply dipping discontinuities lie
the average orientation of each set, major dis-
close to the periphery of the circle.
continuities such as faults, and the dip and dip
direction of the cut face. Hand plotting of struc-
tural data can be carried out on the stereonets
I.3 Contouring pole concentrations
provided in this appendix. Further details of the
plotting procedures are provided in Chapter 2, Concentrations of pole orientations can be iden-
Section 2.5. tified using a counting net such as that shown in
Figure I.2. The Kalsbeek net is made up of mutu-
ally overlapping hexagons, each with an area of
I.2 Plotting poles 1/100 of the full area of the stereonet. Contour-
ing is performed by overlaying the counting net
Poles can be plotted on the polar stereonet
on the pole plot and counting the number of poles
(Figure I.1) on which the dip direction is indic-
in each hexagon; this number is marked on the
ated on the periphery of the circle, and the dip is
net. These numbers of poles are converted into
measured along radial lines with zero degrees at
percentages by dividing each by the total number
the center. It should be noted that the stereonet
of poles and multiplying by 100. Once a percent-
shown on Figure I.1 is the lower hemisphere plot
age is written in each hexagon, contours can be
in which the dip direction scale starts at the bot-
developed by interpolation.
tom of the circle and increases in a clockwise
direction, with the north arrow corresponding
to the dip direction of 180◦ . The reason for set-
I.4 Plotting great circles
ting up the scale in this manner is that if the
field readings, as measured with a structural com- Great circles are plotted on the equatorial net
pass, are plotted directly on the stereonet, the (Figure I.3), but they cannot be plotted directly
poles are correctly plotted on the lower hemi- on this net because the true dip can only be scaled
sphere plot. off the horizontal axis. The plotting procedure for
378 Appendix I

Poles

180

190
170

200
160

0
21
15
0

0
22
14
0
0
13 23
0

0
12 24
0

250
110

260
100

20 40 60 80 270
90

280
80

290
70
30
0
60
31
0
50

32
0
40

33
0
30

340
20

350
10

Figure I.1 Equal-area polar net for plotting poles.

great circles consists of the following steps: to the paper. Note that a horizontal plane
has a great circle at the circumference of the
1 Lay a piece of tracing paper on the net with net, and a vertical plane is represented by
a thumbtack through the center point so that a straight line passing through the center of
the tracing paper can be rotated on the net. the net.
2 Mark the north direction of the net on the 6 Rotate the tracing paper so that the two north
tracing paper. points coincide and the great circle is oriented
3 Locate the dip direction of the plane on the correctly.
scale around the circumference of the net and
mark this point on the tracing paper. Note
that the dip direction scale on the equatorial I.5 Lines of intersection
net for plotting great circles starts at the north The intersection of two planes is a straight line,
point at the top of the circle and increases in which defines the direction of sliding of a wedge
a clockwise direction. formed by these two planes. The procedure
4 Rotate the tracing paper until the dip direction for determining the orientation of the line of
mark coincides with one of the horizontal axes intersection between two planes is:
of the net, that is, the 90◦ or 180◦ points of
the dip direction scale. 1 Locate the line of intersection between the two
5 Locate the arc on the net corresponding to planes, which is represented by the point at
the dip of the plane and trace this arc on which the two great circles intersect.
Figure I.2 Kalsbeek counting net for contouring pole concentrations.

350 0 10
340 20
330 30
320 40

310 50

300 60

290 70

280 80

270 90

260 100

250 110

240 120

230 130

220 140

210 150
200 160
190 180 170

Figure I.3 Equal-area equatorial net for plotting poles and great circles.
380 Appendix I
2 Draw a line from the center of the net through
the point of intersection and extend it to the
circumference of the net.
3 The trend of the line of intersection is given by
the position where the line drawn in step 2
intersects the scale on the circumference of
the net.
4 Rotate the tracing paper until the line
drawn in step 2 lies over one of the hori-
zontal axes of the net (dip directions 90◦
or 180◦ ). The plunge of the line of inter-
section is read off the scale on the hori-
zontal axis, with a horizontal plunge having
a point of intersection at the circumfer-
ence and a vertical plunge at the center of
the net.