FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
LABORATORY : ENGINEERING GEOLOGY &
GEOPHYSIC LABORATORY
TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA ( LAB 4a )

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:

1/9
LAB 4a

EFECTIVE DATE :
AMENDMENT DATE:

1.0 OBJECTIVE
To plot poles and carry out contouring of the structural geology data.

2.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

a)
b)
c)
d)

Students should able to use the geological compass.

Students should able to measures the dip and dip direction of any planes.
Students should able to plot poles of the structural geology data.
Students should able to plot contour from the structural geology data.

3.0 THEORY
Analysis of the orientation of structural geology data involves;

Plotting poles representing the dip and dip direction of each discontinuity. This plot will help to identify discontinuity sets, for
which both the average orientation and the scatter (dispersion) can be calculated.

The second step in the analysis is to plot great circles representing the average orientation of each set, major discontinuities
such as faults, and the dip and dip direction of the cut face.

4.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

Equal-area for plotting poles and great circles (Appendix C)
Equal-area polar net (Appendix D)
Kalsbeek counting net (Appendix E)
Tracing paper
Pencil

5.0 PROCEDURE

Poles can be plotted on the polar stereonet on which the dip direction is indicated on the periphery of the circle, and the dip is
measured along radial lines with zero degrees at the center.

The procedure for plotting poles is to lay a sheet of tracing paper on the printed polar net and mark the north direction and each
quadrant position around the edge of the outer circle. A mark is then made to show the pole that represents the orientation o
each discontinuity as defined by its dip and dip direction. Poles for shallow dipping discontinuities lie close to the center of the
circle, and poles of steeply dipping discontinuities lie close to the periphery of the circle.

Concentrations of pole orientations can be identified using Kalsbeek counting net. The Kalsbeek net is made up of mutually
overlapping hexagons, each with an area of 1/100 of the full area of the stereonet.

Contouring is performed by overlaying the counting net on the pole and counting the number of poles in each hexagon; this
number is marked on the net. These numbers of poles are converted into percentages by dividing each by the total number of
poles and multiplying by 100. Once a percentage is written in each hexagon, contours can be developed by interpolation.

FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:

TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA (LAB 4a)

AMENDMENT DATE:

2/9
LAB 4a

6.0 RESULT AND ANALYSIS

Discontinuities pattern.

Equal-area equatorial net for plotting poles and great circles.

7.0 QUESTION AND DISCUSSION

(1) Give two (2) methods to draw the structural geology data and discuss based on what situation we choose that method
(each method).

a) Cross Section Techniques

This kind of technique is generated from geological maps and can be seen as vertical slices through a map area
showing a profile view of subsurface structure. Cross-sections are either trial sections, drawn to solve structural problems,
or are drawn to supplement a fair copy map or illustrate a report. They are also drawn to site boreholes in the search for a
lost aquifer or ore body. The geological cross sections drawing are not a small or trivial undertaking and methods for their
generation have become sophisticated. This is because we are trying to make interpretations about the geometry of
features (e.g. bedding, faults) at depth on the basis of surface geometries. Some aid in this regards may exist in the form
of borehole or geophysical data. However, this is often the exception and skills should be tuned for cross section
construction without such subsurface information.

30

A cross section of the map

Dip and strike of a bedding plane

FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
LABORATORY : ENGINEERING GEOLOGY &
GEOPHYSIC LABORATORY
TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA (LAB 4a)

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:

3/9
LAB 4a

EFECTIVE DATE :
AMENDMENT DATE:

b) Streonet Techniques
In this technique, all circles on the sphere plot as circles on the plane, making it easier to construct the projection.
The projection is conformal, meaning that angles and small shapes on the sphere project are true on the plane. Each
projection represents the important data in the map so the contour can be made. Small regions on the sphere project true on
the plane, making the stereographic a good map projection for small areas, but radial distortion increases away from the
tangency point.

FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
LABORATORY : ENGINEERING GEOLOGY &
GEOPHYSIC LABORATORY
TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA (LAB 4a)

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:
EFECTIVE DATE :
AMENDMENT DATE:

4/9
LAB 4a

(2) Explain the type of geological structure plotted in the stereonet with the aid of diagram.
According to the geological structure that has been plotted in this experiment by the stereonet, we can determine
the earth geographysuch as the hill, mountain and many other earth surface that represent by the contour. There are several
datas that required in this experiment such as the dip directions and dip angles in the geological map. It can be plotted on
polar stereonet which dip direction and dip degree is being used. In this experiment, we have 120 datas to be plotted. Using
the tracing paper, we have plotted 120 dotes on it which is requires focus on the plotting work or else the result will be
slightly unaccurate base on the datas. After the datas were plotted, there are groups of plotted dotes then calculated. After
that, another tracing paper was used to plot the contour. By using this kind of plotting contour method, the slope stability and
the failure of slope can be determined. The failure of slope is whether planar, wedge, circular or toppling.

FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
LABORATORY : ENGINEERING GEOLOGY &
GEOPHYSIC LABORATORY
TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA (LAB 4a)

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:
EFECTIVE DATE :
AMENDMENT DATE:

5/9
LAB 4a

(3) Explain the methodology to determine the discontinuities survey data.

Discontinuities can be defined as any form of mechanical breaks or fractures within a rock mass which can cause
tensile strength across the fracture planes to approach zero or even lower. To determine the discontinuities survey data, we
need to collect some data and assuming some parameters in order to measure he discontinuities. To collect such data, the
best tool is the geological compass. Collecting datas by using geological compass is a better method because it can save a
lot of time while using other method that wasting much time on calculation to find the data needed. There are another kind
of method to determine the discontinuities which called Scanline Survey. Before conducting this job, there is some
preliminary preparation before we do the right procedure smoothly. The discontinuities survey data sheet is prepared which
is containing all of the data that we need to measure on the site.

FACULTY : CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT : GEOTECHNICAL &
TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
LABORATORY : ENGINEERING GEOLOGY &
GEOPHYSIC LABORATORY
TOPIC : PLOTTING POLES AND CONTOURING OF
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY DATA (LAB 4a)

NO. OF PAGES:
EDITION:
NO. OF CHECKING:

6/9
LAB 4a

EFECTIVE DATE :
AMENDMENT DATE:

8.0 CONCLUSION
This experiment is about plotting poles and contouring of structural geology data. From this experiment, the
students should able to measures the dip and dip direction of any planes, plotting poles of structural geological data, and
able to plot contour from the structural geology data. In this experiment, we are using equal-area for plotting poles and
great circles, equal-area polar net, kalsbeek counting net, tracing paper and pencil to come to the experiment objectives.
From this experiment that we have done in geology lab, we should know how to plot poles and carry out
contouring of the structural geology data now. Poles can be plotted on the polar stereonet on which the dip direction is
indicated on the periphery of the circle and the dip is measured along racial lines wih zero degrees at the center. It should
be noted that the stereonet is the lower hemisphere plot in which the direction scale starts at the bottom of the circle and
increase following the clockwise directionwith the north arrow corresponding to the dip diection of 180. There is reason
why do we set the scale in this way is that if the field reading as measured with structural compass are plotted directly on
the stereonet, the poles are correctly plotted on the lower hemisphere plot.
Then all the datas are being used to make the projection and form the contour on the tracing paper using all the
requirements that we have. The procedure for plotting is lay a sheet of tracing paper on the printed polar net and mark the
north direction and each quadrant position around the edge of the outer circle. A mark is then made to show the pole that
represents the orientation of each discontinuity as defined by its dip and dip direction. Poles for shallow dipping
discontinuities lie close to the center of the circle and poles of steely dipping discontinuities lie close the periphery of the
circle.