Groshong Richard H. 3-D Structural Geology(Second Edition)

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128 Chapter 5 · Fold Geometry

fold limb are more likely to be drag folds than is a single asymmetric fold among a

group of symmetric folds.

Folds in which the sense of shear of the drag folds remains constant from one fold

limb to the next (Fig. 5.25a) require a different interpretation. One possibility is the

presence of a bedding

-plane fault with transport from left to right (Fig. 5.25b); the

folds would be fault

-related drag folds. Alternatively the beds may be recumbently folded

and then refolded with a vertical axial surface. In this situation (Fig. 5.25c), the sense

of shear would be interpreted as in Fig. 5.24, and Fig. 5.25a then represents the upright

limb of a recumbent anticline, the hinge of which must be to the right of the area of

Fig. 5.25a, as shown in Fig. 5.25c.

Fold origins other than by buckling may yield other relationships between the sense

of shear given by drag folds and position within the structure. Structures caused by

differential vertical displacements, for example salt domes or gneiss domes, could re-

sult in exactly the opposite sense of shear on the fold limbs from that in buckle folds

(Fig. 5.26). The pattern in Fig. 5.26 has been called Christmas

-tree drag.

Fig. 5.26.

Cross section of parasitic drag

folds in the center bed as re-

lated to first-order differential

vertical folding. Large arrows

show directions of the bound-

ary displacements

Fig. 5.27. Geological data and different possible geometries based on alternative interpretations of the

significance of the circled attitude measurement. a Data. Bedding attitudes with B: observed base of

formation; T: observed top of formation. b Interpretation honoring all contacts and attitudes.

c Interpretation honoring all contacts but not all attitudes

129

Potential interpretation problems associated with minor folds are illustrated by the

map in Fig. 5.27a. The observed contact locations and bedding attitudes could be ex-

plained by the maps in either Fig. 5.27b or 5.27c. The shape of the first

-order fold honors

the 34SW dip in Fig. 5.27b and ignores it in Fig. 5.27c. The dip oblique to the contact

could be justified as being either a cross bed or belonging to a minor fold.

Plotting the data from Fig. 5.27 on a tangent diagram (Fig. 5.28a) shows that all the

points, including the questionable point (34, 212), fall on the same line, indicating a

cylindrical fold plunging 30° due south. This result leads to rejection of the cross

-bed

hypothesis and indicates that the oblique bedding attitude is coaxial with the map

scale syncline. If the map of Fig. 5.27c is supported by the contact locations, then the

structure has the form given by Fig. 5.28b.

5.7

Growth Folds

A growth fold develops during the deposition of sediments (Fig. 5.29a). The growth

history can be quantified using an expansion index diagram, where the expansion

index, E, is

E = t

/ t

, (5.13)

with t

= the downthrown thickness (off structure) and t

= the upthrown thickness (on

the fold crest). The thicknesses should be measured perpendicular to bedding so as not

to confuse dip changes with thickness changes (Fig. 5.29a). The expansion index given

here is the same as for growth faults (Thorsen 1963; Sect. 7.6). Different but related equa-

tions for folds have been given previously by Johnson and Bredeson (1971) and Brewer

Fig. 5.28. Alternative interpretation of geological data in Fig. 5.27a. a Tangent diagram of bedding atti-

tudes. Open circle is the 34, 212 point. Plunge of the fold is 30S. b Geological map of syncline with a

coaxial minor fold on the limb. (After Stockwell 1950)

5.7 · Growth Folds

130 Chapter 5 · Fold Geometry

and Groshong (1993). Using the same equation for both folds and faults facilitates the

comparison of growth histories of both types of structures where they occur together.

The magnitude of the expansion index is plotted against the stratigraphic unit to

give the expansion index diagram (Fig. 5.29b). The diagram illustrates the growth

history of the fold. An expansion index of 1 means no growth and an index greater

than 1 indicates upward growth of the anticlinal crest during deposition. The fold in

Fig. 5.29a is a compressional detachment fold (Fig. 11.37) in which tectonic thickening

in the pre

-growth interval causes the expansion index to be less than 1. The growth

intervals show an irregular upward increase in the growth rate. An expansion index

diagram is particularly helpful in revealing subtle variations in the growth history of

a fold and in comparing the growth histories of different structures. The expansion

index is most appropriate for the sequences that are completely depositional. If ero-

sion has occurred across the crest of the fold the expansion index will be misleading.

5.8

Exercises

5.8.1

Geometry of the Sequatchie Anticline

Plot the attitude data from Table 5.1 on a stereogram and on a tangent diagram to find

the fold style and plunge. How do the two methods compare?

5.8.2

Geometry of the Greasy Cove Anticline

The bedding attitudes below (Table 5.2) come from the Greasy Cove anticline, a com-

pressional structure in the southern Appalachian fold

-thrust belt. What is the

axis

of the fold? Use a tangent diagram to find the axis and the style of the fold.

Fig. 5.29. Expansion index for a fold. Units 1–4 are growth units and units 5–6 are pre-growth units.

a Cross section in the dip direction. b Expansion index diagram

131

5.8.3

Structure of a Selected Map Area

Use the map of a selected structure (for example, Fig. 3.3 or 3.29) to answer the follow-

ing questions. Measure and list all the bedding attitudes on the map. Plot the attitudes

on a stereogram and a tangent diagram. What fold geometry is present? Which dia-

gram gives the clearest result? Explain. Define the locations of the crest and trough

traces from the map. Are the directions the same as given by the attitude diagrams?

Find the attitudes of the axial planes, and locate the axial

-plane traces on the map.

What method did you use and why? What are the problems, if any, with the interpre-

tation? Do the axial

-surface traces coincide with the crest and trough traces? What are

the orientations of the axial

-surface intersection lines? Show where these intersection

lines pierce the outcrop.

Table 5.2.

Bedding attitudes, Greasy Cove

anticline, northeastern Alabama

5.8 · Exercises

Chapter 6

6.1

Introduction

A cross section shows the relationships between different horizons and allows the

information from multiple map horizons to be incorporated into the interpretation.

Cross sections may categorized as illustrative or predictive. The purpose of an illustra-

tive cross section is to illustrate the cross section view of an already

-completed map or

-D interpretation. A slice through a 3-D interpretation is a perfect example. The pur-

pose of a predictive cross section is to assemble scattered information and, utilizing

appropriate rules, predict the geometry between control points. A predictive cross

section can be used to predict the geometry of a horizon for which little or no infor-

mation is available.

Data projection is typically part of the cross

-section construction process. Relevant

data commonly lie a significant distance from the line of section. Rather than ignore

this information, it can be projected onto the section plane. The quality of the result

depends on selecting the correct projection direction. This chapter describes how to

select the projection direction and gives several techniques for making the projection

by hand or analytically. Projection within a dip

-domain style structure involves defin-

ing the 3

-D axial-surface network and so becomes a blend of mapping, data projection,

and section construction.

6.2

Cross-Section Preliminaries

6.2.1

Choosing the Line of Section

Cross sections constructed for the purpose of structural interpretation are usually

oriented perpendicular to the fold axis, perpendicular to a major fault, or parallel to

these trends. The structural trend to use in controlling the direction of the cross sec-

tion is the axis of the largest fold in the map area or the strike of the major fault in

the area. Good reasons may exist for other choices of the basic design parameters.

For example, the cross section may be required in a specific location and direction

for the construction of a road cut or a mine layout. If other choices of the parameters,

such as the direction of the section line or the amount of vertical exaggeration, are

required, it is recommended that a section normal to strike be constructed and vali-

Cross Sections, Data Projection and Dip-Domain Mapping

134 Chapter 6 · Cross Sections, Data Projection and Dip-Domain Mapping

dated (Chap. 10 and 11) first. A grid of cross sections is needed for a complete three-

dimensional structural interpretation.

The reason that a structure section should be straight and perpendicular to the major

structural trend is that it gives the most representative view of the geometry. The sim-

plest example of this is a cross section through a circular cylinder (Fig. 6.1). If the

entire cylinder is visible, then it would readily be described as being a right circular

cylinder. The cross section that best illustrates this description is Fig. 6.1a, normal to

the axis of the cylinder, referred to as the normal section. Any other planar cross sec-

tion oblique to the axis is an ellipse (Fig. 6.1b). An elliptical cross section is also correct

but does not convey the appropriate impression of the three dimensional shape of the

cylinder. A section that is not straight (Fig. 6.1c) also fails to convey accurately the

three

-dimensional geometry of the cylinder, although, again, the section is accurate.

Section c in Fig. 6.1 could be improved for structural interpretation by removing the

segment parallel to the axis, producing a section like Fig. 7.1a. A section parallel to the

fold (or fault) trend (Fig. 6.1d) is also necessary to completely describe the geometry.

Predictive cross sections are constructed using bed

-thickness and fold-curvature

relationships that are appropriate for the structural style. In order to use these geomet-

ric relationships, or rules, to construct and validate cross sections, it is necessary to

choose the cross section to which the rules apply. Such a rule, in the case of the circular

cylinder in Fig. 6.1, is that the beds are portions of circular arcs having the same center

of curvature. In this simple and easily applicable form, the rule applies only to section a.

More complex rules could be developed for the other cross sections, but it is quicker

and less confusing to select the plane of the cross section that fits the simplest rule than

to change the rule to fit an arbitrary cross

-section orientation.

Fig. 6.1.

Cross sections through a circu-

lar cylinder. a Normal section.

b Oblique section. c Offset

section. d Axial section

Fig. 6.2.

Structure contour map of an

anticline showing the section

lines. A–A': normal (trans-

verse) cross section perpen-

dicular to the trend of the

anticline. B–B': longitudinal

cross section. C–C': well-to-

well cross section

135

The effect of a curved section (Fig. 6.2) on the implied geometry of an elongate

dome is shown in Fig. 6.3. The correct geometry of the structure is shown by the nor-

mal section, a straight

-line cross section perpendicular to the axial trace of the struc-

ture (Fig. 6.3a) and the longitudinal section (Fig. 6.3b) parallel to the crest of the struc-

ture. A line of section that is not straight, such as one that runs through an irregular

trend of wells or a seismic line that follows an irregular road, produces a false image

of the structure. The zig

-zag section across the map (Fig. 6.3c) incorrectly shows the

anticline to have two local culminations instead of just one. This is a serious problem

if the cross section is used to locate hydrocarbon traps or to infer the deep structure

using the predictive section drawing techniques described in Sect. 6.4.

The first line of section across a structure chosen for interpretation should avoid

local structures, like tear faults, oblique to the main structural trend. Oblique struc-

tures introduce complexities into the main structure that are more easily interpreted

after the geometry of the rest of the structure has been determined. Returning to the

cylinder, now shown offset along a tear fault (Fig. 6.4), cross sections at a and c will

Fig. 6.3. Sections through the map in Fig. 6.2. a Normal section perpendicular to the fold crest.

b Longitudinal section parallel to the fold crest. c Zig-zag or well-to-well cross section. d Oblique

3-D view of the structure showing the three cross sections

6.2 · Cross-Section Preliminaries

136 Chapter 6 · Cross Sections, Data Projection and Dip-Domain Mapping

reveal the basic geometry of the cylinder. A cross section at b that crosses the fault will

be very difficult to interpret until after the basic geometry is known from sections a

or c. The simplest method for constructing the structure along section b would be to

project the geometry into it from the unfaulted parts of the cylinder.

6.2.2

Choosing the Section Dip

Only a cross section perpendicular to the plunge (the normal section) shows the true

bed thicknesses. In all other sections the thicknesses are exaggerated. This is impor-

tant if the section is going to be used for predictive purposes. The plunge of a cylin-

drical fold is the orientation of its axis, which can be found from the bedding atti-

tudes using the stereonet or tangent diagram techniques given in Sect. 5.2. A conical

fold does not have an axis and so, in the strict sense, there is no normal section. The

orientation of either the crestal line or the cone axis is an approximate plunge direc-

tion for a conical fold. On a structure contour map the trend and plunge of the crestal

line is readily identified. The plunge angle is given by the contour spacing in the plunge

direction.

Within a domain of cylindrical folding, changing the dip of the section plane is

equivalent to changing the vertical or horizontal exaggeration. This relationship is the

basis of the map interpretation technique known as down

-plunge viewing. The map

pattern in an area of moderate topographic relief represents an oblique, hence exag-

gerated, section through a plunging structure. Viewed in the direction of plunge, the

map pattern becomes a normal section (Mackin 1950).

The down

-plunge view of a fault should give the correct cross-section geometry and

the sense of the stratigraphic separation. The plunge direction of a fault is parallel to

the axis or crest or trough line of ramp

-related folds or drag folds. If the fault is listric

or antilistric, the plunge direction should be the axis of the curved surface, just as if it

were a folded surface. If the fault is planar and there are no associated folds, the appro-

priate plunge direction is parallel to the cutoff line of a displaced marker against the

fault (Threet 1973).

If a vertical cross section is constructed normal to the trend of the plunge, the ver-

tical exaggeration due to the plunge angle can be removed by rotating the section using

the method given in Sect. 6.5. The same approach can be used to convert a map view

into a normal section.

Fig. 6.4.

Cross-section lines across a

cylinder offset along an ob-

lique fault

137

6.2.3

Vertical and Horizontal Exaggeration

Both vertical and horizontal exaggeration are used to help visualize and interpret the

structure on cross sections. Vertical exaggeration is a change of the vertical scale (usu-

ally an expansion) while maintaining a constant horizontal scale and is a common

mode of presentation of geological cross sections. Vertical exaggeration makes the relief

on a subtle structure more visible on the cross section (Fig. 6.5a). Horizontal exag-

geration is a change of the horizontal scale while maintaining a constant vertical scale

Fig. 6.5. Cross sections across Tip Top field, Wyoming thrust belt. a 3: 1 vertical exaggeration and a 0.5: 1

horizontal exaggeration, as might be seen on a seismic reflection profile. b Unexaggerated cross sec-

tion. (Section modified from Groshong and Epard 1994, after Webel 1987)

6.2 · Cross

-Section Preliminaries

138 Chapter 6 · Cross Sections, Data Projection and Dip-Domain Mapping

and is common, along with vertical exaggeration, in the presentation of seismic lines

(Stone 1991). Reducing the horizontal scale (squeezing) makes a wide, low amplitude

structure more visible and makes the break in horizon continuity at faults more obvi-

ous. Squeezing exaggerates the structure without producing an unmanageably tall cross

section.

Vertical exaggeration (V

) is equal to the length of one unit on the vertical scale

divided by the length of one unit on the map, and horizontal exaggeration (H

) is the

length of one unit on the horizontal scale divided by the length of one unit on the map

(Fig. 6.6):

= v

/ v , (6.1)

= h

/ h , (6.2)

where v

= exaggerated vertical dimension, v = vertical dimension at map scale,

= exaggerated horizontal dimension, and h = horizontal dimension at map scale.

As derived at the end of the chapter (Eqs. 6.21 and 6.22), the true dip is related to the

exaggerated dip by

tan

= V

tan

, (6.3)

tan

=tan

/ H

, (6.4)

where

= vertically exaggerated dip,

= horizontally exaggerated dip, and

=true

dip. Equation 6.3 is plotted in Fig. 6.7. In its effect on the dip, a vertical exaggeration

is equivalent to the reciprocal of a horizontal exaggeration (from Eq. 6.24 at the end of

the chapter):

=1/H

. (6.5)

Fig. 6.6.

Vertical and horizontal exag-

geration. A bed of original

thickness t is shown in white.

a Unexaggerated cross section.

b Horizontally exaggerated

(squeezed) cross section.

c Vertically exaggerated cross

section