Simulation of geological uncertainty based on improved three-dimensional coupled Markov chain model

Abstract

The natural stratigraphic distribution is uncertain due to the geological tectonic movements and sedimentation. It is a challenge for traditional deterministic models to capture geological uncertainty. The objective of this study is to develop an improved three-dimensional coupled Markov chain (ICMC3D) model based on limited boreholes. The proposed method enhances the traditional three-dimensional coupled Markov chain model by modifying the transition probability equation for predicting unknown elements. The dip data is added to estimate the transition probability matrix with the borehole information. On this basis, a back analysis method is proposed for estimating the horizontal transition probability matrics. The method makes the predicted results more suitable for the possible stratigraphic distribution. The accuracy of the proposed method is verified through some applications. In this paper, an improved three-dimensional coupled Markov chain model and transition probability matrix estimation method are illustrated by the borehole data collected from a tunnel project in Qingdao. The results show that the presented method can reflect the asymmetry, continuity and anisotropy of the three-dimensional stratum. The exceedance probability is proposed to predict the fault zone development range in order to reduce the geological uncertainty.