Towards Automatic and Topologically Consistent 3D Regional Geological Modeling from Boundaries and Attitudes

Jiateng Guo,Lixin Wu,Chaoling Li,Jizhou Jiang,Wenhui Zhou

doi:10.3390/ijgi5020017

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) geological models are important representations of the results of regional geological surveys. However, the process of constructing 3D geological models from two-dimensional (2D) geological elements remains difficult and is not necessarily robust. This paper proposes a method of migrating from 2D elements to 3D models. First, the geological interfaces were constructed using the Hermite Radial Basis Function (HRBF) to interpolate the boundaries and attitude data. Then, the subsurface geological bodies were extracted from the spatial map area using the Boolean method between the HRBF surface and the fundamental body. Finally, the top surfaces of the geological bodies were constructed by coupling the geological boundaries to digital elevation models. Based on this workflow, a prototype system was developed, and typical geological structures (e.g., folds, faults, and strata) were simulated. Geological modes were constructed through this workflow based on realistic regional geological survey data. The model construction process was rapid, and the resulting models accorded with the constraints of the original data. This method could also be used in other fields of study, including mining geology and urban geotechnical investigations.

Highlights

Regional geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geological and mining condition in the target area
Hermite Radial Basis Function (HRBF) Body-Extraction Method In Section 3, we described how the attitudes could be transformed into the gradients of the geological interface
Realistic regional geological data were tested in this system, and the corresponding 3D geological models were constructed

Summary

Introduction

Regional geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geological and mining condition in the target area. The primary mission of geological survey is to investigate and expound the attitudes, distribution, components, ages and mutual relations of the geological bodies (strata and rock), build the regional geological map databases and provide fundamental data for the infrastructure construction through geological theories (e.g., geology, geophysics, and geochemistry) as well as the digital mapping technology. It is very difficult to imagine and understand the underground development of the geological bodies through the 2D geological maps. With the development of computer graphics and 3D modeling technology, 3D geological mapping was carried out in the developed countries over the past two decades, including USA [1], France [2], UK [3] and German [4]. The transformation from 2D maps to 3D models remains difficult and time-consuming

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Conclusion