Restoring cross-sections to aid subsurface structural interpretation

Part of The Shear Zone channel. Being able to drawn a balanced cross-section is an important step in assessing the "validity" of a structural interpretation of the subsurface. This presentation develops this approach to show how structural restoration, assessed for balance, can be used to investigate different models to explain the structure of folds on cross-sections, using an example based on structures in the outer part of the French Alps.

[@rprabir]

Excellent illustration. I must say you are doing a fabulous job by putting these high quality lectures in public domain. May I ask the name of the software you are using for balancing?

[@robbutler2095]

Thank you - I'm glad you're finding them useful. As for balancing software - I don't use anything technical. I'll draw an interpretation and then iterate to clean up small irregularities of the loose line (as implied in this video). So it's just a question of measuring bed-lengths and cross-sectional areas. This is straightforward using any graphics package, especially if you can be working with a grid in the background to the main artwork. In my view it is especially important not to be tied in to any specific structural style or section construction method (as I discuss in other videos) as these restrict the "solution space" in interpretation and can bias outcomes. Thank you for the question!

[@LongHoang-lp1dm]

Hi Rob, three models gave me an excellent way of thinking. the measurement you made here was manually. I am wondering if there is any portable software can do that. have you ever played with MOVE structural geological modelling software? I found it quite helful but a bit costy. Thanks alot!

[@robbutler2095]

There are plenty of apps that can measure line-length and areas (eg Acrobat). My students and I use Move a lot for measuring and comparing complex surfaces (e.g. from 3D seismic) but I don't use software to construct sections/restore because they're too restrictive - unless you want to show a particular type of interpretation.

[@LongHoang-lp1dm]

@@robbutler2095 Thanks Rob!