Field Measurements
Luzana Kamtangwala
Strike and Dip
• Geologists use measurements called strike (trend) and
dip (inclination) to help determine the orientation or
attitude of a rock layer or fault surface
• By knowing the strike and dip of rocks at the surface,
geologists can predict the nature and structure of rock
units and faults that are hidden beneath the surface,
beyond their view
• In the classification, and nomenclature of folds,
faults, joints and unconformities, the nature of dip
and strike is of paramount significance
Strike and Dip
• Strike: the compass direction of a line formed by the
intersection of an inclined plane with a horizontal
plane (in respective to the north)
• Dip is essentially an angle of inclination of the bed, it
is the amount of inclination of a bed with respect to
an horizontal plane.
• Angle of dip/Dip: a measurement downward from
the horizontal plane to the bedding plane
• Dip Direction: the compass direction in which the
angle of dip is measured
What geological feature can we measure Strike and Dip
• Structural features e.g. Fault, joints, fold limbs, veins
• Foliation
• Joints
• Bedding
What is the feature here
What is the feature here
What is the feature here
Strike and Dip
•picture a single layer of that rock
and tilt it downward to the right.
•The tilt of that layer is called
“dip”.
•This layer is described as dipping
to the right, because that’s the
direction it’s tilted downwards
toward.
•The dip is measured as angle
between the layer and horizontal.
Strike and Dip
•imagine looking at that same
tilted layer from directly above
it.
•Again, it’s dipping downward
to the right. Draw a horizontal
line across the layer, that’s is the
“strike”.
•In this example, the strike is
north-south. That means this
layer is dipping to the east.
Strike and Dip
Strike and Dip
Whats the dip, dip dir and strike?
Strike: SW-NE
Dip dir: SE
Strike and Dip
Plotting Dip and Strike on a Map
• Dip is given by the number (0°-90°) as well as a letter (N,
S,E,W) with rough direction in which the bed is dipping
• Unambigous way is to write for instance 032/60 SE
➢Meaning strike is 032 dip is 60 and dip direction is south
east
➢Or 032 can be 212
• Beds that are dipping vertically are shown with the dip
symbol on both sides of the strike
• and beds that are flat are shown like the vertical beds, but
with a circle around them.
Plotting Dip and Strike on a Map
• you must plot measurements onto your map immediately
after you have taken them:
➢ so that any mistakes made in reading your compass are
obvious.
➢The readings on the map define the structure and greatly
assist with chasing contacts and the completion of the
map
• Measurements can be plotted later:
➢When the weather is bad
➢When structure is Joint, since joints clutter map
➢When structures are complex
Plotting Dip and Strike on a Map
• Without Dip and strike on a map, the geology map will
have little meaning.
• A useful rule of thumb is to take readings with a
frequency of about one per 5 cm2 of map area
regardless of the scale of mapping.
• Do not take measurements only when the strikes or
dips have changed
Other writing conventions
1. American right-hand-rule
• If one views a dipping plane along strike it will appear to dip
to the right or to the left depending on which of the strike
directions you are using as the direction of viewing.
• Choose the direction of viewing that gives a dip to the right.
Other writing conventions
2. British right-hand-rule
➢Place the right hand, palm down, on the dipping bed,
with the thumb pointing down the dip. Record the
strike in the direction of the index finger. The example
below would read as 212/43.
Plotting Dip and Strike on a Map
• Strike is North-South
• Dip 45
• Dip direction east
•Beds that are dipping vertically are shown with the dip
symbol on both sides of the strike
• and beds that are flat are shown like the vertical beds,
but with a circle around them
Field sketches & how to draw them
Aims
• To show students how to make relevant field
sketches
• To encourage use of appropriate technical terms
to describe what is seen & sketched in the field
• To help students revise basic field phenomena
Why are field sketches important?
• Record field observations & measurements
• Give a summary of key structural & geological
features
• Help analyses of photographs taken in the field
• Provide useful memory aids
• Here today – gone tomorrow?
Making a field sketch
produce sketches which will convey information about
the rocks that were being investigated
You do have to:
You don’t have to:
• Produce a simple
• Be an artist outline drawing or
• Produce a masterpiece or summary diagram
work of art • Allow enough time to
make a sketch
• Keep work neat &
tidy
1.Title
•Sketches are done for a variety of reasons e.g
regional geology, hillsides or cliffs showing the
boundaries between different rocks or large
structures, detailed depiction of an exposure or a plan
of a small area with many exposures.
•So it is essential that each sketch has a title to
indicate why you drew it and what you intended to
show
Stages in drawing a field sketch
Sketch Practice
More Practice
Stages in drawing a field sketch
3. Choose a scale & draw lines to divide your
page
•Convey an impression of the size of what you are drawing so
put a scale bar showing an appropriate length in cm/m
4.Draw in the skyline & foreground in your field of
view
this gives a frame for the detail of your sketch
5.Draw in lines showing the main structural & geological
features
•Show clearly and simply the geological features
•Emphasize the boundaries between rocks in the
exposure
•The orientation of bedding and give an indication of the
fracture patterns in each of the beds.
•Show the presence of faulting & other structures,
indicate their orientations clearly and interpret directions
of displacement.
6. Draw in features such as changes in slope,
vegetation & rock type.
Hint: depending on scale some details of minor
features can be left out – best recorded in smaller
sketches highlighting details.
6. Labelling
•Although your sketch should have visual impact it is essential
that as much information as possible is conveyed.
•Label all the rocks present, give the dip and strike of planar
structures and the orientation of other structures as well as
depict them.
•Show where fossils were found and where any other points of
interest were located.
6. Add labels
7. Check list on final sketch
Each and every sketch should have the following:
(a) Date
(b) Locality & National Grid Reference
(c) Title
(d) Direction of view
(e) Measurements/scale
(f) Rock types
(g) Dip & strike
(h) Types of structures (sedimentary, tectonic)
Hint: Avoid vague terms
Sketch what you can see from photo
