A novel geometric approach for 3-D geological modelling [Une nouvelle approche géométrique pour la modélisation géologique 3-D]

This paper presents a graphics system called the prism network and its boundary (PNB) aimed at representing the stratified solids that are formed in the subsurface terrain. It allows full 3D modelling of these types of spaces formed by superimposed layers bounded by stratification surfaces. A set of boreholes in the ground is used to generate a network of prisms that models the solid space and serves as the basis for creating two secondary networks, one of triangles and another of quadrilaterals, which define the model boundaries. This graphics system has been implemented in C++, using the standard OpenGL graphics API. The paper first defines and implements a model in the PNB data structure, the process by means of which it is generated is then described, and, finally, a range of applications to specific cases is presented and graphically illustrated. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.