Evaluation of Fabric Data

and
Statistics of Orientation
Data
1

Which types of data are most common in structural geology?

1) Deformation Data:
Elongation [%]
Shear strain []
Strain rate [d /dt]
2) (Paleo-) Stress Data [Mpa]:
Stress Tensor
(Stress Ellipsoid)
Deviatoric Stress
3) Orientation Data:
Field Measures (compass)
Bedding, Schistosity, Lineation, etc.
Lattice Preferred Orientation
Remote Sensing Data
Measures of Orientation Data are: azimuth and dip angle [/]

Classical Methods of Evaluation of Orientation Data:

1) Data distributed in 2
dimensions
Rose diagrams:

2) Data distributed in 3
dimensions: Equal
area projections
(Schmidt, 1925)

It is not possible to apply linear statistics to orientation data.

Example:
The mean direction of the directions 340, 20, 60 is 20
The arithmetic mean is:
(340 + 20 + 60) / 3 = 140
this is obviously nonsense.
Statistical masures of orientation data can only be found by
application of vector algebra.
The mean direction can be derived from the vector sum of all data.

r
vi
n

i =1

(n = number of data)
4

What is the difference between orientation data and other structural data?

1) They have no magnitudes, i.e. they are unit vectors:

r
vi = 1

2) Most of them (bedding, schistosity, lineations) have no polarity!

This type of orientation data can be described as bipolar vectors or

axes:

t
v

How can we convert measures of orientation data

(/)
into vectors of the form (Vx, Vy, Vz) ?

with
withv
v=
=11we
wereceive:
receive:
Vx
Vx==cos
coscos
cos
Vy
Vy==sin
sincos
cos
Vz
Vz==sin
sin

Vector sums of orientation data:

if the data are real vectors with polarity (palaeomagnetic data) we have
max. isotropy in a random distribution

i=1

r
vi

= 0

and max. anisotropy in a parallel orientation:

r
vi = n
n

i =1

Measures derived from addition of vectors (orientation data):

n
r
r
The Resultant Length Vector: R = vi
1

The Vector Sum:

r
R =

n n n
1 v = 1 xi + 1 yi + 1 z
n

The Normalized Vector Sum:

&R&& =

The Centre of Gravity:

r
r R
S= r
R

r
R
n

Azimuth and Dip of the Centre of Gravity:

1
xR = r
R

xi
1

1
yR = r
R

yi
1

1
zR = r
R

z
1

yR
AR = arctan
xR

= arcsin z R 8

Problems of axial data:

If the angle between two lineations is > 90,

the reverse direction must be added.
9

Flow diagram for the vector addition of axial

data:

10

What is the vector sum of axial data?

In case of max. anisotropy (parallel orientation) the sum will equal to the
number of data, but what is the minimum (max. isotropy)?

It can be shown that the vector sum of a random distribution of axial

data is:
n

r
n
vi =

2
i =1

we conclude that the vector sum of any axial data must be in the limits:

n r
R n
2

11

From these limits a measure for the

Degree of Preferred
Orientation (R%)
can be found:

R% =

r
2R n
n

100
12

Distributions:
The Spherical Normal Distribution (unimodal distribution)
Fisher Distribution (Fisher, 1953)

F {x0 , y 0 , z 0 , k }
Concentration-Parameter (k):
n 1

k=
r
0 k Watson, 1966
n R
For axial data:

2 k

Wallbrecher, 1978
13

Fisher Distribution
Density Function: f (, ) =
Probability Measures:

k
k cos
e
4 sinh k

The Cone of Confidence:

r
1
n R

n 1
1

= arccos1 r
1

P is the level of error

(0.01, 0.05 or 0.1 are common levels,
they equal 1%, 5% or 10% of error)

14

The Cone of Confidence

15

Geometric equivalent of the concentration parameter:

Isotropic distribution in
a small circle with apical
angle

R% = cos
2

1
1
n
From this we derive the spheric aperture: = arcsin 2
k
For large numbers of data:

2
arcsin
k

16

Examples for Spherical Aperture and Cone of

Confidence

Fold axes
Minucciano
Tuscany
Fold axes
Rio Marina (Elba
Italy
Confidence = 99%
Yellow: Spherical
aperture
Green: Cone of confidence

17

Spherical Normal Distribution

18
Aus Wallbrecher, 1979

Significant Distributions

Umgezeichnet nach Woodcock & Naylor, 1983

19

The moment of Inertia (M)

Rotation axis isu .
r
Length of u is undefined: u = 1
v is the radius of the globe:vr = 1
all masses m are:
m=1
Moment of Inertia:M = m a 2
For the entire
r
a = sin
r 2
a = 1 cos

Globe: M

r r
r r
u v
cos = r r = u v
u v

Kugel

M = a2

i =1 a i
n

cos = u x v x + u y v y + u z v z

M = 1 (u x v x + u y v y + u v z )

M = 1 cos 2

M = 1 (ux vx + uy vy + uz vz + 2uxvxuyvy + 2uxvxuzvz + 2uy vyuz20vz )

2

Axes of inertia:
Cluster Distribution:

Great circle distribution:

Partial Great circle:

21

The Orientation Matrix

2

vx
r
M = 1 u v y vx

vxv y
2
vy

vz vx

vz v y

vxvz
v y vz
vz

r
= nu x y y
x z y z z
2

M Kugel

i i

i i

2
i
22

The Orientation Matrix and its Eigenvalues:

Orientation

n 2
x i
1
n
Tensor L = x i y i
1
n
xi zi
1

y
i
1

y z
i

Eigenvalues:

1 + 2 + 3 = n

normalized:

1 + 2 + 3 = 1

Eigenvectors:

2
n

zi
1

r r r
1 2 3

23

The Eigenvalues of Cluster-Distributions

1 2
1 = 2 = sin
3
2 2
3 = 1 sin
3

24

Eigenvectors of a Cluster Distribution

Foliation
Psar Island
Greece

Spherical Aperture

Eigenvectors
(length indicates
size of eigenvalues.
Sum equals the radius
of the diagram.)
Cone of Confidence
25

Eigenvectors of a Great Circle Distribution

Campo Cecina
Alpe Apuane
Italy

Eigenvectors
(length indicates
size of eigenvalues.
Sum equals the radius
of the diagram.

26

Eigenvalues of Partial Great Circles

1 2
2 = sin
2
2
From this we derive a measure
for the length of a partial great
circle. We call this measure

the circular aperture ():

= 2 arcsin 22

27

Examples for Partial Great Circles

Alpe Apuane,
Italy

3 = 0.66

3 = 0.76

2 = 0.2
2 = 0.3

1 = 0.04

Punta
Punta
Bianca
Bianca

1 = 0.03

1 = 0.04

Gronda
Gronda

heavy lines =
circular aperture

2 = 0. 26

Ponte
Stazzemese
3 = 0.71

1 = 0.02

Forno
2 = 0.21

3 = 0.77

28

2-Cluster-Distributions
90
80
70
60

1 = 0

2 = sin
2
2
3 = cos
2
2

1
2

40

20
10
0

30

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

29

Eigenvalues and vectors of typical distributions

isotrop,
Random
Distribution

Sphere

Stretched
rotational
ellipsoid
(cigar)
Girdle
Distribution

2-Cluster
Distribution

Flat
rotational
ellipsoid
(Disk)

Three axial
ellipsoid

1
1 = 2 = 3 =
3

1 = 2 3
1 = 0

1
2 = 3 =
2

1 2 3

not
defined
3 incentre of
the cluster
1 and 2
not defined

1 is the

B-axis
2 and 3 not
defined

2 and 3 on

the great circle

through both
clusters;1 is 30
the pole

The Woodcock-Diagram

Cluster:
1<m<

ln(3 / 2 )
m=
ln(2 / 1 )

Girdle
Girdle::
00 << m
m << 11
G% = [Gon] = arctan
Umgezeichnet nach Woodcock, 1977

ln( 2 / 1 )
ln( 313 / 2 )