1. (The figures in this section of your text are especially important)
STEREONET BASICS
Pages
(The figures in this section of your text are especially important)

2. Stereonets
Stereonets are used for plotting and analyzing 3-D orientations of lines and planes in 2-D space
It is MUCH more convenient than using Cartesian space (x-y-z coordinates) for graphically representing and analyzing 3-D data

3. Stereonets: Why bother?
Stereonets are used in:
Landslide hazard/slope failure studies
Earthquake studies
Fracture analyses used in hydrogeology and/or groundwater pollution potentials
Mining industry (fossil fuels included)
Engineering
Practically anything that deals with relative orientations of planes and lines

4. Mysteries of Stereographic projection (691-694)
Any line or plane can be assumed to pass through the center of a reference sphere
Planes intersect the lower hemisphere as GREAT CIRCLES
Lines intersect the lower hemisphere as POINTS
The great circles or points are projected on the horizontal plane to create STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS or stereograms

5. (Look like LONGITUDES)
Small circles
(Look like LATITUDES)
Great circles
(Look like LONGITUDES)

6. Mysteries of Stereographic projection (691-694)
The horizontal plane or the plane of reference (the EQUATORIAL PLANE, Page 692) is represented by the outer circle of the stereogram
A vertical plane shows up as a straight line on the stereogram
Inclined planes (0<dip angle<90º) are represented by projections of the great circles (show up as curved lines)

7. Equatorial circle = horizontal plane
Straight lines = vertical planes 20 40 60 80 80 60 40 20
Dip angles
Great circles = inclined planes

8. Mysteries of Stereographic projection (691-694)
The projection of a gently dipping plane (dip angle <45º) will be more curved than that of a steeply dipping plane (dip angle > 45º)
A line is represented as a point on the stereogram
A horizontal line will project as a point on the equatorial plane
Vertical line???

9. Small circles = Paths of inclined lines around the N-S axis20 40
Small circles = Paths of inclined lines around the N-S axis 60 80 W E S

10. Lines and planes are plotted as stereograms by combining the great and the small circles on the stereonets

11. Plotting the orientation of a line using a stereonet (694-697) Lab 2

12. Plotting a plane by its dip and dip direction on a stereonet (also known as DIP VECTOR)
Dip = inclination of the line of greatest slope on an inclined plane
Refers to TRUE DIP as opposed to APPARENT DIP of a plane
0 ≤ apparent dip <true dip
Dip direction is ALWAYS perpendicular to strike direction
The dip and dip direction of an inclined plane completely defines its attitude
Plotted the same way as lines

13. Defining a plane by its POLE (page 698)
POLE of a plane = line perpendicular to the plane
A plane can have ONLY ONE pole
The orientation of the pole of a plane completely defines the orientation of the plane
This is the MOST common way planes are represented on a stereogram

14. Plotting the pole of a plane (page 698)
If you have strike/dip/dip direction data, Start the same way you normally would for plotting the great circle for the plane
Identify the dip line (the line of greatest slope) on the great circle ***
The POLE is the line perpendicular to the dip line
To get to the pole of the plane, count 90 from the dip line along the E-W vertical plane, and mark the point
***You don’t need to draw the great circle

15. Measuring the angle between two lines
Angle between two lines is measured on the plane containing both lines
Plot the points representing the lines
Rotate your tracing paper so both points lie on the same great circle. This great circle represents the plane containing both lines
Count the small circles between those two points along the great circle to determine the angle between the lines.

16. Measuring the angle between two planes
Angle between two planes is the same as the angle between their poles (this is yet another reason for plotting poles instead of great circles for planes)
Plot the poles for the planes
Rotate your tracing paper so both poles lie on the same great circle.
Count the small circles between those two poles along the great circle to determine the angle between the two planes.

17. Measuring angle between two planes on stereonet (lab 3)
Measure the angles between the pairs of planes with the given attitudes
Strike
342
S27W
N35W
278
132
N25E
Dip/dip direction
38NE
43SE
57SW
23N
65SW
71NW
Pair #1
Pair #2
Pair #3

18. Plotting a plane using trend and plunge (or apparent dip/dip direction) data of two lines lying on that plane
Plot the points representing the lines
Rotate your tracing paper so those two points lie on the same great circle
Trace and label that great circle

19. Plotting a plane from trend/plunge data of two lines (lab 3)
Identify the plane containing the following pairs of lines with the given attitudes
Trend
357.5
112.5
17.5
282.5
77.5
330.5
Plunge 67 26 58 59 90
Pair #1
Pair #2
Pair #3