page_title: Structural geology
section_title: Stereographic projections
hierarchical_section_title: Structural geology / Methods / Geometries / Stereographic projections
caption_attribution_description: English: Diagram attempting to show the use of lower hemisphere stereographic projection in structural geology using the example of a fault plane and a slickenside lineation observed within the fault plane.
context_page_description: Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation in the rocks, and ultimately, to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries. This understanding of the dynamics of the stress field can be linked to important events in the geologic past; a common goal is to understand the structural evolution of a particular area with respect to regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation due to plate tectonics.
context_section_description: Stereographic projection is a method for analyzing the nature and orientation of deformation stresses, lithological units and penetrative fabrics wherein linear and planar features (structural strike and dip readings, typically taken using a compass clinometer) passing through an imagined sphere are plotted on a two-dimensional grid projection, facilitating more holistic analysis of a set of measurements.
caption: Diagram showing the use of lower hemisphere stereographic projection in structural geology using an example of a fault plane and a slickenside lineation observed within the fault plane.
exif: {}