DIPS V7 - MANUAL

Dips 7.0 introduces many new features, including 3D stereosphere, curved boreholes, joint spacing
/ RQD analysis, contour arbitrary data on stereonet, and many more.

Dips is designed for the interactive analysis of orientation based geological data. The program is
capable of many applications and is designed for the novice or occasional user, and for the
accomplished user of stereographic projection who wishes to utilize more advanced tools in the
analysis of geological data.

Dips allows the user to analyze and visualize structural data following the same techniques used in
manual stereonets. In addition, it has many computational features, such as statistical contouring
of orientation clustering, mean orientation and confidence calculation, cluster variability, kinematic
analysis, and qualitative and quantitative feature attribute analysis.

Dips is designed for the analysis of features related to the engineering analysis of rock structures,
however, the free format of the Dips data file permits the analysis of any orientation-based data.
 DIPS v7 -MANUAL

CONTENTS
I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 INTRODUCING DIPS .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 WHAT'S NEW IN DIPS VERSION 7.0 .......................................................................................... 1
II. GENERAL FEATURES ....................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 DIPS FILE FORMAT .................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 STARTING A NEW FILE .............................................................................................................. 3
2.3 UNDO / REDO ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.4 SIDEBAR .................................................................................................................................... 5
2.5 SAVE FILE .................................................................................................................................. 6
2.6 INFO VIEWER ............................................................................................................................ 6
2.7 PREFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.8 CUSTOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS ............................................................................................ 8
2.9 IMPORT DATA FROM EXCEL ..................................................................................................... 8
2.9.1 Import from Clipboard ...................................................................................................... 8
2.9.2 Import Planes / Tools File .................................................................................................. 9
III. DATA INPUT ................................................................................................................................. 11
3.1 DATA INPUT OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................... 11
3.2 PROJECT SETTINGS ................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1 Global Orientation Format .............................................................................................. 12
3.2.2 Declination ...................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.3 Columns ........................................................................................................................... 14
3.2.4 Units ................................................................................................................................ 14
3.2.5 Project Summary ............................................................................................................. 15
3.3 TRAVERSES ............................................................................................................................. 15
3.3.1 Traverse Information Dialog ........................................................................................... 16
3.3.2 Traverse ID ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.3.3 Data Format / Traverse Format....................................................................................... 18
3.3.4 Traverse Type .................................................................................................................. 19
3.4 GRID DATA .............................................................................................................................. 32
3.4.1 Data Column .................................................................................................................... 33
3.4.2 Edit Grid........................................................................................................................... 42
IV. STEREONET PLOT ........................................................................................................................ 46
4.1 POLE / DIP VECTOR MODE ..................................................................................................... 46
4.2 VECTOR PLOT ......................................................................................................................... 47
4.2.1 Pole Plot .......................................................................................................................... 47
4.2.2 Dip Vector Plot ................................................................................................................ 48
4.3 SYMBOLIC PLOT ...................................................................................................................... 49
4.3.1 Qualitative Symbolic Plot ................................................................................................ 49
4.3.2 Quantitative Symbolic Plot .............................................................................................. 50
4.3.3 Processed Orientation Data ............................................................................................ 50
4.4 EDIT SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................................ 51
4.4.1 Edit Symbols .................................................................................................................... 51
4.4.2 Lock Symbols ................................................................................................................... 53

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4.5 SCATTER PLOT ........................................................................................................................ 54
4.6 CONTOUR PLOT ...................................................................................................................... 55
4.6.1 Vector Contour Plot......................................................................................................... 55
4.6.2 Intersection Contours...................................................................................................... 56
4.6.3 General Data Contours .................................................................................................... 56
4.7 TERZAGHI WEIGHTING ........................................................................................................... 57
4.8 MAJOR PLANES PLOT ............................................................................................................. 59
4.9 INTERSECTION PLOT ............................................................................................................... 60
4.10 OVERLAY PLOT OPTIONS ...................................................................................................... 61
4.11 PLOT (STEREONET) LEGENDS ............................................................................................... 61
V. PLANES AND INTERSECTIONS ...................................................................................................... 63
5.1 PLANES ................................................................................................................................... 63
5.1.1 Planes Overview .............................................................................................................. 63
5.1.2 Add Plane ........................................................................................................................ 64
5.1.3 Edit Planes ....................................................................................................................... 65
5.1.4 Daylight Envelope ............................................................................................................ 67
5.1.5 Lineations on a Plane ...................................................................................................... 68
5.1.6 Show Grid Data Planes .................................................................................................... 68
5.1.7 Show Major Planes .......................................................................................................... 69
2.1.8 Delete All Planes .............................................................................................................. 70
5.2 INTERSECTIONS OVERVIEW.................................................................................................... 70
VI. 3D STEREOSPHERE ...................................................................................................................... 72
VII. ROSETTE PLOT ............................................................................................................................ 75
7.1 ROSETTE APPLICATIONS ......................................................................................................... 76
7.2 WEIGHTED ROSETTE PLOT ..................................................................................................... 76
7.3 ROSETTE OPTIONS .................................................................................................................. 76
7.3.1 Sightline Normal to Rosette ............................................................................................ 77
7.3.2 Rosette Angular Limits .................................................................................................... 77
7.3.3 Rosette Starting Orientation ........................................................................................... 77
7.3.4 Rosette Scaling ................................................................................................................ 77
7.3.5 Rosette Bin Size ............................................................................................................... 78
VIII. CHARTS ...................................................................................................................................... 79
8.1 CHART ..................................................................................................................................... 79
8.2 CHART SETTINGS .................................................................................................................... 79
IX. SETS ............................................................................................................................................. 80
9.1 OVERVIEW OF SETS ................................................................................................................ 80
9.2 ADD SETS ................................................................................................................................ 81
9.2.1 Add Set Window .............................................................................................................. 81
9.2.2 Add Set Window (Freehand) ........................................................................................... 83
9.2.3 Add Set Window (Circular) .............................................................................................. 84
9.2.4 Multiple Windows for a Single Set .................................................................................. 84
9.2.5 Wrapped Set Windows.................................................................................................... 84
9.2.6 Overlapping Set Windows ............................................................................................... 85
9.2.7 Global Mean Vector ........................................................................................................ 86
9.3 SETS FROM CLUSTER ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 86
9.4 EDIT SETS ................................................................................................................................ 88

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9.4.1 Set Statistics .................................................................................................................... 90
9.4.2 Delete All Sets ................................................................................................................. 90
9.4.3 Show Set Windows .......................................................................................................... 90
9.4.4 Saving Sets ....................................................................................................................... 91
X. KINEMATIC ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 92
10.1 PLANAR SLIDING ................................................................................................................... 93
10.2 PLANAR SLIDING (NO LIMITS) .............................................................................................. 98
10.3 WEDGE SLIDING ................................................................................................................. 100
10.4 FLEXURAL TOPPLING .......................................................................................................... 104
10.5 DIRECT TOPPLING ............................................................................................................... 108
10.6 KINEMATIC SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ..................................................................................... 113
XI. DATA PROCESSING .................................................................................................................... 114
11.1 PROCESS DATA AND SAVE PROCESSED FILE ...................................................................... 114
11.2 QUERY DATA....................................................................................................................... 115
11.2.1 Creating an Expression ................................................................................................ 115
11.2.2 Creating a Query ......................................................................................................... 118
11.2.3 Query Examples........................................................................................................... 119
11.2.4 Load / Save Query ....................................................................................................... 119
11.3 ROTATE DATA ..................................................................................................................... 120
11.4 JOITING ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. 121
11.4.1 Joint Spacing ................................................................................................................ 121
11.4.2 RQD Analysis ............................................................................................................... 123
11.4.3 Joint Frequency ........................................................................................................... 123
XII. DRAWING TOOLS...................................................................................................................... 125
12.1 TOOLS OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 125
12.2 DRAWING TOOLS................................................................................................................ 126
12.2.1 Drawing Tools: Text ..................................................................................................... 126
12.2.2 Drawing Tools: Arrow .................................................................................................. 127
12.2.3 Drawing Tools: Line Segment ...................................................................................... 127
12.2.4 Drawing Tools: Ellipse ................................................................................................. 128
12.2.5 Drawing Tools: Rectangle ............................................................................................ 128
12.2.6 Drawing Tools: Polyline ............................................................................................... 128
12.2.7 Drawing Tools: Polygon ............................................................................................... 129
12.3 ANALYSIS TOOLS................................................................................................................. 129
12.3.1 Analysis Tools: Trend Line ........................................................................................... 129
12.3.2 Analysis Tools: Cone .................................................................................................... 130
12.3.3 Analysis Tools: Pitch Grid ............................................................................................ 131
12.3.4 Analysis Tools: Fold Analysis ....................................................................................... 132
12.3.5 Analysis Tools: Measure Angle .................................................................................... 133
12.3.6 Intersection Calculator ................................................................................................ 134
12.3.7 Analysis Tools: Select Poles ......................................................................................... 134
12.4 EDIT TOOLS ......................................................................................................................... 135
12.4.1 Edit Tools Overview ..................................................................................................... 135
12.4.2 Tool Properties ............................................................................................................ 136
12.4.3 Tool Visibility ............................................................................................................... 137
12.4.4 Move / Re-size Tools ................................................................................................... 138

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12.4.5 Copy Tool..................................................................................................................... 138
12.4.6 Delete Tool .................................................................................................................. 139
XIII. VIEWING AND DISPLAY OPTIONS ............................................................................................ 140
13.1 DISPLAY OPTIONS ............................................................................................................... 140
13.2 REPORTING CONVENTION.................................................................................................. 142
13.3 ZOOM OPTIONS.................................................................................................................. 143
13.4 PAN ..................................................................................................................................... 143
13.5 DATA TIPS ........................................................................................................................... 144
13.6 STEREONET OPTIONS ......................................................................................................... 144
13.6.1 Projection .................................................................................................................... 144
13.6.2 Equal Angle Projection ................................................................................................ 145
13.6.3 Equal Area Projection .................................................................................................. 146
13.6.4 Equal Angle / Equal Area Comparison......................................................................... 146
13.6.5 Hemisphere ................................................................................................................. 148
13.6.6 Stereonet Overlay ....................................................................................................... 148
13.7 CONTOUR OPTIONS ........................................................................................................... 150
13.7.1 Contour Data ............................................................................................................... 150
13.7.2 Contour Range............................................................................................................. 151
13.7.3 Contour Mode ............................................................................................................. 151
13.7.4 Min/Max Contour Colors ............................................................................................ 151
13.7.5 Contour Color Method ................................................................................................ 152
13.7.6 Density Calculation ...................................................................................................... 152
13.7.7 Interpolation Method.................................................................................................. 155
13.7.8 Contour Presets ........................................................................................................... 155
XIV. UTILITIES.................................................................................................................................. 157
14.1 JTDist .................................................................................................................................. 157
XV. DIPS TUTORIALS ....................................................................................................................... 158

IV
 DIPS v7 -MANUAL

I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
1.1 INTRODUCING DIPS

Dips is a program designed for the interactive analysis of orientation based geological
data. The program is a tool kit capable of many different applications and is designed both for
the novice or occasional user, and for the accomplished user of stereographic projection who
wishes to utilize more advanced tools in the analysis of geological data.

Dips allows the user to analyze and visualize structural data following the same
techniques used in manual stereonets. In addition, many computational features are available,
such as statistical contouring of orientation clustering, mean orientation calculation and
qualitative and quantitative feature attribute analysis.

Dips has been designed for the analysis of features related to the engineering analysis
of rock structures, however, the free format of the Dips data file permits the analysis of any
orientation based data.

1.2 WHAT'S NEW IN DIPS VERSION 7.0

The following is a listing of the major additions, changes and enhancements which have
been made in the upgrade of Dips from version 6 to version 7.

Note: for a list of changes and bug fixes since the initial release of Dips version 7, see the
Dips version 7 Update History page.

 3D Stereosphere
o 3D hemisphere view of planes, poles, contours, stereonet
o Rotate for viewing at any angle
o Show 2D stereonet in 3D view
o Show Projection Lines (equal angle or equal area)
 Curved Borehole Analysis
o Input Collar and Survey files
o Automatically calculate traverses / terzaghi weighting
o Process oriented core or televiewer data
o Distance column
 Traverses
o New improved traverse information input dialog
o New traverse types: linear borehole (televiewer), curved borehole (oriented core),
curved borehole (televiewer)
o Alpha-numeric traverse ID, can now use actual borehole IDs instead of integer
values
o Plot traverse orientations on stereonet
 Kinematic Sensitivity Analysis
o Sensitivity plots of slope dip, dip direction, friction angle, lateral limits, for planar
sliding, wedge sliding, toppling analysis

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o Plot single variable or multiple variables on one graph
o User defined variable ranges
o Interactive plots, click on point to view corresponding input on stereonet
 Contour General Data on Stereonet
o Choose any quantitative data column and contour the values on stereonet (e.g.
principal stress data)
o Interpolation is done on sphere not projection
 Jointing Analysis
o Joint Set Spacing (true spacing or apparent spacing)
o RQD Analysis (discrete or moving interval)
o Joint Frequency (unweighted or weighted)
o Plot selected traverses or all traverses
o Metric or Imperial units
 Data Input
o Distance column (used for processing curved boreholes, joint spacing, RQD,
frequency)
o Metric or imperial units for jointing analysis and curved boreholes
 Spreadsheet
o Improved paste / autofill functionality
o New preferences for Enter key behavior
o Improved error checking and messaging
 Kinematic Analysis
o Apply Terzaghi weighting to pole count for kinematic analysis
o Apply declination to kinematic analysis slope dip direction
o Highlight slope plane on stereonet
 Analysis Tools
o Intersection Calculator (Line from two planes or Plane from two lines)
 64 Bit Support
o 64-bit version, allowing for full memory usage and processing of larger file sizes on
64 bit machines
 Miscellaneous
o New file extension *.dips7 is a zip archive which contains the Dips file and the
*.dipsvs (View State) file
o User-defined keyboard shortcuts (File > Keyboard Shortcuts)
o User-defined custom colors for contour intervals on contour plots (Contour
Options > Fill Method > Custom Interval Colors)
o Interface and dialog improvements
o Global mean orientation can now be displayed in Legend when Major Planes is
toggled on
o Set labels now included with all output
o Set label column in Edit Sets dialog, easier to view / edit labels
o Pole count now adjusted for Terzaghi Weighting in Legend
o Export Image File - PNG and GIF formats now supported
 Documentation
o updated help system
o new tutorials and example files

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II. GENERAL FEATURES
2.1 DIPS FILE FORMAT

There is a new file format for Dips version 7.0.

The main Dips file now has a *.dips7 filename extension. This is actually a zip file which
contains the Dips input file and the view state file which saves the view state and display setting
information and has a *.dipsvs filename extension.

Dips 7.0 can still read version 6.0 and 5.0 files.

2.2 STARTING A NEW FILE

To begin creating a new Dips file, select New from the toolbar or the File menu.

This will create a new Grid View with:

 The two mandatory Orientation Columns (this is the minimum Dips file configuration)
and
 100 rows.

The default Global Orientation Format for a New file is DIP/DIPDIRECTION. You can
immediately begin entering data in the Orientation Columns if this is the correct format for
your data. However, in general, before you start entering data, you will need to set up your
Dips file according to your requirements, as described below.

 Project Settings

After creating the new Grid View, the first thing you will generally need to do is configure

the Project Settings parameters.

 Global Orientation Format

 Declination
 Quantity Column
 Distance Column
 Project Summary
 Traverses

The default Global Orientation Format for a New file is DIP/DIPDIRECTION. If your data
is STRIKE/DIP or TREND/PLUNGE format, you will have to change this in the Project Settings
dialog.

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 Additional Columns
 If your file requires a Quantity Column, to record multiple identical data units in a single
measurement, this is added through the Project Settings dialog.
 If you are recording data on Traverses, the Traverse Information is entered in the
Traverses dialog in the Analysis menu (also available through the Project Settings dialog).
A Traverse Column will automatically be added to the spreadsheet once you have
defined your Traverses.
 Any other information you wish to record in your Dips file is entered in Extra Columns,
which are added with the Add Column option in the Edit menu.

 Additional Rows
 If more than 100 rows are required, any number of additional rows can be appended to

the end of the spreadsheet with the Append Row(s) option.

 Rows can be added or deleted anywhere in the spreadsheet with the Insert

Row(s) and Remove Row(s) options.

 Plotting Data

Data can be plotted immediately as it is being entered, if you wish.

 For example, after creating the new Grid View, generate a Pole Plot.

 Tile the views with the Tile Vertically option.

 Start entering orientation data in the FIRST row of the Grid. As soon as the first data pair
has been entered, a pole will appear on the Pole Plot.
 Data will be plotted as it is entered, however, note that data must be entered
continuously FROM THE FIRST ROW OF THE GRID. Dips will only plot data up to the FIRST
BLANK ROW OF THE GRID.

NOTE THAT PLOTTING DATA AS IT IS BEING ENTERED IS NOT NECESSARILY

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE, IT IS SIMPLY MENTIONED HERE AS A CAPABILITY OF THE DIPS
PROGRAM. In most cases, you will probably want to enter data in a maximized Grid View, and
create plots after all data has been entered.

2.3 UNDO / REDO

Dips provides a very handy Undo / Redo functionality, which allows you to easily undo
or redo any changes to your Dips file, plotting options or drawing tools with a single mouse
click. Undo and Redo are available in the Edit menu and as toolbar buttons. Note:

 From the Edit menu, only 1 action can be undone / redone at a time.
 From the toolbar, if you select the drop-down arrow beside the Undo or Redo buttons,
a list of all changes will appear, from which you can select multiple (sequential) actions
to undo or redo.

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 Undo

The Undo option allows you to undo changes to your Dips file (e.g. changes to
the spreadsheet, plotting options or drawing tools). Any number of changes can be reversed
with Undo, starting with the most recent change and progressing backwards.

 Redo

The Redo option allows you to restore changes that you have undone with
the Undo option. Redo will restore each use of the Undo option, starting with the most recent
Undo and progressing backwards. Redo is only enabled if at least one Undo action has been
performed.

2.4 SIDEBAR

The Sidebar in Dips is the vertical control panel at the left (or right) of the application
window. The Sidebar displays context sensitive controls which may vary according to the plot
type, view type or current action being performed. The majority of the viewing and display
options in Dips are found in the Sidebar, as summarized below.

 Stereonet Plots

For stereonet plots, all major plotting options are available in the Sidebar (e.g. vector
plot, contour plot, intersections, etc.). Using the checkboxes and radio buttons you can quickly
and easily customize a stereonet view to display any combination of data presentations. In
addition, stereonet display options (e.g. equal angle / equal area, upper / lower hemisphere)
and colors can be customized in the Sidebar.

 Rosette Plots

For rosette plots, all plotting and display options applicable to the rosette plot can be
customized in the Sidebar.

 Info Viewer

When the Info Viewer is the active view, the Sidebar allows you to customize the display
and presentation of information in the Info Viewer.

 Chart Views

For Chart Views, the Sidebar allows you to customize the display options for the chart.

 Kinematic Analysis

While in Kinematic Analysis mode, the Sidebar will display shortcuts to the Kinematic
Analysis options. Additional options (e.g. visibility and color settings) are found in the
Kinematic Analysis dialog which can be accessed by selecting the kinematic analysis icon
(button) in the sidebar.