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  • Author or Editor: Balázs Ludmány x
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Abstract

While three-dimensional measurement technology is spreading fast, its meaningful application to sedimentary geology still lacks content. Classical shape descriptors (such as axis ratios, circularity of projection) were not inherently three-dimensional, because no such technology existed. Recently a new class of three-dimensional descriptors, collectively referred to as mechanical descriptors, has been introduced and applied for a broad range of sedimentary particles. First-order mechanical descriptors (registered for each pebble as a pair {S, U} of integers), refer to the respective numbers of stable and unstable static equilibria and can be reliably detected by hand experiments. However, they have limited ability of distinction, as the majority of coastal pebbles fall into primary class { S , U } = { 2 , 2 } . Higher-order mechanical descriptors offer a more refined distinction. However, for the extraction of these descriptors (registered as graphs for each pebble), hand measurements are not an option and even computer-based extraction from 3D scans offers a formidable challenge. Here we not only describe and implement an algorithm to perform this task, but also apply it to a collection of 271 pebbles with various lithologies, illustrating that the application of higher-order descriptors is a viable option for geologists. We also show that the so-far uncharted connection between the two known secondary descriptors, the so-called Morse–Smale graph and the Reeb-graph, can be established via a third order descriptor which we call the master graph.

Open access

Abstract

Recently it became increasingly evident that the statistical distributions of size and shape descriptors of sedimentary particles reveal crucial information on their evolution and may even carry the fingerprints of their provenance as fragments. However, to unlock this trove of information, measurement of traditional geophysical shape descriptors (mostly detectable on 2D projections) is not sufficient; fully spherical 3D imaging and mathematical algorithms suitable to extract new types of inherently 3D shape descriptors are necessary. Available 3D imaging technologies force users to choose either speed or full sphericity. Only partial morphological information can be extracted in the absence of the latter (e.g., LIDAR imaging). In the case of fully spherical imaging, speed was proved to be prohibitive for obtaining meaningful statistical samples, and inherently 3D shape descriptors were not extracted. Here we present a new method by complementing a commercial, portable 3D scanner with simple hardware to quickly obtain fully spherical 3D datasets from large collections of sedimentary particles. We also present software for the automated extraction of 3D shapes and automated measurement of inherently 3D-shape properties. This technique allows for examining large samples without the need for transportation or storage of the samples, and it may also facilitate the collaboration of geographically distant research groups. We validated our software on a large sample of pebbles by comparing previously hand-measured parameters with the results of automated shape analysis. We also tested our hardware and software tools on a large pebble sample in Kawakawa Bay, New Zealand.

Open access