Forward and Inverse Modeling of Geological Folds

Folds present a challenge for 3D modelling because the information associated with the geometry of the structure is not explicit in the orientation of the folded surface. My research involves characterising the geometry of folds from field observations (orientation of the folded surface, the plane of symmetry of the fold, location of fold closures and the direction of the fold). I use the characterisation of fold geometry to help build a model of the geometry resulting from one or more folding events. I am developing new methods for interpolating the geometry of the folded surfaces as well as methods to build a series of models representing the uncertainty of the geometry of these surfaces.