www.impacttectonics.org
G.C. Herman, PhD March 14, 2026

BoreholeSectionPro_v25.exe (50.5 MB) User Guide

Please email me at gcherman56@yahoo.com if you're interested in downloading an executable copy using an MSDOS command shell prompt. Venmo purchases only.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Borehole Section Engine is a specialized structural geology tool designed to project 3D borehole televiewer (BTV) data onto a 2D cross-section. This is an executable version of a python script that can help visualize a site's hydrogeological or structural framework by reading comma-delimited BTV feature logs and plotting certain primary and secondary geological structures directly into 1:1 scaled cross section in MS PowerPoint. It currently runs in a MS DOS command window and requires user input for six line prompts including the section azimuth, plot scale, and line lengths (accents) of primary (bedding or layering/foliation) and secondary (fault, cleavage, and fracture) structures. Conductive planes when noted are prioritized in the symbol hierarchy. The program reads data files for all boreholes in a directory, plots the primary and secondary structures at their specific positions and apparent dips, generates structural rose diagrams (histograms), optionally handles borehole drift using vector displacement logic, and creates a two-slide PowerPoint presentation.

Tabular input files

Examples of a Wells.csv and an example BTV.csv are shown below.

MS PowerPoint output graphics

The resulting map and cross section with rose diagrams are shown below.

1. Wells.csv: A master file containing the geographic locations of all borehole collars.
2. Individual Well Files: Separate CSV files for each borehole containing the structural readings and drift measurements.
   The well-file names must be the same as those used in the Wells.csv file.
   For example, for the Wells.csv shown above, the corresponding BTV file names are TW.csv, OW1.csv, etc.

• Well: Borehole ID (e.g., Well1).
• Longitude: Decimal degrees.
• Latitude: Decimal degrees.
• Altitude (m): Elevation of the well collar in meters above sea level.

• Alt. (m): Elevation of the specific reading.
• Dip: True dip angle (0-90°).
• Azimuth: Dip direction (0-360°).
• Type: Structural category (Bedding, Layering, Foliation, Fault, Cleavage, Fracture).
• Kind: Used specifically to identify "Conductive" planes.
• Optional Drift Columns:
   
  • BHAZM: Incremental borehole azimuth (0-360°).
  • BHTILT: Incremental borehole tilt/inclination from vertical (0-90°).

3. HOW TO RUN THE TOOL

1. Launch: Run the compiled BoreholeSectionPro_v25.exe.
2. Select Folder: A Windows folder browser will appear. Select the project folder containing your Wells.csv.
3. Select Trace Mode:
    
   • Type 'v' for Vertical: Boreholes are treated as straight vertical lines.
   • Type 'd' for Drifted: The tool calculates the 3D path of the borehole based on BHAZM and BHTILT data using vector displacement logic (Herman et al., 2015).

4. INPUT PARAMETERS

• Azimuth: The viewing direction for the section.
• Zoom: Overall slide scaling.
• Accent Multipliers: Controls the visual length of structural symbols for Conductive, Fracture, Bedding, Fault (1.5pt weight), and Cleavage types.

• Borehole Traces (Black):
   
  • In Vertical mode, these are solid black lines.
  • In Drifted mode, the actual path is a solid black line, while a dashed vertical line (0.5 pt) is provided as a spatial reference to emphasize the drift.
• Structural Symbols (Color Key):
   
  • Green: Primary structures (Bedding, Layering, or Foliation).
  • Blue: Conductive planes.
  • Red: Fractures.
  • Black (1.5 pt): Faults.
  • Medium Gray: Cleavage.
• Histograms: Separate rose diagrams for each type with an Orange vector representing the statistical mean trend.
• Scale Bar: A 50m scale bar with a center-justified label.

• Black Dots: Represent well collar locations.
• Black Trace: Shows the orientation of the cross-section relative to the wells.

6. TECHNICAL NOTES & TROUBLESHOOTING

• Conductive variables take precedent. So if a plane is marked primarily as bedding and then conductive, it will be plotted as a conductive plane using the same symbology as for conductive fractures, faults, etc.
• Drift Logic: Drift is calculated incrementally from the collar downward. If BHAZM or BHTILT data is missing for a specific depth, that segment is treated as vertical.
• Scale Integrity: The section maintains a 1:1 aspect ratio, ensuring apparent dips are visually accurate without vertical exaggeration.
• File Access: Ensure the PowerPoint file is closed before running the tool, or a "Permission Error" will occur.

 7. REFERENCE