The 4D Reconstruction of Dynamic Geologic Processes for Renowned Geologic Features

Abstract. The three-dimensional (3D) visualization of geological structures and the dynamic simulation of geologic evolutionary processes are helpful when studying the formation of renowned geologic features. However, most of the existing 3D modelling software is based on raster models, which is unable to generate smooth geologic boundaries. This work proposes a three-dimensional and temporally dynamic (i.e., 4D) modelling method using parametric functions and vector data structures, which can dynamically build geologic evolutionary vector models of well-known geologic features. First, we extract the typical features of different kinds of geologic formations and represent them using different parameters. Next, appropriate parametric functions are selected to simulate these geologic formations according to the characteristics of the individual structures. Then, we designed and developed a 4D vector modelling software to simulate the geologic evolution of these features. Finally, we simulated an area with complex geologic structures and selected six real-world geologic features, such as the Piqiang Fault in China and the Eye of the Sahara in the Sahara Desert, as case studies. The modelling results show that a regional geologic evolutionary model that contains smooth boundaries can be established quickly using this method. This work will support studies into the formation of these renowned geological features and make the representation of geologic processes more intuitive.