ss3 Manual PDF

for Windows
(95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7)
Version 3.1
Users Manual
R.R.#5, Brockville, Ontario

CANADA K6V 5T5
This manual was written by Dr. Robert M. Stesky of Pangaea
Scientific. Information in this manual is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the
company. The software described in this manual is provided under
a license agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance
with the terms of the agreement.
August 1998, December 2009. Revised July 2010
Copyright 1990-2010 Pangaea Scientific

(Brockville, Ontario, Canada)
All rights reserved. No part of this document or of the on-line help

file may be reproduced in any form without the prior written
consent of Pangaea Scientific.
Trademarks
The trademarks mentioned in this manual are owned by the respec-
tive companies and corporations.
License Agreement
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user. PANGAEA SCIENTIFIC permits the licensed user to make archival copies,
PROVIDED THAT ONLY ONE WORKING COPY IS INSTALLED FROM THIS
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cense. If working copies are needed for more than one user, a separate license must
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ther acknowledge that title and full ownership rights to the SOFTWARE will re-
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PANGAEA SCIENTIFIC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Getting Started
1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Main Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
New Features in Version 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Features Removed in Version 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Installing and Running SpheriStat . . . . . . . . . . 6
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing SpheriStat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Uninstalling SpheriStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Running SpheriStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Start-Up Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Components of SpheriStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Data Records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Data Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Structure and Group Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Orientation Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Net Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Circular Diagram (Rose) Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. Working in the Display Windows . . . . . . . . . . 22
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Moving Around the Edit Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Selecting Data Records in the Editor . . . . . . . . . . 22
iv
Table of Contents
Unselecting Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Selecting Within the Field Edit Window . . . . . . . . 26
Net Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Plotting Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Plotting Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Using the Mouse in the Net Window . . . . . . . . . . 28
Moving the Mouse Around the Net . . . . . . . . 28
Measuring Angles on the Net . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Selecting Data in the Net With the Mouse . . . . . 29
Adding Labels on the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Map Sizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using the Mouse in the Map Window . . . . . . . . . 31
Moving the Mouse Around the Map . . . . . . . . 31
Measuring Distances on the Map . . . . . . . . . 31
Selecting Data in the Map With the Mouse . . . . 31
Moving Symbols With the Mouse . . . . . . . . . 31
Adding Labels on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Circular (Rose) Diagram Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the Mouse in the Rose Window . . . . . . . . . 33
Moving the Mouse Around the Circular Diagram . 33
Measuring Angles on the Circular Diagram . . . . 33
Selecting Data in the Circular Diagram With the
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Adding Labels on the Circular Diagram . . . . . . 33
Adding, Changing and Deleting Labels . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Step-by-Step Instructions
5. Entering and Editing Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting a New Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
v
SpheriStat 3
Adding Records to an Existing Data Set . . . . . . . . . . 39

Using the Field Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Clipboard Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Guidelines for Pasting Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Creating a Data Subset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6. Saving and Loading Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Saving Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Loading Your Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Publishing Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
7. Searching and Selecting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Searching by Text Key in the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Selecting Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Selecting Records by a Boolean Search . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Hints on Using Boolean Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Selecting Data Randomly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Random Search Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Selecting Records With a Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Net and Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Circular Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
8. Rotating Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rotating Data on a Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rotating Data on a Circular Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
9. Analyzing Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Calculating Lineations from Rake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Calculating Intersection Lineations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Calculating Planes from Lineations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
vi
Table of Contents
Calculating Apparent Dips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Calculating Linears from End-Points . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Calculating the Intersection of Cones . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Calculation Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Calculating the Best-fitting Small Circle . . . . . . . . . . 66
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Calculating the Best-fitting Great Circle . . . . . . . . . . 69
Solving 3-Point Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Calculating the Terzaghi Bias Correction . . . . . . . . . . 70
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Analyzing Alpha-beta Measurements from Borehole Cores 72
Contouring the Point Density Distribution . . . . . . . . . 73
Counting Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Subtracting a Point Density Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Subtraction Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Calculating Principal Directions on the Net . . . . . . . . . 83
Eigenvector Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Fisher Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Uniformity Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Cluster Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cluster Analysis Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Spatial Averaging on a Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Spatial Averaging Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Calculating the Circular Point Density Distribution. . . . . 97
vii
SpheriStat 3
Statistical Analysis of Circular Orientation Data . . . 100

Standard Histogram Calculations. . . . . . . . . 100
Histogram Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Statistical Parameters and Tests . . . . . . . . . 101
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Calculating the Circular Principal Direction . . . . . . . . 102
Statistical Parameters and Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
10. Exporting and Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Copying to the clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Saving as a Metafile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Saving as a DXF file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
11. Customizing Your Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Customizing the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Changing the Column Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Changing the Column Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Changing the Display Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Changing the Azimuth and Inclination Format . . . . 113
Customizing the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Customizing the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Customizing the Circular (Rose) Diagram . . . . . . . . . 117
Saving Your Custom Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Preferences and Initialization Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Reference Menu Commands

12. File Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
File|New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
viii
Table of Contents
File|Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Import Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
File|Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
File|Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
File|Publish As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
File|Load Counts (Net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
File|Save Counts (Net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
File|Load Histogram (Circular Diagram) . . . . . . . . . 132
File|Save Histogram (Circular Diagram). . . . . . . . . . 133
File|Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
File|Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
File|Print Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
File|Setup Printer Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
File|Print Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
File|Change Project Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
File|Save Symbol Equivalences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
File|Exit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Recent Files (MRU) List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
13. Edit Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Edit|Cut Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Edit|Copy Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Edit|Paste Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Edit|Delete Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Edit|Cut Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Edit|Copy Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Edit|Paste Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Edit|Undo Text Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Edit|Assign Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Edit|Assign Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Edit|Assign Symbol Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
ix
SpheriStat 3
Edit|Rotate Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Edit|Rotate Data (Net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Edit|Rotate Data (Circular Diagram) . . . . . . . . . 151
Edit|Remove Coordinate Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1534
14. Search Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Search|Find Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Search|Find Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Search|Find Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Search|Select Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Search|Select All Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Search|Random Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Search|Restore Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Search|Clear Selections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
15. Analysis Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Analysis|Lineation From Rake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Analysis|Intersection Lineation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Analysis|Plane From Lineations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Analysis|Apparent Dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Analysis|Linears From End-Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Analysis|Cone Intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Analysis|Small-Circle Girdle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Analysis|Great-Circle Girdle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Analysis|3-Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Analysis|Terzaghi Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Analysis|Alpha-Beta Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Analysis|Density Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Analysis|Density Distribution (Net) . . . . . . . . . . 176
Analysis|Density Distribution (Circular Diagram) . . 183
Analysis|Subtract Density Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . 192
x
Table of Contents
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis (Net) . . . . . 192

Eigenvector Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Fisher Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis
(Circular Diagram) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Analysis|Cluster Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Analysis|Spatial Averaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
16. Display Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Display|Setup Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Setup Delimiters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Display|Setup Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Display|Setup Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Display|Setup Circular Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Display|Setup Data Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Display|Change Font (Edit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Display|Show User Structure Codes (Edit) . . . . . . . . 233
Display|Show Original Direction Values (Edit) . . . . . . 234
Display|Show Stereoscopic View (Net) . . . . . . . . . . 234
Display|Scale Symbols By Weight (Map) . . . . . . . . . 235
Display|Show/Hide Labels (Net, Map, Rose) . . . . . . . 236
Display|Show Structure Codes & Symbols . . . . . . . . 236
Display|Show Net (Group) Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
17. Tools Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Tools|Pointer (Edit, Net, Map, Rose). . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Tools|Rectangle Selector (Net, Map). . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Tools|Freehand Selector (Net, Map) . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Tools|Angle Selector (Rose) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Tools|Map Symbol Mover (Map) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Tools|Label (Net, Map, Rose) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
xi
SpheriStat 3
18. Window Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Window|Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Window|Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Window|Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Window|Rose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Window|Cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Window|Tile All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Window|Tile Same . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Window|Arrange Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Window|Close All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Window|Close Same . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
19. Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Help|Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Help|Help On Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Help|About SpheriStat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Help|Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Appendix
Default Map Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Stick-Figure Map Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Default Net Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Glossary of Mouse and Keyboard Terms . . . . . . . . . 259
Mouse Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Keyboard Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Problems? Suggestions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
xii
Getting Started
1
Overview
SpheriStat is an easy-to-use utility for entering structural field

measurements (either axial/non-directed or polar/vector) in tabular
form and plotting them in a variety of ways: on a stereonet (with
either Schmidt equal area or Wulff equal angle projection), on a
map using our structural symbol set, or on a circular (rose) dia-
gram. Each plotting method offers one or more analytical tools to
extract more information from your data.
Main Features
a multiple-document (MDI) application, allowing several
files open at once and several different plots of the same data
on the screen at once.
a spreadsheet-like data editor, with scrolling, cut, copy,
paste, and a customizable layout.
support for a variety of structural data formats.
Main Features / 3
SpheriStat 3
a flexible Boolean search procedure for selecting data. Or

click-&-drag the mouse to select data in any of the plots. Se-
lected data are highlighted in all windows.
easy creation of data subsets by clicking a button.
a selection of analytical procedures for exploring your data
and calculating statistical parameters. All procedures provide
printouts of statistical results and associated diagrams.
direct printing of the map, net, rose diagram or data listing
with most Windows-supported printers.
copying the data table, map, net or rose diagram to the Win-
dows clipboard for pasting into other applications
saving the map, net or rose diagram as a vector graphics
file (Windows metafile and AutoCAD DXF formats) for im-
porting into other applications, such as a drawing program or
word processor.
reading and writing ASCII data files in a variety of formats.
user-defined map coordinate system with proportional axis

scaling.
selectable plot and symbol sizes.
customizable editor, net, map and circular diagram displays.
optional plot labels, with editable text, colors, frame and
reference line.
direct measurement of angles on the net and circular dia-
gram and distances on the map with the mouse.
individually colored net symbols.
plot of small circles (cones) on net.
independently loaded and saved density contours and histo-
grams.
net contour legend.
saving of principal directions as net markers.
rotation of selected data on net, including map coordinates.
scaling of density contours as multiples of either expected
value or standard deviation.
stereoscopic view of the net, with special colored glasses
provided.
4 / Main Features
Overview
choice of annotated or stick-figure map symbols.

optional sizing of map symbols by weight value.
easy editing of user structure codes.
uniformity tests for the spatial analysis.
user-selected timed backup of modified files.
optional mid-session change of project code and custom
settings.
New Features in Version 3

runs in Vista and Windows 7.
user-created map and net symbols.
option to change default map and net symbol sets.
publishing of datasets with custom symbols included.
dataset size limited only by computer memory.
support for long file names.
added output options for analyses.
new print preview window.
copy plot to clipboard in main window and many dialogs.
individually sized net symbols.
colored map and circular diagram symbols.
display of planar data as pole trend and plunge.
Features Removed in Version 3
menu plug-ins.
manual and auto-update of plots.
New Features in Version 3 / 5

2
Installing and Running SpheriStat
System Requirements
SpheriStat requires that your computer have MicroSoft Win-
dows 95 or higher installed and at least 512 Mb of RAM, depend-
ing upon the operating system.
Installing SpheriStat
1. Run the installation program SS3_Setup.exe.
2. Select the destination for SpheriStats program files. Use the
Browse button or enter an address in the editor.
3. Select or de-select the other options (create desktop icon, create
program group, associate .ss3 files with SpheriStat 3, run pro-
gram when installation is finished).
4. Choose Install Registered Version.
5. Read and accept the software user license.
6. Enter the licensed user name and registration code provided by
Pangaea Scientific.
7. The installation program will then create the necessary directo-
ries and copy the required files.
Initially, SpheriStat puts all of its configuration files in a subdirec-
tory called /CONFIG within its main directory. The DXF symbol
definition files are stored in /DXFBLKS subdirectory and example
data files in /SAMPLE DATA.
When an individual user first runs SpheriStat under his login pro-
file, the program copies the CONFIG and DXFBLCKS folders to
the users Application Data folder. These files can then be modi-
fied by the user and new files added. Also, a third folder, called
BACKUP, is created and used temporarily to store timed backup
files; these files are deleted when a SpheriStat session ends and
the program is terminated.
6 / System Requirements
Installing and Running SpheriStat
Uninstalling SpheriStat
To remove SpheriStat from your computer system, select the
Uninstall SpheriStat menu item in the Start Menus SpheriStat 3
menu option. All program files and shortcuts will be deleted. Any
user files stored in Application Data or user-created folders will
not be removed and must be deleted manually.
Running SpheriStat
There are three ways to start SpheriStat:
1) From the SpheriStat icon: Double click on the icon in the
Start menu or desktop.
2) By double-clicking on a data file name, displayed either in
Windows Explorer or as an icon in the Program Manager or
Windows desktop. SpheriStat will load your selected file.
To use this method, you must first associate the file extension,
.SS3, with SpheriStat.If you did not make this association
during program installation, open Windows Explorer and select
View|Options|File Type; click on New Type and enter the re-
quired information.
3) By drag-and-drop: You can drag one or more SpheriStat files
(*.SS3) from the File Manager and drop it on the SpheriStat
workspace. The dropped files will be loaded and displayed in
the default type of display window specified in the preferences.
Start-Up Dialog Box

When you launch SpheriStat, an
initial Start-Up dialog box ap-
pears:
1. Enter a Project Code, or
leave the field blank. This
code is a character string,
from 0 to 3 characters in
length, that will specify the
name of the configuration
files to be used for that ses-
sion. These configuration
files are a record of your
setup and certain options
Uninstalling SpheriStat / 7
SpheriStat 3
you had chosen when you last used the program with that pro-
ject code.
2. Select Ok to continue.
You can use the project code for different purposes:
For example, if you work on several different projects, you
can customize the setup differently for each project and work
with different files. Each such project can have its own code
and when you restart SpheriStat, the editor will be set up the
way you want.
Alternatively, if several users run the program at different
times from the same computerfor example, in a laboratory
with several graduate students or researcherseach user can
have his or her own setup.
Note: SpheriStat allows you to load the same file as many times as
you wish at the same time, perhaps to show the data plotted with
different options. However, it is easy to lose track of which version
of the data is in any particular window. You may be wiser to make
copies of the data file, each with a different file name, and loading
the copies into separate windows. The window caption will tell
you which file is loaded.
Once SpheriStat is running, you can load files using the File|Open
menu command (or by clicking on the Open File tool button )

or by selecting from the pick list. SpheriStat maintains a list of up
to five of the most-recently used files, called a pick list, stored
for each project. This list appears as Recent Files the File menu.
The new data will open in the type of plot window specified in the
Help|Preferences dialog box. If you want to start a new data set,
select the File|New menu command and select Edit (or click on the
Open Editor tool button ). A blank edit window opens set up

using your default settings.
8 / Start-Up Dialog Box

3
Components of SpheriStat
SpheriStat consists of several units, each specialized for a certain
task and occupying its own display window.
Main Window
The main window, containing the menu and two toolbars (some-
times called speedbars), is the central unit and hosts all the dis-
play windows (editor, map, net and circular diagram). The appear-
ance of the main window changes somewhat depending upon
whether any display windows are open and which display is active.
The active window shows a different background color in the cap-
tion bar across the top of its window, the actual color depending
upon the display color settings in your copy of Windows.
When no display window is open, the menu reduces to two items
(File and Help) and only one toolbar is present (a horizontal bar
just under the menu containing six tool buttons: Help, Open File,
New Editor, New Net, New Map and New Circular Diagram).
When one or more display windows are open, the menu and
toolbars change to reflect the properties of the active display win-
dow. Also the second toolbar (a vertical bar positioned along the
left side of the screen) appears. Two types of tool buttons are pres-
Main Window / 9
SpheriStat 3
ent. The most common is the pushbutton type, which returns to its
unpressed state when released. This type of button activates a
menu command and generally causes a window or dialog box to
appear or activates an existing display window. The second button
type is a radiobutton, which stays depressed when released. This
type is part of a group of radiobuttons, only one of which can be
pressed (i.e., active) at a time. Clicking a radiobutton changes the
state of some property.
The available tools are:
Pushbuttons
Open SpheriStats Help file
Open a saved file
Save the currently active file
Print the currently active display window
Preview print the currently active display window
Copy the current plot to the clipboard
Open an Editor window
Open a Net window
Open a Map window
Open a Circular Diagram window
Open the Data Format dialog box
Open the Setup Editor dialog box
Open the Setup Net dialog box
Open the Setup Map dialog box
Open the Setup Circular Diagram dialog box
Open the Density Distribution dialog box for the

net and circular diagram, respectively.
10 / Main Window
Radiobuttons
In horizontal toolbar:
Lower Hemisphere tool (for net window, only when

data are polar)
Upper Hemisphere tool (for net window, only when

data are polar)
Both Hemispheres tool (for net window, only when data

are polar)
In vertical toolbar:
Pointer tool (pointer in net, map and circular diagram

windows and record selector in editor window)
Rectangle Selector tool (in map and net windows)
Freehand Selector tool (in map and net windows only)
Symbol Mover tool (in map window only)
Angle Selector tool (in circular diagram window only)
Label tool (in net, map and circular diagram windows)
Data Records
The data records are composed of one or more of the following op-
tional fields:
station identifier,
station coordinates (in whatever numeric measurement sys-
tem you choose),
station depth or elevation,
structural code (defining the structure type [plane, lineation
or cone (small circle)] and the map symbol),
group code (defining the net symbol),
weight value,
attitude measurements (strike/dip, dip-azimuth/dip,
trend/plunge, azimuth/inclination), and
Data Records / 11
SpheriStat 3
any additional information (rock type, associated structures,

characteristics of structural element) that is important to re-
cord about the reading. This field is a variable-length text
string.
Not all fields in the record need to be occupied, nor must they be in
this order. You can limit your records to as many or as few fields as
you wish, but no fewer than one field. You can also choose the
field order, provided the additional information field, if present, is
last in each record. All records in a data set must have the same
fields.
SpheriStat gives you considerable freedom in how you construct
your data files, allowing you to mix different structural types
(planes and lines) in the same file. Although it is not recom-
mended, you can even mix different orientation conventions in the
same file; this may be necessary if you assemble your information
from different sources and do not want the bother of standardizing
the measurements before entering them. SpheriStat will allow you
to do this, but you must configure the program so that the data are
interpreted properly.
You must provide a structure type code for each record containing
attitude information, entered in the Structure column of the editor.
This code is represented by a structural symbol, as it would appear
on a geological map. SpheriStat offers 77 standard map symbols,
plus two symbols for a cone element (downward- and up-
ward-pointing). By convention, each symbol refers either to a
plane, line or cone structure type. You have the option of adding
your own custom symbols; a symbol editor is provided to create
end edit them. SpheriStat has a pop-up display showing all the
symbols, along with the structure type and the symbol equivalence
(the name you choose to give to the symbols; see the section Con-
figuration Files later in this chapter).
Note that if you are upgrading from SpheriStat 2, the symbol codes
have been changed, although the order of the symbols remains the
same. The only exception is the cone (small circle) symbol 32 has
been replaced by two symbols: 78 for a downward-pointing cone
and 79 for an upward-pointing cone. When *.ss2 files are loaded
into SpheriStat 3, the symbol codes are remapped to the new val-
ues automatically.
To make data entry easier, SpheriStat uses the structure code of the
previous record when you create a new record. You need to enter
the code only once, in the first record, if you are entering all the
12 / Data Records
same structure type, and then you can close the structure field (col-
umn) and ignore it for the rest of the data entry. In the special case
where only azimuth values are entered (the inclination field is
closed), perhaps for circular analysis, SpheriStat recognizes that
the data are lines and uses the generic structure code 37 (an arrow)
for polar data or 36 (a line) for axial data. You can, of course,
override this value and change it to whatever is appropriate.
Data Conventions
SpheriStat 3 uses Windows Regional and Language settings to
read and write the decimal character for floating point numbers.
Thus all data entry and display will show and expect the
preselected decimal character.
Structure and Group Codes

The structure and group codes serve many purposes. Aside from
simply providing suitable symbols for plotting on maps and nets,
they also are used to distinguish between different data types.
Structure Codes
SpheriStat distinguishes between three structure types: plane (e.g.,
bedding, foliation, fracture, etc.), line (e.g., lineation, lineament,
intersection, fold axis, etc.) and circular cone (e.g., fold, conical
fracture, etc.). The Appendix shows the default symbols with their
code and structure type. The Symbol Editor program (not included)
allows you to create your own symbols in addition to this basic set.
The real importance of the structure code is that SpheriStat uses it
to interpret the meaning of the orientation values.
For plane records: The azimuth may be the strike of the plane, the
direction of the dip or bearing (trend) of the pole to the plane,
depending upon the convention selected in the Display|Setup
Data Format dialog. The inclination is then either the planes
dip or the plunge of the pole.
For line records: The azimuth is the trend and the inclination is
the plunge.
For cone records: The azimuth is the trend of the cone axis and
the inclination is the plunge. The cone apical angle is recorded
in the Weight field.
Data Conventions / 13
SpheriStat 3
Group Codes
In addition to specifying the plotting symbol for the net, the group
code also determines the way a plane record is plotted on the net
and whether the record is to be included in analyses. These con-
ventions are:
Group Code < 0: a plane is plotted as a great circle on the net
Group Code = 0: the record is a marker only and is not included in
any analysis
Group Code >0: the pole to the plane is plotted as a point symbol
on the net.
Note: the sign of the group code has no effect on the way a line or
cone is plotted on the net. Lines are plotted with a point symbol
and cones are plotted as small circles.
Orientation Conventions
SpheriStat uses the common convention of downward plunge or
dip as being positive, while upward directions are negative. The
latter possibility is most significant for polar or directed data, such
as slip vectors or bedding tops. For example, an overturned bed
would have a positive strike value, but a negative dip. In this case,
you must use the polar data option to preserve the tops direction.
To minimize confusion and mis-plotting of paired orientation
measurements (azimuth/inclination), SpheriStat requires that you
use one of several possible orientation conventions, selected in
Display|Setup Data Format:
360 - RH Rule: The azimuth value is based on a 360 compass
circle. For planar measurements, the down-dip direction is
clockwise from the strike direction. For linear measurements,
the azimuth is in the same direction as the inclination (plunge).
360 - LH Rule: As above, the azimuth value is based on a 360
compass circle. For planar measurements, the down-dip direc-
tion is counterclockwise from the strike direction. For linear
measurements, the azimuth is in the same direction as the incli-
nation (plunge).
Inclination-defined: This is a mix of 360 and quadrant represen-
tations, and is sometimes called dip-defined. The azimuth is
based on a 360 compass circle, although there is no conven-
tion for the direction of the azimuth. Rather, the inclination (dip
14 / Data Conventions
or plunge) defines the sense of the azimuth. Because of this, the

inclination value must include a direction (hence the need for
the quadrant notation). This direction is a compass point and is
chosen from N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW.
Quadrant: This is a full quadrant notation, where both the azimuth
and the inclination include a compass-point component. You do
not need to be concerned about the sense of the azimuth direc-
tion, since the inclination direction fully determines the sense.
SpheriStat uses the convention that the azimuth has an angle
between 0 and 90 and is measured from North. If you mea-
sure the azimuth from South, SpheriStat will convert the read-
ing.
Editor
SpheriStats data editor is a table or grid showing one data record
on each row and the field contents arranged in columns. If you
have used a spreadsheet before, you will be comfortable using this
editor. Because each user has individual requirements for field
types and arrangement, SpheriStat allows you to choose which
fields (i.e., columns) to show and which order to place them across
the screen. You modify the contents of a records field using a sin-
gle-line text editing window (we call this a field edit window, or
FEW) that can be moved around the screen with the mouse (by
clicking at another location) or keyboard (by pressing one of sev-
eral special keys). You can select records by clicking them in the
gray index column along the left side of the table. By combining
the mouse action with the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys, you can select
several records. The selected records appear in the editor with their
index in dark gray and in the plot displays drawn in dark red. Sev-
eral of the analytical tools allow you to make calculations using the
selected records only.
When an edit window is active, SpheriStats menu changes to pro-
vide certain commands special to the editor set up and to data mod-
ification. The File|Print option allows you to print a table of all or
only selected data. Several analytical tools allow you to perform
computations from your data: calculating lineations from rake
measurements, planes from lineations, lineations from intersection
planes, apparent dips of planes, the best-fit small circle girdle, the
best-fit great-circle girdle, the intersection of a set of cones (small
circles), planes from the spatial coordinates of points, horizontal
linears from the spatial coordinates of their end-points, the
Editor / 15
SpheriStat 3
Terzaghi bias correction for borehole and traverse data, and atti-
tudes from borehole cores.
Net Window
SpheriStat uses the net window to show a spherical projection of
your linear or planar data. The projection can be either an equal an-
gle (Wulff net) or equal area (Schmidt net) projection. If your data
are undirected or axial in nature (i.e., the directions have an orien-
tation, but no polarity), then SpheriStat uses only the lower hemi-
sphere projection. For polar or vector data, on the other hand,
SpheriStat uses both upper and lower hemispheres. You have many
choices in what features to show in the plot, such as customizable
grid or tick marks, raw data, contoured point density plot (if calcu-
lated) and labels. You can select records directly on the net, add
your own custom labels and specify the symbol size and color. You
can even see your data plotted in full stereoscopic three dimensions
(anaglyph) using red-blue anaglyph glasses.
When the net window is active, SpheriStats menu shows options
unique to the net, such as the nets set up and several analytical
tools (the calculation of point density contours, principal direc-
tions, contour peak removal and data clustering). The File|Print op-
tion allows you to print the net and optionally the associated set-up
information and some statistics. In addition, you can export the
drawing to the clipboard for pasting in other applications, or to a
file in either Windows metafile or bitmap file format. These files
can be read in to other applications that accept these formats.
Map Window
The map window is used for plotting the spatial distribution of
your data, if your records include X (easting) and Y (northing) co-
ordinates in the appropriate fields. The plot shows the records plot-
ted in their correct relative spatial position using a properly ori-
ented symbol specified by the structure code. You can select re-
cords directly on the map for special analysis or for copying to
other data sets. You can also move individual symbols from their
station location to minimize crowding of close symbols. SpheriStat
allows you to use your own map coordinates and choose the maps
bounds and the size of the symbols and of the printed map. You
can also choose whether the records plot as full symbols with an-
notated dips or plunges or as stylized stick figures. You can even
add your own custom labels.
16 / Net Window
When the map window is active, SpheriStats menu shows options

unique to the map, including the maps set up and the spatial aver-
aging analysis option. As with the net, you can print the map using
the File|Print command and export it to the clipboard or as a Win-
dows metafile or bitmap file for pasting or importing into other
suitable applications.
Circular Diagram (Rose) Window

The circular diagram or rose window shows the records azimuth
field values plotted as lines radiating from a common center, illus-
trating the angular distribution of these directions. If the records
are undirected or axial (i.e., the directions have an orientation, but
no polarity), then SpheriStat shows the lines symmetric about the
center, while polar or vector data radiate in one direction only from
the center. You can choose to show the entire range of directions or
limit the view to half of the range, either the northern, southern,
eastern or western half. You can also specify tick marks or a full
grid and add an angular histogram of directions, mean direction
and some associated statistics, if computed.
When the rose window is active, SpheriStats menu shows options
unique to the circular diagram, including the set up and specialized
analysis options (calculation of the angular histogram and principal
direction with their statistics). As with the net, you can print the
circular diagram using the File|Print command and export it to the
clipboard or as a Windows metafile or bitmap file for pasting or
importing into other suitable applications.
Configuration Files
There are three types of configuration files stored in the Config
subdirectory. The first two are created for each project code when
you quit SpheriStat.
1. SS2_***.CFG
2. SS2_***.INI
3. SSWIN.INI
4. SSSYMEQ.DEF
*** represents the optional Project Code characters entered in the
start-up dialog box.
1. SS2_***.CFG is a binary file containing the default setup of
the editor, map, net and rose windows and the data format. A
pre-defined default set is used when you first run the program
Circular Diagram (Rose) Window / 17

SpheriStat 3
with that set of code characters. You change the default setup
with the Save button in the appropriate Setup dialog box.
2. SS2_***.INI is an ASCII-formatted text file containing a num-
ber of default settings particular to a project:
the full path (nominally the Config subdirectory) and
filename for the symbol equivalence definitions
the full path (nominally the Config subdirectory) and
filename for the map and net symbol definitions
the pick list files (i.e., the most-recently-used files)
Except for the pick list, you can change these settings in the
Help|Preferences dialog box. The pick list is automatically up-
dated whenever you close all windows showing the data file;
that files name is then added to the list.
3. SSWIN.INI is an ASCII-formatted text file containing a num-
ber of default settings applicable to all projects:
the file extension(s) for ASCII-formatted data files
the page format for data listings and graphical plots
the number of minutes between automatic backup of
modified data files
the choice of display type to use when opening a new data
set when no other set is open
the minimum plane angle for the Terzaghi correction
You can change these settings in the Help|Preferences dialog
box. The Terzaghi minimum angle is changed in the Terzaghi
Bias Correction dialog, available from the Analysis menu when
an editor window is active.
4. SSSYMEQ.DEF is used by SpheriStat to convert from your
own structure notation to SpheriStats default symbol set during
the loading of your ASCII-formatted files. This default file is
provided with the application. Each Project Code (see Start-Up
Dialog Box) maintains a reference to a symbol equivalence file.
Initially, SpheriStats default symbol set is mapped to itself.
The equivalent codes are the same as SpheriStats structure
codes and apply only to SpheriStats default symbols (those
with symbol codes below 100)..
You can create other symbol equivalence mappings for the de-
fault symbol set by first copying this file to another with a dif-
ferent name. To reassign your own structure codes, select the
Help|Preferences menu command and enter the file name for
the new symbol equivalence table in the Symbol Equivalence
18 / Configuration Files
Path & File Name entry box. Then select the Edit Symbol
File button. An edit window opens that allows you to make
whatever changes you wish.
The first item in each line of the symbol equivalence file (be-
fore the =) refers to SpheriStats internal structure code and
specifies the symbols in the symbol chart. Change the second
value to your own code.
Your structure code is stored as a character string and can be ei-
ther numeric or alphanumeric. SpheriStat does not respond to
the character case, so you can use either upper or lower case
characters.
For example, you may use the code BDNG for all your bed-
ding measurements. Since the second through tenth symbols in
SpheriStats symbol set refer to bedding measurements, the be-
ginning part of your new symbol equivalence file will become:
[Symbol Equivalences]
1=BDNG
2=BDNG
3=BDNG
4=BDNG
...
Since SpheriStat cannot distinguish between your different bed-
ding measurements if they are all assigned a structure code of
BDNG, the program converts all such readings to the first
equivalent in the list, in this case, to 1. To use a different de-
fault code, place that equivalence line first in the list. For ex-
ample, if you want the default bedding symbol to be
SpheriStats code 7, say, place the 7= line before the 1= line.
When saving your data to a text file using your original codes,
SpheriStat will convert all bedding symbols to your code of
BDNG, in this example, regardless of how finely you distin-
guish them using SpheriStats structure codes.
If you distinguish your bedding measurements into various
types, you can assign the appropriate codes and symbols. Some
of the symbols refer to special cases, such as horizontal bed-
ding and lineations or vertical bedding and foliation. These
cases will be distinguished in your data set by special inclina-
tion values. SpheriStat does not recognize these special cases;
you must change the structure code manually where necessary.
Configuration Files / 19
SpheriStat 3
In addition to mapping one symbol to several of SpheriStats

structure codes, as shown above, you can also equate several of
your symbols to the same SpheriStat structure code. This situa-
tion will happen when you have devised more structure types
than currently are available in SpheriStats default set and need
to combine them into the same map symbol. Simply repeat the
line with the SpheriStat structure code, replacing the informa-
tion on the right side of the equals sign with different samples
of your own code. For example, you can have several lines be-
ginning 1=, with different characters following in each line.
When SpheriStat attempts to convert its symbol code to your
code, it will use the one it finds first in the list. This situation
arises when you enter SpheriStats structure code in the editor
and request that it be converted to your own code, during print-
ing, for example.
Another way to enter or modify your structure codes is to edit
them in the Structure Codes & Symbols display window. By
double-clicking on the code in the lower portion of each sym-
bol box, a small editor opens in-place, allowing you to modify
the current code.
When you import your data from text files, you can automati-
cally assign a net symbol (group value)and color for each struc-
ture code. To do this, you must modify the symbol equivalence
table, adding the appropriate group and color values after the
equivalence code, separated by commas. The group codes must
be within the range of 0 to 16 and 31 to 46, inclusive. Incorrect
group codes will be set to 1 as default. The integral color val-
ues must be positive and less than 512. Incorrect color values
will be set to 255, the color black.
For example, if you wish all bedding data (structure code 1) to
use net symbol 6 and color blue (value=170), change the line in
the symbol equivalence file to read:
1=1,6,170
The color value is the number appearing immediately below
the selected color in the Group Color dialog box. You only
need to change the lines for symbols you wish to have preset
group and color values.
To activate this procedure, select the new 'Match group to
structure code' option in the Import dialog box. This option
20 / Configuration Files
applies only when the Group field is not present in the incom-
ing text data file.
These preset values are used only during importing of text data,
not during keyboard entry in the built-in editor.
Other Files
Also stored in the CONFIG subdirectory are the symbol definition
files. Initially, they are DEFNET.NSYM and DEFMAP.MSYM.
These are the default net and map symbols, respectively, that are
included with the installation. The Symbol Editor application,
available separately from Pangaea Scientific, can be used to mod-
ify or create your own symbols, within certain restrictions. For the
map symbols, the structure codes below 100 are reserved for the
default symbols, to retain compatibility with SpheriStat 2.2 files.
For the net, the symbols must be created in both open and filled
form, to allow for plotting polar data on both hemispheres.
Configuration Files / 21
4
Working in the Display Windows
Editor
SpheriStats editor works somewhat like a spreadsheet, but has
been specialized to handle structural data. It is a smart editor,
monitoring data entry so that the proper format of each field is fol-
lowed.
You open the edit window by selecting either File|New|Edit, if you
are starting a new data set, or Window|Editor (or clicking on the
Open Editor button ), if you have already loaded a data file.
Each station measurement, or data record, is displayed on a single
line in the editor, with the component values, or fields, arranged in
columns. The title of each column appears at the top. You can
change this title to suit yourself, as well as change some other
characteristics of the editor (see Customizing the Editor).
When you first open an edit window, the first column in the first
row will contain a highlighted box, called the Field Edit Window
(FEW). The FEW is a single-line editor in which you enter your
information (numeric value or text string, where appropriate).
Moving Around the Edit Screen

You can move the active FEW using either the keyboard or the
mouse. When you move the FEW, SpheriStat will validate your en-
try and inform you when the data is unacceptable. A checkbox in
the Display|Setup editor dialog box lets you disable the error mes-
sage window.
To move the FEW with the mouse, simply click in the row and col-
umn position where you want the FEW to move.
With the keyboard, you have a number of possibilities. Pressing
[ENTER] or [TAB] will enter the structural information into the re-
cord field and move the FEW to the next position on the right, or
to the first open column on the next row. This procedure gives you
a very convenient way to enter a large amount of data manually.
Other special keys will cause the FEW to move around the editor .
However, SpheriStat will prevent you from moving the FEW be-
22 / Editor
yond the end of the file. The last row, which may appear blank, ac-
tually contains a default data record. This blank record is never
plotted and can never be selected; if you change any of its values, a
new null data record is created and added to the end of the file. The
null record is present for programming convenience.
The keys and their action in the edit window are summarized as
follows:
[ENTER], [TAB] These two keys are used interchangeably. They
validate the entry, place its value in the corresponding data
field and move the FEW to the next position on the right. At
the end of the row, the FEW moves to the first column in the
next row and the data on the previous row is plotted on the plot
displays, if they are visible. If the current row is at the bottom
of the window, then the editor scrolls the data up by one row.
When a new record is created, SpheriStat presets the structure
code, group and weight values to be the same as in the previous
record. Carrying the same values to the new record makes data
entry faster when a number of similar data are being entered.
You can modify these values at any time.
Entering any value in a data field of the last null record (last ac-
cessible row) creates a new record. When you move to the
structure, group or weight fields, they will contain the preset
values. As noted above, you are free to change these values.
[CTRL+RIGHT] This key pair does the same action as [ENTER]
or [TAB], but does not plot the current data record when the
FEW moves beyond the last column. Also, no new data records
are added when the end of the list is reached.
[SHIFT+TAB], [SHIFT+ENTER], [CTRL+LEFT] These key
pairs validate the entry, place its value in the corresponding
data field and move the FEW to the next position on the left.
From the first column, the FEW moves to the last column in
the previous row. If the current row is at the top of the window,
then the editor scrolls the data down by one row. When the first
data record appears in the top row of the Editor, no more scroll-
ing is allowed.
[CTRL+ENTER] Inserts a blank data record at the current row,
shifting the current row and all following data records down by
one row. The structure code, group and weight values are cop-
ied into the new record from the current record, if any.
Editor / 23
SpheriStat 3
[DOWN] This key validates the entry, places its value in the corre-
sponding data field and moves the FEW down one row, scroll-
ing the editor, if necessary, until the last data record is reached.
[UP] This key validates the entry, places its value in the corre-
sponding data field and moves the FEW up one row, scrolling
the editor, if necessary, until the first data record is reached.
[PAGEUP] This key validates the entry, places its value in the cor-
responding data field and moves the FEW up by the number of
rows showing in the window, if possible, while staying in the
same column. Otherwise, the editor is scrolled to the top of the
data list.
[PAGEDOWN] Does the same as [PAGEUP], but in the down di-
rection. The editor cannot be scrolled beyond the end of the
available data.
[CTRL+HOME] This key pair validates the entry, places its value
in the corresponding data field and moves the FEW to the first
column in the first row of the data list.
[CTRL+END] This key pair validates the entry, places its value in
the corresponding data field and moves the FEW to the current col-
umn in the last row of the data list.
Selecting Data Records in the Editor

You can select records by clicking or dragging the mouse cursor in
the index column (the left-most light grey column of the editor,
sometimes referred to as the #-column). The number box for the
corresponding record is inverted to dark grey, indicating the record
is selected.
To select a single record:
1. With the mouse cursor pointing in the shaded column (#) of
the editor, click in the row containing the desired data. The box
in the first column will become dark gray showing that the data
item is selected.
To select multiple records
1. Contiguous Items:
1. By dragging:
24 / Editor
a) Click the left button in the first column (#-column) of

the first item you want included and hold the button
down.
b) Drag the mouse cursor up or down to the last item to be
selected. All the selected data will have their #-column
boxes inverted. Dragging above or below the editor
window will automatically scroll the screen and con-
tinue the selection until the mouse button is released.
2. Without dragging:
a) Click on one end of the range.
b) While holding down the SHIFT key, click at the other
end. All items in between will become selected.
2. Non-contiguous Items:
1. While holding down the CTRL key, click in the shaded
#-column of each data item to be selected. Other selections
will be retained.
You can drag to select several non-contiguous ranges of data.
However, if you drag over a previously selected item and then
reverse the drag direction, you will lose the selections over
which you passed.
To select all data:
1. Double-click on any row of the shaded #-column to select all
data. All the #-column boxes will become dark gray.
Unselecting Data Records

To unselect a data record:
1. Hold down the CTRL key and click on the #-column of the re-
cord to be removed from the selection. All other selections will
be retained.
To unselect all data records:
1a. Click with the right mouse button anywhere in the #-column of
the editor.
or
1b. Select the Search|Clear selections menu command.
Editor / 25
SpheriStat 3
Selecting Within the Field Edit Window

Within a Field Edit Window (FEW) the mouse cursor has the shape
of an I-beam.
To select characters within the FEW:
1. By dragging:
a) Point the I-beam cursor immediately to the left of the first
character that you wish to select.
b) Click and drag the cursor to a point immediately to the
right of the last character to be selected.
This action can also be done by clicking to the right of the last
character and dragging the cursor to the left of the first charac-
ter.
2. With the SHIFT key:
a) Click to the left of the first character.
b) While holding down the SHIFT key, click to the right of
the last character.
All selected text will be highlighted in reverse mode.
Net Window
The net window is opened by choosing File|New|Net, for a new
data set, or Window|Net, for an already entered data set, from the
menu or by clicking on the Open Net button . It shows the
currently entered data plotted on a hemispheric net using either the
Wulff equal angle (stereographic) or Schmidt equal area projec-
tion.
Plotting Conventions
SpheriStat uses the structure code to determine how to interpret the
azimuth and inclination values, whether as strike/dip (plane) or
trend/plunge (line). The structure codes are predefined to be either
planar, linear or small circle (cone), and have corresponding map
symbols according to common usage. The data point is then placed
in the appropriate quadrant of the net.
Axial or non-directed data (i.e., measurements of orientation with-
out a polarity) are plotted on a net projected from the lower hemi-
sphere, the usual convention in structural geology.
26 / Net Window
Polar or vector data are plotted on a net projected using either the
lower or upper hemisphere, depending upon whether they are di-
rected downwards or upwards, respectively. Only data plotting in
the corresponding hemisphere will appear, although you can
choose to show both hemispheres at once. In all cases, lower hemi-
sphere data plot with solid (filled) symbols, while upper hemi-
sphere data plot with open (unfilled) symbols. You can easily
toggle between the three projections by clicking on the Hemi-
sphere tool buttons: lower , upper , or both hemispheres
, or by choosing the projection you want in the Display|Setup
net dialog box.
SpheriStat provides a variety of plot options, including whether the
plot is an equal area (Schmidt net) or equal angle (Wulff net) pro-
jection. You select these options by opening the Display|Setup net
menu command or clicking the Setup Net tool button .
Plotting Symbols
The symbol set contains both filled and hollow symbols of identi-
cal shape. The group values differ by 30, so the equivalent hollow
symbol has a group value equal to that of the filled symbol plus 30.
When you set the data type to Polarusing the Display|Setup data
format menu command, SpheriStat plots both the upper and lower
hemispheres. In this case, only group values from 1 to 16 are avail-
able; SpheriStat automatically adds 30 to the value to plot a hollow
symbol for the upper hemisphere, as is customary. If other group
codes are used for polar data, no symbols will be plotted.
For lower hemisphere plots only, you can choose the open symbols
by adding 30 to the group value. For example, the large open circle
a is plotted for the group 31, the small open circle b for group 32,
and so on. An easy way to change the group code for a number of
data points is to select the data records and choose the Edit|Assign
group menu command.
For planar data, you have the choice of plotting the pole to the
plane or the great circle projection. A positive group value gives
the pole, while a negative group value gives the great circle.
SpheriStat ignores the sign of the group value when you search
your data using the group code. For linear data, SpheriStat ignores
the sign of the group value.
Net Window / 27
SpheriStat 3
Small circles (cones) are plotted by using the structure code 78 or

79. In this case, SpheriStat uses the value entered in the Weight
field as the half-apical cone angle, in degrees. The Azimuth and In-
clination values gives the direction of the cone axis (center of the
small circle). The cone apex points in the direction opposite to that
of its axis.
The special case of a zero group value allows you to add points
and great or small circles to your plot as markers. SpheriStat uses
the structure code to determine which type of marker to plot: a pla-
nar structure code (1, say) gives a green great circle line, while a
linear code (37, say) gives a small open circle with an X within.
Group zero records are ignored during analysis.
You can change the color of the individual net symbols or circles
using the Edit|Assign symbol color menu option. Group zero data
always plot in green.
Using the Mouse in the Net Window

Moving the Mouse Around the Net
When the mouse cursor moves over the net, the net coordinates of
the tip of the arrow appear in the status bar at the bottom of
SpheriStats main window, displayed using the orientation conven-
tion selected in the Display|Setup data format dialog box.
SpheriStat shows the trend/plunge of the line having that plotted
position, and the strike/dip and dip-direction/dip of the plane
whose pole has that position. If the data have been contoured, the
point density value is given after the net coordinates, showing both
the raw count and, in parentheses, the point density in the chosen
format (see Analysis|Density Distribution).
Measuring Angles on the Net
When you click down in the net using the Pointer tool ( ),
SpheriStat records the orientation pointed at. When you drag the
pointer to a new location, SpheriStat draws a dashed great circle
segment joining the starting and current pointer locations and
shows the angle between the two corresponding orientations in the
main windows status line, as well as the attitude of the plane (as
strike/dip [S/D] or dip-direction/dip [DD/D]) represented by the
great circle. When Both hemispheres are plotted, you can switch
between upper and lower hemispheres by holding the Shift key
down while either clicking down or dragging. When the Shift key
28 / Net Window
is pressed, the pointer lies in the upper hemisphere. The great cir-
cle segment will reorient itself to show the shortest angular dis-
tance between the two orientations, regardless of which
hemisphere each direction lies.
Selecting Data in the Net With the Mouse
You can select data on the net with either the Rectangle Selector (
) or Freehand Selector ( ) tools. The Rectangle Selector
restricts the selection to a rectangular region set by the button-press
position (the upper-left corner) and the button-release position (the
lower-right corner). The Freehand Selector tool lets you drag a
complicated outline path around the net, either clockwise or coun-
terclockwise, defining the polygonal region within which the data
are selected. The polygon is closed automatically, joining the first
and last points. In both cases, when you release the mouse button,
the data are selected and highlighted by plotting them in dark red.
To include those data plotted as great or small circles, let the selec-
tion region cross some portion of the circle. By holding down the
[SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys, you can retain any previous selections or
continue to select more data. When you print the plot using a color
printer, the selected data appear in dark red.
Adding Labels on the Net
SpheriStat lets you add as many labels as you wish to the net and
set their properties individually. The operations are the same for all
plot windows and are described separately at the end of this chap-
ter.
Map Window
The map window is opened by choosing File|New|Map, for a new
data set, or Window|Map, for an already entered data set, from the
menu or by clicking on the Open Map button .
Symbols
The map shows the data plotted as properly oriented symbols, with
an associated number for the inclination (dip, plunge) where appro-
priate. Some symbols are intended not to have such a number, for
example, flat-lying beds or a horizontal lineation; in this case the
inclination information is contained in the symbol itself. You must
choose when such a symbol is needed. Because the symbol is spec-
ified by the structure code, the choice of symbol also affects how
Map Window / 29
SpheriStat 3
the orientations are interpreted, whether as strike/dip (plane) or

trend/plunge (line). This fact in turn affects the net and rose dia-
gram plots and the associated analyses. A complete list of the
default map symbols and associated structure code appears in the
Appendix of this reference guide. Note that the symbol codes have
been remapped from those used in SpheriStat version 2 to lie in the
range of 1 to 99, instead of 32 to 115. When you load a *.ss2 file,
the symbol codes are automatically changed to the *.ss3 equiva-
lent.
The new symbol editor lets you create your own map symbols.
The symbol code range from 0 to 99 is reserved for the default
symbols; you can choose symbol codes anywhere above this range.
The symbol editor provides many drawing tools to assist in the
symbol creation. It also allows you to import existing symbols in
TrueType format and from DXF files as entities or blocks. Once
imported, these symbols can be modified further.
You can also choose to plot your data using stylized stick-figure
symbols. Use the Display|Setup map menu command and make
the appropriate change in the dialog box. Planes are represented by
standard bedding (strike/dip) symbols (a long line with a shorter
side tick in the down-dip direction), where the length of the side
tick is shorter for steeper dips. Lineations appear with the standard
lineation symbol (a line with an arrowhead in the down-plunge di-
rection), where the length of the main line decreases with steeper
plunges. SpheriStat uses special symbols for certain situations,
such as upward plunges and dips, or horizontal or vertical planes or
lines. The Appendix of this manual shows all the symbols used by
SpheriStat.
Map Sizing
The map window always shows the full map. The bounds are de-
fined in the map setup, specified in user coordinates, so you can
choose those most convenient for you. If you want to focus the
view on only a portion of the full map, you must change the
bounding values in the setup dialog box. A better way to zoom in
is to select the data in that region and create a data subset (see Cre-
ating a Data Subset). The subset will then be plotted on its own
map. If you have autosizing turned on, the new map will have its
bounds adjusted to just include the subset data (+5% on each side).
Depending upon your choice of options for the parent map, the
new map will have either the same width, height or distance scale
as does the parent map.
30 / Map Window
The map window is fully resizable and can be made to fill the full
display area in SpheriStats main window. The map itself will al-
ways adjust its scaling to be fully visible within the map window,
including a small extra space around its edges.
Using the Mouse in the Map Window

Moving the Mouse Around the Map
A status line positioned at the bottom of SpheriStats main window
shows the current mouse cursor position, in user coordinates,
whenever the cursor lies within the map bounds. The X (easting)
coordinate appears first, followed by the Y (northing) coordinate.
Measuring Distances on the Map
When you click down in the map using the Pointer tool ( ),
SpheriStat records the location pointed at. When you drag the
pointer to a new location, SpheriStat draws a dashed line segment
joining the starting and current pointer locations and shows the dis-
tance between the starting and current location in user coordinates,
as well as the bearing of the line joining the points, in the main
windows status line. If the XYRatio is non-unity, SpheriStat uses
the Y (northing) unit.
Selecting Data in the Map With the Mouse
You can select data on the map with either the Rectangle Selector
( ) or Freehand Selector ( ) tools. The Rectangle Selector
restricts the selection to a rectangular region set by the button-press
position (the upper-left corner) and the button-release position (the
lower-right corner). The Freehand Selector tool lets you drag a
complicated outline path around the map, either clockwise or coun-
terclockwise, defining the polygonal region within which the data
are selected. The polygon is closed automatically, joining the first
and last points. In both cases, when you release the mouse button,
the data are selected and highlighted by plotting them in dark red.
By holding down the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys, you can retain any
previous selections or continue to select more data. When you print
the plot using a color printer, the selected data appear in red.
Moving Symbols With the Mouse
Where you have several symbols plotted at the same or nearby sta-
tions, you can adjust the positioning of the symbol on the map to
eliminate overlap and improve readability. Click on the Map Sym-
Map Window / 31
SpheriStat 3
bol Mover tool ( ). Place the mouse cursor on the symbol you
want to move in the map, then click and drag it with the left mouse
button to the new location. (See the Glossary of Mouse and Key-
board Terms in the Appendix for the meaning of the term drag-
ging, if you are unfamiliar with it). As you drag the symbol, it
momentarily disappears until you move it away from its starting
position. As you continue to drag the mouse, the symbol moves
with the cursor (without its inclination value, if present). Release
the mouse button to drop the symbol in its new position. The Edi-
tor displays a shifted symbol by showing its station coordinates in
color (the color of Windows caption bar). SpheriStat records the
coordinate shift separately from the station coordinates, so the
change in position does not appear in the editor screen. This coor-
dinate shift is not used in any analysis involving station locations.
See also Tools|Map symbol mover for more information.
To remove the shift for all or selected records, choose the Edit|Re-
move coordinate shift menu command. The coordinate shift is
stored in the data file and will be reapplied when the file is later re-
loaded, unless you save the data with the shifts removed. The coor-
dinate shifts are not retained if you store your data in ASCII (text)
format.
Adding Labels on the Map
SpheriStat lets you add as many labels as you wish to the map and
set their properties individually. The operations are the same for all
plot windows and are described separately at the end of this chap-
ter.
Circular (Rose) Diagram Window

The circular (rose) diagram window is opened by choosing
File|New|Rose, for a new data set, or Window|Rose, for an al-
ready entered data set, from the menu or by clicking on the Open
Rose button . It shows the azimuthal value of the currently en-
tered data (either strike or dip direction for planar data, or trend for
linear data) plotted on a circular plot. The Display|Setup circular
plot menu command (or the Setup Circular Diagram tool button
) gives you a number of options for presenting the raw data,
computed histogram (bar, peak or smoothed) and statistical mea-
sures (mean and standard deviation of the histogram frequency,
and the direction of the resultant vector and its 95% confidence
limits). For axial (non-directed) data, the plot is symmetrical about
32 / Circular (Rose) Diagram Window

the center point. You can also choose to make a half-circle plot,
specifying which half circle (0-180; 180-360, 90-270 or
270-90).
Using the Mouse in the Rose Window

Moving the Mouse Around the Circular Diagram
When the mouse cursor moves over the rose plot, the coordinates
of the tip of the arrow appear in the status window at the bottom of
SpheriStats main window. The coordinates are the angular posi-
tion, measured clockwise from North, and the percent frequency,
increasing radially from zero at the center of the plot. The coordi-
nates are displayed using your choice of data format (see Dis-
play|Setup data format). If the histogram appears in the plot,
SpheriStat shows the local height and class interval of the histo-
gram bar or the local value of the smoothed histogram for the azi-
muth pointed at by the mouse cursor.
Measuring Angles on the Circular Diagram
When you click down in the net using the Pointer tool ( ),
SpheriStat records the orientation pointed at. When you drag the
pointer to a new location, SpheriStat draws a dashed arc joining the
starting and current pointer orientations and shows the angle be-
tween them in the main windows status line.
Selecting Data in the Circular Diagram With the Mouse
You select raw data on the circular plot by dragging a pie-shaped
wedge with the Angle Selector tool ( ), specifying the start and
end angles between which the included data are selected. If the
data are axial (non-directed), the wedge will be symmetric about
the center of the plot. The selected data are replotted in dark red
and lie above any other plot features, including the histogram. By
holding down the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys, you can retain any
previous selections or continue to select more data. When you print
the plot using a color printer, the selected data appear in dark red.
Adding Labels on the Circular Diagram
SpheriStat lets you add as many labels as you wish to the circular
diagram and set their properties individually. The operations are
the same for all plot windows and are described separately in the
next section.
Circular (Rose) Diagram Window / 33

SpheriStat 3
Adding, Changing and Deleting Labels

Labels can be freely added to the main plots. You can also create a
reference line joining any plot point to the label. Each label has its
own text, typeface, type size and color, frame color and line thick-
ness. You can reposition each label by dragging it to its new posi-
tion, but the reference point cannot be moved.
To add a label:
1. Select the Label ( ) tool. The mouse cursor changes to .

2. Click the point on the display (either within or outside the plot
bounds) where you wish to place a label, but not over an exist-
ing label. If you want a reference line joining some point to a
label placed at a different location, drag the mouse cursor be-
fore releasing the left button. The click-down position is the
reference point and the click-up position is where the label is
drawn. A line joins the two points.
3. Immediately, a dialog box opens allowing you to enter the label
text and set the properties of the text font, outline frame and
reference line.
4. Once you are satisfied with the entries, select the Ok button, or
select Cancel or Delete to abort the label option. If you want
these choices to become the default options for future labels in
this project, select Save as default options.
To modify an existing label:
1. Select the Label ( ) tool. The mouse cursor changes to .

2. Position the mouse cursor over the label you want to modify.
The cursor changes to . Press the right mouse button.
3. The label editing dialog box opens showing the current infor-
mation. Make the desired changes.
4. Select Ok to accept the changes or Cancel to abort.
To delete an existing label:
1. Follow the same procedure as for modifying a label. Then se-
lect the Delete button to remove that label.
See Tools|Label for more details.
34 / Adding, Changing and Deleting Labels

Step-by-Step
Instructions
5
Entering and Editing Data
All keyboard entry and editing of data are done in the Field Edit
Window (FEW). The FEW appears as a black outlined rectangle
containing a blinking vertical line cursor (caret in Windows termi-
nology).
Starting a New Data Set

To start a new, manually entered data set:
1. Select the File|New|Edit menu command or click on the Open
New Editor tool button (CTRL+ ). If you already have a
data file displayed in a window, make sure none of the records
are selected before using the tool button.
When you start a new editor with the menu command or with
the tool button when no data is already loaded, the column lay-
out will be that specified by your default settings (see Dis-
play|Setup Editor). If you use the tool button and data are
already loaded but none selected, the new editor will have the
layout specified for the existing data set.
2. Select the Display|Setup data format menu option to specify
the data type, plane convention (if you are entering planar mea-
surements) and the orientation convention. See Display|Setup
data format for more details.
3. Select the Display|Setup editor menu command or click on the
Setup Editor tool button ( ) to open the editors setup dia-
log box. Disable any unnecessary fields by removing the appro-
priate checkmark. Arrange the fields in the order you want. See
Display|Setup editor for more details.
4. SpheriStat uses the structure code to determine whether the
data are lines, planes or cones. Structure code 1 is a generic
plane (on the map, it plots as the standard bedding symbol),
and code 37 is a lineation (represented on the map as an arrow
symbol). Use a more appropriate code if you are plotting the
data on a map. Structure code 78 or 79 is used for cone (small
Starting a New Data Set / 37

SpheriStat 3
circle) data. Enter the cones half-apical angle, in degrees, in

the Weight field. The circular diagram plots the azimuth of the
cone axis. You can, of course, use any symbol that you create
yourself using the symbol editor, available separately from
Pangaea Scientific.
You can enter either SpheriStats numeric symbol code or your
own user-defined code. You can assign these codes either in the
symbol equivalence file (see Configuration Files) selected for
this project or directly in the Structure Codes/Symbols win-
dow using the in-place editor. The symbol equivalence file can
be edited directly using a text editor or by opening the file in
the Help|Preferences dialog box. In the preferences dialog,
you must also decide whether to apply the symbol equivalences
to the current structure symbol set.
To help you choose the correct structure code and symbol,
SpheriStat provides a pop-up display window showing all the
defined symbols, with their structure code, user-defined code,
visual shape and represented structure type (Plane, Line or
Cone). Use the Display|Show structure codes/symbols menu
command to show the window.
You can switch the editor between the display of the numeric or
the user-defined structure codes using the Display|Show user
code menu command or by selecting Show user symbol code
in the Display|Set conventions dialog box.
When you are entering only azimuth values and have closed
(disabled) the inclination field, SpheriStat assumes that the data
are lineations and automatically inserts the symbol code 36 (for
axial data) or 37 (for polar data). Change the code to a more
suitable one, if you wish, and all subsequent manually entered
records will use the new value.
Close the structure code column when a structure code is not
needed. In this case, SpheriStat uses the special structure code
of 0 and assumes that any attitudes refer to a linear measure
(eg., a borehole axis in 3-point problems). The map will show
the record as a special symbol (a small circle with an x in it).
5. The group code determines the net symbol. To see all the net
symbols and their group code, use the Display|Show net
(group) symbols menu command or look in the Appendix of
this manual.
For linear data: use any allowable group value. The sign is ig-
38 / Starting a New Data Set

nored in this case.

For planar data: a positive group value means the pole to the
plane is plotted, while a negative group value give the great cir-
cle projection of the plane.
A zero group value is used to add special marker points and
great or small circles in green to the net plot without affecting
the analyses. In this case, using a planar structure code pro-
duces a great circle, while a linear code gives a small open cir-
cle containing a cross.
6. The weight value must be non-zero and positive. SpheriStat
will prevent you from entering an unacceptable value. The
weight parameter can be used for many purposes. Many of the
analysis tools allow the measurements to be weighted by this
value. Both the map and net symbols can be scaled to the
weight value, giving you more freedom to choose how the data
are displayed, emphasizing some mearurements over others,
perhaps based on data quality or some other parameter.
7. Continue entering records, pressing [TAB] or [ENTER] be-
tween entries. At the end of each row, the FEW automatically
moves to the first available column in the next row.
Adding Records to an Existing Data Set

Move the FEW to the first column of the last available row in the
editor. See Using the Field Edit Window to learn the various key-
board and mouse methods. If you are starting a new file, this row
will be at the top position (row #1). If the file already contains data
records, the first blank row (with a grayed index value) will follow
the last data record. SpheriStat will not allow you to move the
FEW past the last available row. All records must be contiguous, so
do not add an empty record between data records.
To add a new record at the end of the data list:
1. Move the FEW to the last accessible data row (the first row
containing a grayed index value). This row may be blank, but
SpheriStat will let you move the FEW to this row.
2. Enter a value in one of the field positions, then press [ENTER]
or [TAB]. A new blank record is added to the end of the data
file.
3. Continue entering values in any other appropriate fields.
Adding Records to an Existing Data Set / 39

SpheriStat 3
To insert a new record within an existing data set:

1. Move the FEW to the row where you want to insert the new re-
cord.
2. Press [CTRL+ENTER] to create the new record in the current
line. the current and all following records will move down one
row position. The FEW will remain in the same column, but in
the new record.
In both cases, SpheriStat will automatically assign structure code,
group and weight values for the new record. All values will be the
same as that of the record just pushed down, if present. This action
lets you enter a series of similar data more quickly. When you
move to any of these columns, the value will be selected. You are
free, of course, to change it to whatever you wish by simply typing
in the new number. You do not need to delete the existing number
first.
To enter data to a field within a record:
1. Enter the value in the current column (field).
2. Press [ENTER] or [TAB] to validate the entry and move the
FEW to the next column on the right.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the entire record is filled. The FEW
moves down to the first available column in the next row.
You can also move the FEW by clicking with the left mouse button
on the next FEW position anywhere on the accessible editing
screen.
If you are entering a new record in the last row of the editor, con-
taining the null record, a new null record automatically is created
and added to the end of the file. You can then continue to enter re-
cords row by row.
If the data value is incorrect, SpheriStat will beep and display an
error message (if the error message facility is enabled; see Display|
Setup editor for more information).
Using the Field Edit Window

The FEW is a full one-line text editor and responds to key com-
mands and mouse actions as does any other Windows text editor.
When the FEW is active (it shows a black outline box), moving it
with the keyboard or mouse will cause the contents of the FEW to
40 / Using the Field Edit Window

be validated and, when accepted, to be entered into the data file.

Note: an edited value is entered into the dataset ONLY when
the FEW has moved.
You can modify any data item by moving the FEW to it and mak-
ing the changes.
To move the FEW with the mouse:
1. Click the left mouse button on the field item you wish to mod-
ify. SpheriStat will not allow the FEW to move below the null
record that follows the last visible record. This null record is a
place-holder for the next record to be entered.
To move through a long data set with the mouse or the key-
board keys:
With the mouse:
1. Click on the gray region of the scroll bar to move by a full
screen at a time.
or
2. Drag the scroll thumb to move by larger steps through the
file.
These are standard Windows scrolling procedures.
With the keyboard:
1. [PAGEUP] and [PAGEDOWN] moves the data list by a
full screen at a time.
2. [CTRL+HOME] moves to the first record.
3. [CTRL+END] moves to the last record.
To move the FEW while discarding any changes to the entry in
the FEW:
1. Click on a new position while holding down the [CTRL] key.
The entry in the FEW will be ignored and the value formerly in
that records field position will be restored.
Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete

Definitions
Cut Record: Copy the selected record(s) into the Windows clip-
board and delete it from the data list.
Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete / 41

SpheriStat 3
Copy Record: Copy the selected record(s) into the clipboard but
do not delete it from the data list.
Paste Record: Copy the record(s) from the clipboard into the data
list.
Delete Record: Delete the selected record(s) from the data list
without copying it to the clipboard. The information is irre-
trievable, so a warning dialog box appears requesting confirma-
tion of the action.
Cut Text: Copy the text in the FEW into the Windows clipboard
and delete it from the FEW.
Copy Text: Copy the text in the FEW into the Windows clipboard
but do not delete it from the FEW.
Paste Text: Copy the information in the clipboard into the current
FEW, if visible.
Undo Text Edit: Restore the contents of the FEW to what it was
before the most recent entry.
These important editing actions are supported in SpheriStat, but the
way they work depends upon how the information reaches the
Windows clipboard and whether a FEW is currently active.
To cut or copy data records:
1. Select the records either by using the method appropriate for
the type of display window or by using the Search|Select re-
cords menu command.
2. Select either the Edit|Cut record (or press [SHIFT+DELETE])
or Edit|Copy record (or press [CTRL+INSERT]) menu com-
mand. If the records are cut, they will be erased from the data
set.
To paste new data records:
In the editor:
1. Choose a paste position by selecting a data record with the
mouse (left click in the gray #-column in the row where
the data is to be added).
2. Select the Edit|Paste record menu command (or press
[SHIFT+INSERT]).
The data will be added at that row position, pushing down the
record currently in that row. If you want the data added to the
42 / Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete

end of the list, make no selection of paste position.

Pasting text-formatted information into SpheriStats editor as
new data records places some restrictions on the structure of
that information because the text must be converted correctly.
You inform SpheriStat about the format of the new text by suit-
ably configuring the editor (column order, presence or
absence of certain fields, measurement convention, and choice
of delimiters). See Display|Setup editor for more information.
In the other display windows:
Only SpheriStat-formatted data can be pasted into a plot dis-
play window. To convert text-formatted data, paste it into the
editor.
Selecting the Edit|Paste record menu command (or press
[SHIFT+INSERT]) will immediately add the records to the
plot. They are added to the data set at the end of the list, by
default.
To delete records permanently:
1. Select the records either by using the method appropriate for
the type of display window or by using the Search|Select
records menu command.
2. Select the Edit|Delete record menu command (or press
[CTRL+DELETE]). SpheriStat requests confirmation of this
action, since deleting records is irreversible.
Clipboard Formats
SpheriStat cuts, copies and pastes two clipboard formats: text and
a proprietary SpheriStat format:
1. The SpheriStat-formatted data block and a corresponding
text-formatted block are created in SpheriStat by selecting
whole data records (see Searching and Selecting) and copying
or cutting them to the clipboard. SpheriStat converts the data
records into text strings (using the currently selected delimiters
and the display and measurement formats) and stores them in
the clipboard in text format. If the information is pasted back
into the SpheriStat editor (either in the same file or a different
file), SpheriStat uses the SpheriStat-formatted data to get the
new information. Pasting the same information into other
text-based applications retrieves only the text-formatted infor-
mation.
Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete / 43

SpheriStat 3
2. The clipboard text format (without an accompanying

SpheriStat format) is used in SpheriStat only when a selection
in the FEW is copied or cut to the clipboard. Other text-based
applications use the text format as well and can provide a
source of clipboard information for pasting into SpheriStat and
be a recipient of SpheriStats record data.
Guidelines for Pasting Data
Use the following guidelines when pasting text-formatted data into
the editor (these guidelines apply also to when you are loading a
text file from disk):
1. If any field items are missing from the full list available, you
have two ways to proceed: either close up the corresponding
column in the editor (see Customizing the editor), or place a #
character (ASCII code 35) in the corresponding position of the
missing data in the text file. If the structure code field is miss-
ing, SpheriStat will request a value to be used for all data re-
cords.
2. The editors column items must be in the same order as the
fields in the incoming file. If the order differs, drag the corre-
sponding columns in the editor into the same order as in the in-
coming text or set the order in the Display|Setup editor dialog
box. You will be given the opportunity to change the order dur-
ing file loading.
3. The numeric and text information must be separated (delim-
ited) by the same character (or characters, in the case of CRLF)
as selected for the editor. To change the editors delimiter,
choose the Display|Setup editor menu command or press [F4].
You will be able to change the delimiter during file loading.
The editor offers a choice of the Space, Tab, Comma, CR
(carriage return), CRLF (carriage return + line feed) and a cus-
tom character for the field delimiter. Spaces are ignored ex-
cept when they are used as delimiters. In the latter case, you
can choose whichever single ANSI character you wish. The
CRLF option is used when each numeric value is placed on its
own text line. In this latter case, if no Additional Information is
present, use an extra CRLF or enter a # character with no
spaces before it. If you wish, you can place no more than one
additional CRLF (line break) separating data records.
The choices of text delimiter include None, Single Quote,
44 / Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete

Double Quote and a custom character. In the latter case, you

can choose whichever single ANSI character you wish.
4. The measurement conventions for the azimuth and inclinations
must match that of the incoming data. This is the only way that
SpheriStat can properly interpret the character strings. You will
be able to change the convention during file loading.
These restrictions do not hold for pasting SpheriStat-formatted in-
formation.
Creating a Data Subset

To make a new data set from part of your data:
1. Select the data you want to sample (see Searching and Se-
lecting Data).
2. Hold down the [CTRL] key and select one of the Window|Edi-
tor, Window|Net, Window|Map or Window|Rose menu com-
mands or click on one of the Open... tools
( , , , ).
3. To keep the same map bounds, hold down both the
[SHIFT+CTRL] keys when selecting the Window|Map menu
command or clicking on the Open Map tool button.
Creating a Data Subset / 45

6
Saving and Loading Data
Saving Your Data
SpheriStat can write files formatted both in its own binary format
and in text format. The File|Save as dialog box offers up to three
choices of file type: SpheriStat 3, SpheriStat 2.2 and Text
Data file. When you choose the text type, SpheriStat will convert
the data and store it using the current editor setup and data format.
SpheriStat 3 data files are text files that contain a complete record
of the data, including symbol offsets, along with the editor, net,
map and circular diagram setups and data format. When you load
such a file, the display windows configure themselves to appear
the same as when you saved the file. While you can edit these files
with a text editor, we caution against doing that because it may
make them unreadable in SpheriStat 3.
SpheriStat 2.2 data files similarly contain a complete record of
the data and display formats, but use a proprietary binary format.
Text data files contain only the main data fields, but none of the
internally generated data or options. However they can be read and
modified by any text editor and can be used by other applications
capable of handling the information.
SpheriStat binary files are larger in size than the corresponding text
files because of the extra information stored with the data.
To save your file in SpheriStat 3 format:
1. Select the File|Save menu command (or press [CTRL+S] or
click on the tool).
2a. If the data have been previously saved as a SpheriStat file, the
data are immediately saved.
or
2b. If the data have never been saved before (SpheriStats caption
shows untitled for the file name), the File|Save as dialog box
will open.
46 / Saving Your Data

a) Choose the correct drive, directory and SpheriStat 3 file

type and enter the name for the new data file.
b) Click on Ok or press [ENTER].
To save the data in SpheriStat 3 format with a new file name:
1. Select the File|Save as menu command (or press [CTRL+W]).
2. Choose the correct drive, directory and SpheriStat 3 file type
and enter the new name for the data file.
3. Click on Ok or press [ENTER].
To save the data in SpheriStat 2.2 format:

2. Choose the correct drive, directory and SpheriStat 2.2 file
type and enter the new name for the data file.
To create a text data file from your data:

2. Choose the correct drive, directory and Text Data file file
type and enter the file name for the new file.
Loading Your Data

To load a SpheriStat or a text-formatted data file:
1. Select the File|Open menu command (or click on the tool).

2. Choose the file type (SpheriStat 3, SpheriStat 2 or Text Data
file) to display the available files, or type the file name directly
into the filename box. You can change the choice of text data
files appearing in the list making the changes in the Help|Pref-
erences dialog box (see Configuration Files).
3. Select Ok. SpheriStat will attempt to load the file, following
the same procedure as when the program is first started.
If the filename has the extension .SS2 or .SS3, SpheriStat
verifies that it is a valid SpheriStat-formatted file and loads it
directly.
Loading Your Data / 47

SpheriStat 3
For all other extensions, SpheriStat checks whether the file sig-
nature corresponds to a SpheriStat file; if not, it assumes the
file is a text-formatted data file and will open the Import
Setup dialog box. You must then make the appropriate changes
to configure the importing procedure.
You can also use the drag-and-drop feature of Windows File Man-
ager (and other programs and file manager applications). See Run-
ning SpheriStat for details of how to use this feature.
Publishing Your Data

Pangaea Scientific has created a structure symbol editor which
lets you create and modify your own symbols and use them within
SpheriStat. Since other SpheriStat users may not have your cus-
tomized symbol set, nor know the new structure codes that you
have defined, your new symbols and codes can be packaged with
the dataset. In that way, other users can properly interpret and use
your data. We call this process publishing your data.
To save your data with a customized map symbol set:
1. Select the File|Publish as menu command (or press
[CTRL+B]).
2a. The Save As dialog box will open.
a) Choose the correct drive, directory and enter the name for
the new data file. The SpheriStat 3 format is the required
file type.
b) Click on Ok or press [ENTER].
The resultant file is the same as a standard SpheriStat 3 file, except
that the symbol definitions are appended to the end.
The next time that file is loaded using the File|Open command,
SpheriStat will load the map symbol set too. In this way, others can
open and display your data, even though they may not have your
customized symbol set. When a published dataset is loaded, the
Structure Codes and Symbols window will show the new sym-
bols whenever you activate a window containing the published
data. You can load as many different published datasets as you
wish (and your computers memory allows), each having its own
structure code and symbol set.
Published data file can only be loaded, displayed and searched. All
editing and analysis procedures, as well as random searching, are
48 / Publishing Your Data

disabled. Such procedures may require that a new data set be cre-
ated from the published data, a facility not currently available in
SpheriStat 3.
Publishing Your Data / 49

7
Searching and Selecting Data
SpheriStat provides a number of facilities for selecting records
from your data set. Except for text-key searching, all procedures
show the selected items highlighted in the display windows. You
can create a data subset from this highlighted data for specialized
analysis or plotting. Or you can copy the data to the Windows clip-
board for pasting into other SpheriStat display windows or other
applications. See Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete for more discussion
of clipboard formats and procedures.
Searching by Text Key in the Editor

To locate a specific record containing a certain text keyword in
the Additional Information column of the editor:
1. Choose the Search|Find text menu command (or press
[CTRL+F]).
2. Enter the keyword. Click on the Case Sensitive option box if
the character case is important in the search. For example, you
may wish to search for the record containing the word Quartz,
but not quartz. On the other hand, you may not want to distin-
guish these two words; in that case, make sure that the Case
Sensitive box is not checked.
3. Select Ok to make the search.
The search always starts at the beginning of the file. If SpheriStat
finds a matching record, it moves the FEW to the Additional Infor-
mation field of that record.
To find the next matching record:
1. Use the Search|Find next ([CTRL+T]) command. SpheriStat
searches from the current row until it finds a match, moving the
FEW to the new record.
To make a multiple-keyword search, you must use the Search|Se-
lect records command ([F9]). SpheriStat will mark as selected all
records having the entered keywords, but it does not move the
FEW.
50 / Searching by Text Key in the Editor

Selecting Stations
To select all records containing a certain text keyword in their
station identifier:
1. Choose the Search|Find stations menu command (or press
[SHIFT+CTRL+F]).
2. Enter the key characters. Click on the Case Sensitive option
box if the character case is important in the search. For exam-
ple, you may wish to search for the record containing the char-
acters 94A, but not 94a. On the other hand, you may not
want to distinguish these two characters; in that case, make
sure that the Case Sensitive box is not checked.
3. Select Ok to make the search.
SpheriStat searches the entire file and selects all records whose sta-
tion identifier contains the search characters. These records are
highlighted in all display windows in which the data set appears.
Selecting Records by a Boolean Search

To select records using the Boolean search facility:
1. Choose the Search|Select records menu command ([F9]). A
dialog box opens, giving a number of options available for
searching your data using a combination of criteria connected
by Boolean operators (AND or OR) and optionally modified by
NOT.
2. Enter the search criteria. The way the criteria are expressed de-
pends upon the type of parameter.
The coordinates and orientations are searched only by range of
values; you can exclude a range by clicking the Not X, Not
Y, NotZ, NotA, or Not I checkboxes.
The structure code and group choices are connected by a logi-
cal OR operator, meaning that the presence of any of the indi-
cated codes will cause that data record to be selected.
The three choices of text string are connected by a logical AND
operator. Thus all entered text strings must be present in the in-
formation section of the data record for that record to be se-
lected. You can negate a text keyword by adding a - (dash or
minus) character as the first character of the keyword; this has
the effect of applying a logical NOT to that keyword.
Selecting Stations / 51
SpheriStat 3
3. Decide how you want the separate criteria to be logically con-

nected (linked). You can choose to link the search criteria for
the separate parameters by a logical AND or an OR. This will
determine whether all criteria, or only one criterion, must be
satisfied for the data record to be selected. All blank parameter
choices are ignored.
4. You may also choose to complement the search, so that all
those records not satisfying the criteria are selected.
5. You can search all data or only previously selected data. This
option allows you to perform complex searches, changing the
criteria for each search. The search can become quite compli-
cated, so carefully work out the search criteria on paper first.
(See Hints on Using Boolean Search, below.)
6. Select Ok to perform the search and selection procedure. The
dialog box will close and all the matching records will be se-
lected and highlighted in all display windows in which the data
set appears.
If you wish to repeat the search, or make another search,
SpheriStat remembers the search criteria used previously in that
session and enters them in the Search|Select records dialog box
when it opens again. You can then modify them or if you want to
start fresh, click on the Reset button to clear out all criteria and re-
turn the settings to the default values.
Hints on Using Boolean Search

Boolean selection of records can be a very complex undertaking.
This is particularly true if you run the selection procedure several
times in succession, either narrowing your search by selecting only
from those records previously selected, or broadening it by retain-
ing previous selections and using new criteria.
If you want to make a fairly complex selection, first lay out the
search criteria on paper. The Search|Select records dialog box
gives you many choices to make, but may not include all the
choices you need in one selection. In this case, you will have to
make more than one selection to get the results you want.
Planning is crucial to success here.
A simple, fairly common example is selecting records for two or
more different rock types (assuming rock type information is avail-
able in the Additional Information column). Suppose you want to
52 / Selecting Records by a Boolean Search

plot bedding measurements for both limestone and sandstone, but

not shale, perhaps because shale lies above an angular uncon-
formity. You have a choice of two ways to proceed:
1. You can do one selection using the keyword limestone and
another with sandstone (or whatever designation you give for
these rock types). For the second search, you would turn off the
Clear Previous Selections checkbox. Do not put both
keywords in the same search, because SpheriStat will select
only records containing both keywords in the same Additional
Information string.
2. Alternatively, you can use the key string -shale, to select all
but the shale measurements.
Which technique you use will depend upon what other choices you
make and what other possible variations in data are present.
Remember that SpheriStat clears all selections either when you
make a new selection with the mouse, unless either the [SHIFT] or
[CTRL] key is pressed, or when you click with the right mouse
button in the #-column of the editor. If you accidentally or inten-
tionally change the selections after a search, then use the
Search|Restore selections menu command to restore the selec-
tions made by the search. SpheriStat remembers only the most re-
cent previous selections.
Selecting Data Randomly

One way to test the reliability of a computational or statistical pro-
cedure is to sample your data set and compare the results for differ-
ent samples. SpheriStat provides a simple way for you to make a
random selection of your data.
To make a random selection of your data:
1. Choose the Search|Random selection menu option.
2. Decide whether you want to select a fixed number of data,
perhaps an even 100 or whatever amount you want, or a fixed
percentage of the total number of data. Select the button for
your choice.
3. Enter the quantity appropriate for the sampling choice.
4. Choose whether to make a new data set from the selection. If
not, the records in the current data set will be marked as se-
Selecting Data Randomly / 53

SpheriStat 3
lected and highlighted in all display windows in which the data

appear.
5. Choose whether to allow duplication of samples. This option
allows you to perform bootstrap resampling, a statistical pro-
cedure that can give you an idea of the uncertainty of calcu-
lated statistical parameters, such as principal directions or peak
density (Efron and Tibshirani, 1986). If this option is selected,
then the Make New Data Set option must be chosen;
SpheriStat will do so automatically.
c. Select the Ok button.
SpheriStat will perform the calculation. If Make New Data Set is
selected, a new data window of the same type as the former will
open. Otherwise, SpheriStat will highlight the selected records in
all display windows in which the data appear; you can then open
the sampled data into its own display window for analysis, if de-
sired.
Random Search Procedure

After determining the number of records to be sampled, SpheriStat
uses its internal random number generator to calculate an index
into the list of data. If that record has already been selected and Al-
low Duplicates is not chosen,or that record has a group value of 0,
it is ignored and the selection repeated. The process continues until
the required number of data records have been selected.
Reference
Efron, B. and R. Tibshirani, 1986. Bootstrap methods for standard
errors, confidence intervals and other measures of statistical ac-
curacy. Stat. Sci., 1, 54-77.
Selecting Records With a Mouse

The process of selecting data records in the display windows using
the mouse depends upon the type of display.
Editor
In the editor, you select records by clicking or dragging the mouse
cursor in the index (#) column. Using the Pointer tool ( ),
hold down the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys to select several records.
See Selecting Data Records in the Editor for more details..
54 / Selecting Records With a Mouse

Net and Map

For both the net and map, two tools are available to select records:
Rectangle Selector ( ) and Freehand Selector ( ). The
difference is that the rectangle selector defines a rectangular selec-
tion region within which all records are selected, while the free-
hand region is an irregular polygon. Pick the tool by clicking on
the appropriate button. Then click down the mouse button to estab-
lish a start point in the plot region and drag the mouse to enclose
the data. The selection region appears as a dashed line. SpheriStat
redraws the selected data in dark red and switches the tool back to
the Pointer. To include more points, hold down on either the
[SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys. In the case of the net, the selection tools
have no effect unless you have chosen to include the raw data re-
cords in the display.
When you are plotting polar data in the net, the selection tools
work on the records currently showing. To select records from only
the lower or upper hemisphere, activate only that hemisphere plot.
Show both hemispheres to select from both at the same time.
Circular Diagram
Because the data in the circular diagram are radial lines with an az-
imuth only, the selection tool, the Angle Selector ( ), defines
a pie- or wedge-shaped selection region. After activating the tool
by clicking on the tool button, click in the circular diagram to es-
tablish the starting angle and drag the dashed wedge to enclose the
angular region you want. SpheriStat redraws the selected data in
dark red and switches the tool back to the Pointer. To include more
points, hold down on either the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] keys. The an-
gle selector has no effect unless you have chosen to include the
raw data records in the display.
Selecting Records With a Mouse / 55

8
Rotating Data
Rotating Data on a Net
You can rotate the data on the net, including the contours, by se-
lecting the Edit|Rotate data menu option. If the point density
counts and contours have been loaded from a file, they will be re-
moved and the point density recalculated from the current data set,
unless you disabled the recalculation.
To rotate data by manually entering the rotation parameters:
1. Enter the orientation of the rotation axis and its rotation angle
in the appropriate edit boxes in the Options area. The rotation
angle is positive for a clockwise rotation when the rotation axis
is viewed from the center of the unit sphere. If the plunge is
negative, then you are looking up at the upper hemisphere.
2. Select the Rotate button.
To rotate data using the mouse:
1. Click down the mouse button on a point in the Net Display and
drag the mouse (with the button down) to a new position.
To rotate selected data only:
1. Select the data to be rotated prior to opening the Edit|Rotate
data dialog box.
2. Choose the Selected Data Only option. Rotate manually or in-
teractively with the mouse, as described above.
In all cases, the data will be rotated and a new plot will appear in
the net display. The caption Rotated will show the state of the dis-
played data.
To toggle between the Original unrotated data and the Rotated
data:
1a. Select either the Show Original or the Show Rotated buttons
in the Options area;
or
56 / Rotating Data on a Net

Rotating Data
1b. Click in the net display in the gray region outside the net.
To rotate the principal direction to the center of the net:
For axial data:
1. Select the Center Max E or Center Min E button to ro-
tate the maximum and minimum eigenvectors, respec-
tively, to the center of the net.
For polar data:
1. Select the Center F Pole button to rotate the resultant
vector to the center of the net.
In all cases, the rotation axis is the line perpendicular to the
principal direction and the vertical.
To create a new rotated data set:
1. Select the Save button. Any selected data remain selected in
the new set.
If the Selected Data Only option is not chosen, SpheriStat
gives you the option of rotating the map by the same amount,
retaining the same map scale. The station coordinates are trans-
formed to their new position in three-dimensional space. In cer-
tain circumstances, this new plot can help you to see better the
geometry of your structures. For example, for folded terrain,
rotating your data so the regional fold axis is vertical may pro-
vide a quick way to see the true shape of the fold when plotted
on a map.
In the map display, the stations are projected vertically to the
map plane. To help you relate this new rotated projection to the
original, SpheriStat adds four markers, the corners of the origi-
nal map area, to the end of the data set. These markers have a
zero group value, so they are not included in any analyses, and
show in dark green in the various displays.
Rotating Data on a Circular Diagram

You can rotate the data on the circular diagram, including the his-
togram, by selecting the Edit|Rotate data menu option.
To rotate data by manually entering the rotation angle:
1. Enter the rotation angle in the edit box in the Options area. The
rotation angle is positive for a clockwise rotation.
Rotating Data on a Circular Diagram / 57

SpheriStat 3
2. Select the Rotate button.

To rotate data using the mouse:
1. Click down the mouse button on a point in the Rose Display
and drag the mouse (with the button down) to a new position.
In both cases, the data will be rotated and a new plot will appear in
the rose display. The caption Rotated will show the state of the
displayed data.
To toggle between the Original unrotated data and the Rotated
data:
1a. Select either the Show Original or the Show Rotated buttons
in the Options area;
or
1b. Click in the rose display in the gray region outside the circular
diagram.
To rotate the principal (mean) direction to the North or East:
1. Select the Mean to N or Mean to E button, respectively.
58 / Rotating Data on a Circular Diagram

9
Analyzing Your Data
SpheriStat provides a selection of analytical procedures for extract-
ing more meaning from your data. You must decide whether any
particular tool is applicable. Each procedure makes certain as-
sumptions about the nature of that data. You must make sure that
the assumptions are correct. If not, select those records that do sat-
isfy the assumptions.
Calculating Lineations from Rake

To calculate the trend and plunge of a lineation from the plane
attitude and the rake of the lineation in that plane:
1a. Open an empty editor window using the File|New|Edit menu
option. Although you may wish to include more field informa-
tion, such as station identifier, close those fields you dont
need, except for the structure, weight, azimuth and inclina-
tion fields. To easily close a field, right-click in the title of that
field. Alternatively, you can use the Display|Setup editor dia-
log box.
or
1b. Create a blank record in the existing data set by pressing
[CTRL+ENTER] in the editor in a suitable place. At the end of
the existing data set, you can simply begin entering your mea-
surements without using the above procedure; a new record is
automatically created as you do so.
2. Enter a default structure code for a planar structure (1 will do).
You can now close the structure field.
3. Enter the strike (or dip-direction, if you chose that data format)
and dip of the plane in the azimuth and inclination fields, re-
spectively.
4. Enter the rake angle, measured clockwise in the plane from the
strike direction (assuming the right-hand orientation conven-
tion), in the weight field.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for as many records as you want ana-
Calculating Lineations from Rake / 59

SpheriStat 3
lyzed. When you have finished entering records, you need to

inform SpheriStat which records are to be included in the anal-
ysis. If you started a new data set, all the records will be in-
cluded and you do not need to do anything else. If you added
the records to the existing file, select the new items by clicking
on their record number in the index column (see Selecting Data
Records in the Editor or Selecting Records With a Mouse).
6. Select the Analysis|Lineation from rake menu option.
Select where you wish to place the results: in a New Data Set,
Add to Existing data set (containing the raw data), or Replace Re-
cord (in this case, the plane records in the current data set contain-
ing the rake values). Then after you enter your choice of lineation
symbol, SpheriStat calculates the lineation attitude for all data re-
cords and places the new records where you directed.
Calculating Intersection Lineations

To calculate the trend and plunge of an intersection lineation
from the attitude of two planes:
need, except for the structure, azimuth and inclination fields.
To easily close a field, right-click in the title of that field. Alter-
natively, you can use the Display|Setup editor dialog box.
or
3. Enter the strike (or dip-direction, if you chose that data format)
and dip of the planes in the azimuth and inclination fields, re-
spectively, in two successive records.
4. Repeat step 3 for as many planes as you want analyzed.
When you have finished entering records, you need to inform
SpheriStat which records are to be included in the analysis. If
you started a new data set, all the records will be included and
60 / Calculating Intersection Lineations

Analyzing Your Data
you do not need to do anything else. If you added the records to

the existing file, select the new items by clicking on their re-
cord number in the index column (see Selecting Data Records
in the Editor or Selecting Records With a Mouse).
5. Select the Analysis|Intersection lineation menu option.
6. If you want to calculate the intersection lineations for all possi-
ble pairs of the given planes, select the All Intersections op-
tion. This option is useful for a beta analysis, for example.
Otherwise, SpheriStat will use only the adjacent pairs of
planes.
cord (in this case, the pair of plane records in the current data set).
Then after you enter your choice of lineation symbol for the new
records, SpheriStat calculates the lineation attitude for the pairs of
planess, along with the angle between planes, and places the new
records where you directed.
Calculating Planes from Lineations

To calculate the strike (or dip-direction) and dip of a plane
from the attitude of two lineations:
need, except for the structure, azimuth and inclination fields.
To easily close a field, right-click in the title of that field. Alter-
natively, you can use the Display|Setup editor dialog box.
or
2. Enter a default structure code for a linear structure (37 will do).
3. Enter the trend and plunge of the lineations in the azimuth and
inclination fields, respectively, of successive records.
4. Repeat step 3 for as many records as you want analyzed.
Calculating Planes from Lineations / 61

SpheriStat 3

5. Select the Analysis|Plane from lineations menu option.
6. If you want to calculate the planes for all possible pairs of
lineations, select the All Planes options. Otherwise SpheriStat
will use only the adjacent pairs of lineations.
7. Select As Great Circles if you want the plane records to plot
on the net as great circles. SpheriStat will use a negative group
value.
cord (in this case, the pair of lineation records in the current data
set). Then after you enter your choice of plane symbol for the new
records, SpheriStat calculates the plane attitude for the pairs of
lineations, along with the angle between lineations, and places the
new records where you directed.
Calculating Apparent Dips

To calculate the apparent dip of a plane in a given azimuthal
direction:
log box.
or
62 / Calculating Apparent Dips

Analyzing Your Data

3. Enter the strike (or dip-direction) and dip of the plane in the az-
imuth and inclination fields, respectively.
4. Enter the azimuth of the apparent dip, using the 360 orienta-
tion convention, in the weight field.
lyzed. When you have finished entering records, you need to
6. Select the Analysis|Apparent dip menu option.
cord (in this case the plane records in the current data set contain-
ing the apparent dip azimuth). Then after you enter your choice of
lineation symbol for the new records, SpheriStat calculates the
lineation attitude for all or selected data records where you di-
rected. The apparent dip is the plunge of the new lineation.
Calculating Linears from End-Points

To calculate the orientation and length of map linears (linea-
ments) from end-point coordinates, and (optionally) calculate
the coordinates of intersection points:
need, except for the X (easting) and Y (northing) fields. To eas-
ily close a field, right-click in the title of that field. Alterna-
tively, you can use the Display|Setup editor dialog box.
or
Calculating Linears from End-Points / 63

SpheriStat 3
2. Enter the X and Y coordinates of each pair of stations defining

its ends. If the linear is divided into a series of straight-line seg-
ments, you must enter the joining stations twice, once for each
adjacent segment.
3. Repeat step 2 for each linear to be calculated. When you
have finished entering records, you need to inform SpheriStat
which records are to be included in the analysis. If you started a
new data set, all the records will be included and you do not
need to do anything else. If you added the records to the exist-
ing file, select the new items by clicking on their record num-
ber in the index column (see Selecting Data Records in the
Editor or Selecting Records With a Mouse).
4. Select the Analysis|Linears from end-points menu option.
5. Choose the Contiguous option if the station records represent a
sequence of points along a single linear feature. SpheriStat
will assume then that, except for the first and last, each point is
the end of one straight-line segment and the beginning of the
next.
6. If you wish to calculate the map coordinates of all of the inter-
section points of crossing linears, select the Intersections op-
tion. SpheriStat does not include those intersections that occur
beyond the ends of the linears.
If you chose the Contiguous option, SpheriStat will include the
points connecting adjacent straight-line segments. These points,
of course, are duplicates of the original data set. Unless the line
feature loops back on itself, these two options are incompatible
and normally would not be selected at the same time.
Select where you wish to place the results: in a New Data Set or
Add to Existing data set (containing the raw data). Then
SpheriStat calculates the attitude of the linears for the sequential
pairs of data records, along with their length, and places the new
records where you directed. If you selected the Intersections op-
tion, additional records are added, one for each computed intersec-
tion. The intersections appear as vertically plunging lineation
markers, with the structure code 39 and group 0. In addition, the
map symbol type is set to stick-figure and the symbol size is
scaled to the value in the Weight field (in this case, the length of
the linear). These choices allow the calculated linears to plot in
their true attitude and size on the map.
64 / Calculating Linears from End-Points

Analyzing Your Data
Calculating the Intersection of Cones

To calculate the trend and plunge of the best-fit intersection
lineation for a set of cones:
log box.
or
2. Enter the structure code for a cone (79).
3. Enter the trend and plunge of the cone axis in the azimuth and
inclination fields, respectively. The direction is opposite to the
direction that the cone points.
4. Enter the cones half-angle (in degrees) in the weight field.
lyzed. The method requires three or more cones to define a
unique intersection.
6. Add one more record for a plane or lineation representing your
initial guess of the intersection direction. In the case of a plane,
its pole defines the estimated intersection lineation direction.
SpheriStat will use this record entry to define the structure code
of the calculated intersection lineation and replace its attitude,
if you choose the Replace Record option. Depending upon the
structure type you choose, the result will be either the plane
perpendicular to the intersection lineation or the intersection
lineation itself.
7. When you have finished entering records, you need to inform
the existing file, select the new cone records and the initial-
Calculating the Intersection of Cones / 65

SpheriStat 3
guess lineation record by clicking on their record number in the

index column (see Selecting Data Records in the Editor or Se-
lecting Records With a Mouse).
8. Select the Analysis|Cone intersection menu option.
SpheriStat calculates the attitude of the intersection lineation for all
or selected cone records, along with the estimated uncertainty in its
attitude. It places the results where you directed, either in a new
data set or in place of the record specifying the initial guess.
Calculation Method
SpheriStat uses a least-squares method to calculate the best-fit
cone intersection. The method compares the angle between the es-
timated intersection lineation and each cone axis with the known
cone angles. The sum of the squared difference between these an-
gles is minimized. This non-linear problem is solved using the
method outlined by P.R. Bevington in 1969 and adapted from the
computer program presented by R.M. Stesky in 1985.
References
Bevington, P.R., 1969. Data reduction and error analysis for the
physical sciences. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, N.Y.,
336 p.
Stesky, R.M., 1985. Least-squares fitting of a noncircular cone.
Computers & Geosciences, 11 (4), 357-368.
Calculating the Best-fitting Small Circle

To calculate the attitude of the best-fitting circle girdle through
a set of lineation or pole points on a net:
need, except for the Structure Code, Weight, Azimuth and
Inclination fields. To easily close a field, right-click in the title
of that field. Alternatively, you can use the Display|Setup edi-
tor dialog box.
or
66 / Calculating the Best-fitting Small Circle

Analyzing Your Data

2. Enter a default structure code for a linear structure (37 will do)
or planar structure (1 will suffice), depending upon the type of
data being fitted.
3. Leave the value in the Weight field at 1.0 for the moment. That
field will be needed later.
4. Enter the trend and plunge of the lineation, or strike (or
dip-direction, if you chose that data format) and dip of the
plane, in the azimuth and inclination fields, respectively.
5. Repeat step 4 for each data record. The calculation requires
at least three measurements to define the cone or small circle.
6. Enter the data for the initial guess for the cone (small circle).
The structure code is 78 or 79. The half-apical angle is entered
in the weight field. The trend and plunge of the cone axis are
entered in the azimuth and inclination fields.
7. Select the Analysis|Small-circle girdle menu option.
Add to Existing data set (containing the raw data). Then Spheri-
Stat calculates the attitude of the cone for all or selected data re-
cords and places the results where you directed. If you entered
more than three measurements for the plane calculation, SpheriStat
enters the estimated standard errors of the cones trend and plunge
as Additional Information, along with the computed half-apical
angle.
SpheriStat uses a least-squares method, modified after Stesky
(1985), to calculate the best-fit cone through the points. The stan-
dard error is similar to the standard deviation, but applies to the
computed parameters rather than to the measurement parameters.
Calculating the Best-fitting Small Circle / 67

SpheriStat 3
Reference
Stesky, R.M., 1985. Least-squares fitting of a non-circular cone,
Computers & Geosciences, 11 (4), 357-368.
Calculating the Best-fitting Great Circle

To calculate the attitude of the best-fitting great circle girdle
(plane) through a set of lineation or pole points on a net:
need, except for the Structure Code, Weight, Azimuth and
Inclination fields. To easily close a field, right-click in the title
of that field. Alternatively, you can use the Display|Setup edi-
tor dialog box.
or
2. Enter a default structure code for a linear structure (37 will do)
or planar structure (1 will suffice), depending upon the type of
data being fitted.
3. Enter the trend and plunge of the lineation, or strike (or
dip-direction, if you chose that data format) and dip of the
plane, in the azimuth and inclination fields, respectively.
4. Repeat step 3 for each data record. The calculation requires
at least three measurements to define the great circle girdle.
5. Select the Analysis|Great-circle girdle menu option.
68 / Calculating the Best-fitting Great Circle

Analyzing Your Data
Add to Existing data set (containing the raw data). Then Spheri-
Stat calculates the attitude of the girdle for all or selected data re-
cords and adds a group-zero great-circle record with the appropri-
ate attitude. SpheriStat enters the apical half-angle of the estimated
error cone as Additional Information.
SpheriStat uses the eigenvector method, the same method used to
calculate the principal directions and planes. Indeed, this analysis
option is a subset of the principal direction analysis available for
the net (see Calculating Principal Directions on a Net). Here, the
best-fitting great-circle girdle is the principal plane corresponding
to the minimum eigenvector, which is the pole to the girdle. Al-
though the same results can be obtained using the nets method,
this option is a direct and quick way to add the girdle to your data
set.
Solving 3-Point Problems

To calculate the attitude of a plane from the three-dimensional
coordinates of 3 or more points on the planes surface:
need, except for the X (easting), Y (northing) and Z (depth)
fields. To easily close a field, right-click in the title of that
log box.
or
2. Enter the X and Y coordinates of each station and the depth or
elevation (Z) of the planar surface at that location. SpheriStat
uses the convention that down is positive, so elevation or
height measurements must be entered with a negative sign.
3. If the depth is measured in other than the vertical direction (for
example, in an inclined borehole or up an inclined slope), then
enter the trend (Azimuth) and plunge (Inclination) of the mea-
surement direction. For measurements of height along an in-
clined direction, use a negative plunge.
Solving 3-Point Problems / 69

SpheriStat 3
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each plane measurement. The cal-

culation requires at least three measurements to define the
plane. When you have finished entering records, you need to
5. Select the Analysis|3-Point analysis menu option.
SpheriStat calculates the attitude of the plane for all or selected
data records and places the results where you directed. If you en-
tered more than three measurements for the plane calculation,
SpheriStat enters the coefficient of multiple correlation as Addi-
tional Information. SpheriStat uses the least-squares method to cal-
culate the best-fit plane through the points and this coefficient is a
measure of the goodness-of-fit of the data to a plane. A value close
to 1 indicates a good fit, while a value close to 0, a poor fit (Davis,
1986, p. 182).
Reference
Davis, J. C., 1986. Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology, John
Wiley & Sons, New York, 646 p.
Calculating the Terzaghi Bias Correction

When planar structures are measured along traverses, such as in a
borehole or an outcrop scanline survey, planes nearly parallel to
the borehole axis or the outcrop surface are missed and the count-
ing statistics are biased towards those planes making a high angle
to these directions. Terzaghi (1965) devised a correction procedure
for this effect and it has been implemented in SpheriStat.
To calculate the Terzaghi bias correction for plane measure-
ments along a traverse or borehole survey:
need, except for the structure code, azimuth and inclination
70 / Calculating the Terzaghi Bias Correction

Analyzing Your Data

log box.
or
2. Enter the structure code for a plane (1 will suffice).
3. Enter the strike (or dip-direction, if you chose that data conven-
tion) and dip of each plane in the traverse or borehole.
4. Repeat step 3 for each plane measurement.
5. Enter a lineation record specifying the normal to the outcrop
surface or the axis of the borehole.
6. Select the Analysis|Terzaghi correction menu option.
Specify the survey type, either borehole or outcrop. Also choose
the minimum angle that the planes make with the survey direction
(parallel to the borehole axis or outcrop surface); this angle sets the
blind zone within which the fracture counts are too low for
meaningful statistics. Then select where you wish to place the re-
sults: in a New Data Set or Add to Existing data set (containing
the raw data).
SpheriStat calculates the correction value for each plane record and
placed it in the Weight field. Once this correction is made, you can
then compute the point density distribution contours or the princi-
pal direction, choosing the Weighted option to include the bias cor-
rection.
References
Goodman, R.E., 1976. Methods of Geological Engineering in Dis-
continuous Rocks, West Publishing Co., New York, p. 86-88.
Calculating the Terzaghi Bias Correction / 71

SpheriStat 3
Terzaghi, R.D., 1965. Sources of error in joint surveys,

Geotechnique, 15, 287-304.
Analyzing Alpha-Beta Measurements from

Borehole Cores
To convert alpha-beta measurements on oriented borehole core
to plane attitude:
need, except for the structure code, azimuth and inclination
log box.
or
2. Enter the structure code for a plane (1 will suffice).
3. Enter the beta value in the Azimuth field and the alpha value
in the Inclination field for each set of alpha-beta measure-
ments.
4. For a single borehole attitude: Add one lineation-type record
containing the trend and plunge of the borehole from which the
cores were taken. The borehole record can be anywhere in the
data file.
For multiple boreholes or for a single borehole whose atti-
tude changes down its length: Add a lineation-type record of
the borehole attitude at the BEGINNING of the section of the
data file containing the plane measurements made with that
borehole attitude. Where the borehole attitude changes, insert a
new lineation record with the new attitude.
72 / Analyzing Alpha-Beta Measurements from Borehole Cores

Analyzing Your Data
5. Select the Analysis|Oriented core (alpha-beta) menu option.
6. In the open dialog box, specify whether the reference line is on
the top or bottom of the core. The default is the bottom.
7. If you had selected records prior to activating the menu com-
mand, you can choose to analyze all of the records or only the
selected ones.
8. For multiple boreholes or a borehole with changing attitude, se-
lect the Multiple Boreholes option.
9. Click on Ok to perform the analysis or Abort to cancel.
When you select Ok, SpheriStat will compute the attitude of the
planes and store the results in place of the alpha and beta values in
the existing data file.
Contouring the Point Density Distribution

The point density distribution is a measure of the tendency of the
structural orientations to have preferred directions, i.e., to cluster in
certain directions. Since you cannot, in practice, measure the entire
population of structures, you must estimate the density distribution
from a much smaller sample of that population. You can visually
estimate the concentration directions from a stereonet plot of the
points. However, a better and more statistically meaningful way is
to contour this concentration, in the same way that cartographers
contour land elevations. The problem you face is deciding how to
estimate the point density in any particular direction. Geologists
and statisticians have devised many ways; SpheriStat offers you
two methods or models, each of which has three variations: fixed
circle and Gaussian smoothing.
To calculate and contour the point density distribution:
1. With the net window active, select the Analysis|Density distri-
bution menu command.
2. Choose the Counting Model for calculating the point density
at a series of stations distributed in a square grid over an equal
area net. Your choice of model will depend upon your purpose
for contouring. To get the best estimate of peak concentrations,
use the method that gives the simplest and most statistically
Contouring the Point Density Distribution / 73

SpheriStat 3
meaningful pattern. To compare your measurements with those

of earlier workers, use the method that matches that of the pre-
vious studies. The counting methods are described in detail be-
low.
3. Choose the Grid Density. The density of stations determines
the apparent smoothness of the computed contour lines: the
higher the density, the smoother the lines.
4. You can choose to compute the point density by weighting
each sample measurement by an independent variable that is
stored in the Weight field of the records. Examples are weight-
ing fracture orientations by the thickness of the fracture filling
or by the concentration of some chemical component. You have
to decide whether such operation is scientifically meaningful.
5. Select the Count button to compute the density contours.
6. Once the data are counted, you can modify the displayed con-
tours in a number of ways:
a) Choose the Contour Levels, that is, the density values for
the plotted contour lines. SpheriStat provides up to 15 lev-
els to distinguish the contour densities.
You can also choose how the fill colors or color intensities
are related to the contour levels. You can scale the colors
to the range of contour levels or of counts. Or you can fix
the colors to the actual levels, so that the contour colors
will be the same for all plots using the same choice of con-
tour levels. This latter option give a good way to compare
contour plots for different data sets.
A third option available for the Gaussian counting method
is to choose whether the contour levels are scaled relative
to the Expected value or to Sigma, the standard deviation
of the count. Both methods are used by workers, so you
may need to choose the most appropriate scaling to com-
pare your results with those of others.
b) Choose the Peak Color that shows best for your purposes.
SpheriStat provides you with three options: No Color, for
contour lines only, Solid, for one color only, and Rainbow,
for a range of colors.
For the solid color option, you choose the color for the
high-est density contour region and SpheriStat computes
the fill colors for the others, grading down to either 5% or
74 / Contouring the Point Density Distribution

Analyzing Your Data
0% of the peak color, depending upon the fill option cho-

sen.
For the rainbow option, SpheriStat computes the fill color
within the spectrum of colors, with red for the heighest
contours and blue for the lowest ones. Purple fills the re-
gions where the density is below the lowest contour level
chosen.
(See Analysis|Density distribution for more details)
c) Choose the plot quality by choosing one of two contouring
methods. Draft plotting shows the contour lines as a series
of short, unconnected line segments drawn while scanning
the grid column-by-column. Proof plotting connects the
contour lines into closed polygons which can be filled by a
color shade. While proof plotting produces more visually
pleasing drawings, the draft method gives smoother con-
tour lines. The draft contouring method subdivides the
square grid into smaller triangular regions, with four trian-
gles in each grid square. SpheriStat computes the contour
line segments across each triangle. On the other hand,
proof contouring follows contour lines around the net, con-
structing polygon segments across the entire square grid.
7. You can save the counts and contour options to a file for later
retrieval. Select the Save to File option. SpheriStat will prompt
you for a directory and file name to use. By default, SpheriStat
uses the name of the current data file, if available, for the name
of the count file. Change this name if you wish, but we recom-
mend that you do not use any file extension other than .SSC,
the default file type. If you enter a name without an extension
and no period, SpheriStat automatically adds .SSC to the file
name.
8. You can retrieve a saved count file and apply it to the current
data set by selecting the Load from File option. All option
choices made and statistics calculated when the saved counts
were calculated will appear in the dialog box. This option al-
lows you both to attach stored density plots to the current data
set and alter their display options and to find out the calculated
statistics.
9. Choose Done when you are satisfied with the appearance of the
contour plot. You can re-enter the Analysis|Density distribu-
tion dialog box and make display modifications, such as color

SpheriStat 3
or levels, without having to recount the point density.

Choose Cancel to discard the changes and computations.
Counting Methods
In principle, the point density is estimated by counting the number
of data samples within a certain angular distance of the counting
station, the particular direction at which the point density is being
estimated. For axial data, only one hemisphere is counted, while
for polar data, SpheriStat counts over the entie sphere. How much
each sample contributes to the total count at the station depends
upon the counting or weighting function. In mathematical terms,
density counting corresponds to a convolution of the data set with
the counting function. In general there are two main counting func-
tions in common use:
Fixed-Circle Counting
In fixed-circle (Schmidt, Starkey and Kamb) counting, all sam-
ples are weighted equally within the predetermined distance
(i.e., circle diameter on a projected net, or, more properly, cone
apical angle in the sphere) and any samples outside the angle
limit are excluded. The counting function, in this case, is a step
function (or square wave, by analogy with electrical signals)
with a very sharp cutoff angle. The difference between the
three fixed-circle methods is the choice of the circle diameter
(cone angle).
1. Schmidt: The circle diameter is chosen to be such that the
counting circle is 1% of the area of the projected net. This
method, published by W. Schmidt in 1925, is the most
common counting technique used for many years in struc-
tural geology. However, it does not take into account the
size of the data set. The expected count is N/100 (axial) or
N/200 (polar), where N is the number of data points.
2. Starkey: To adjust for the sample size, J. Starkey sug-
gested in 1977 that the circle diameter be determined by
the total number of data points. The diameter is chosen
such that the counting circle is 100/N% of the projected
net, where N is the sample size, giving an expected count
of 1. For N = 100, this method is the same as the Schmidt
technique. However, for smaller sample sets, the counting
circle is larger, giving more statistically significant density
estimates. To smooth the contours further, Starkey sug-

Analyzing Your Data
gested that the counts at the eight stations surrounding the

counting station be averaged and the average used for the
counting station. Such averaging is equivalent to increas-
ing the counting circle to larger than 100/N%. SpheriStat
includes this averaging technique for compatibility with
published plots.
3. Kamb: In 1959, W. B. Kamb proposed that the circle di-
ameter be determined by the relation between the expected
count, E, for a uniform distribution of N points and the sta-
tistical spread (standard deviation), s, of these points.
Kamb suggested using E = 3s. E and N are related by the
equation: E = 9N/(N+9). The fractional area of the count-
ing circle becomes A = 9/(N+9). For smaller sample sets,
the circle diameter is larger.
Gaussian Counting
In Gaussian counting, as opposed to fixed-circle counting, all
samples are included, but their count is weighted by a function
of the cosine of their angular distance from the counting sta-
tion. For large angular distances, the samples contribute very
little to the total count. Because the Gaussian weighting func-
tion decreases continuously with angular distance, Gaussian
counting gives much smoother density contours.
The counting function is the Fisher function,
w = exp[k(cos(q)-1)], where q is the angular distance and k is
called the kurtosis. This function (a bell-shaped surface) is
smooth and diminishes rapidly with angular distance. The vari-
ous Gaussian methods differ by the rate at which the weighting
factor diminishes with angular distance. This rate is quantified
by the kurtosis, or k-value, a measure of the spread of the
bell-like function. A higher k-value produces a narrower bell.
The expected count using a Gaussian weighting function is the
same as a fixed circle whose fractional area is 1/k for axial data
and 1/2k for polar data. The expected count is given by
E = N/2k (polar) or E = N/k (axial), where N is the total num-
ber of data records. The variance, v, is given by the integral of
(wE)2 over the full or half sphere (polar or axial, respec-
tively). The standard deviation, s=v.
In 1986, P.-Y. F. Robin and E. C. Jowett suggested three
choices for the k-value, in line with the three main fixed-circle
methods:

SpheriStat 3
1. K=100: For this k-value, the fractional area is 1% of the

hemisphere, the same as for Schmidt counting.
2. E=Sigma: Here, the expected count, E, and the standard
deviation, s, are equal. This results in the relation:
k = 1+N (polar) and k = 2(1+N) (axial). Nominally, this
option is equivalent to Starkeys method, but the added
8-point averaging makes his method more similar to the
third Gaussian method (E=3*Sigma).
3. E=3*Sigma: This relation between the expected count and
standard deviation is equivalent to Kambs suggested
method. The k-value is calculated as: k = 1+N/9 (polar)
and k = 2(1+N/9) (axial). For sample sizes below 891, this
method gives the lowest k-value of all three methods.
To see the shape of the counting function, create a data set with
N identical entries and contour its point density. Changing N
will change the k-value, and hence the spread of the surface.
The choice of k-value affects the resolving power of the count-
ing. Use the option that gives the lowest k-value to determine
whether the data set departs significantly from a uniform (or
isotropic) distribution. E. C. Jowett and P.-Y. F. Robin, in 1988,
showed that to a first approximation, a peak count greater than
E+4s is higher than expected for a uniform population and is
considered significant at the 95% confidence level. This signif-
icance level increases with smaller sample sizes. Contouring
with a higher k-value yields a contour surface with sharper
peaks and valleys (i.e., having a higher frequency content).
That frequency content may be meaningful when a large num-
ber of data points are concentrated in a small portion of the net.
For example, if 220 points are concentrated in one-half of the
net, or 110 points in one-quarter of the net, then the high k
model yields a significant frequency content for that portion of
the net.
Large Sample Limitations
For very large data sets, increasingly more common these days,
the Kamb and Starkey counting circles and the Gaussian count-
ing functions may be narrower than the spacing between sam-
pling stations on the sphere (P.-Y. F. Robin, personal
communication). In this case, only the data records in the im-
mediate vicinity of the stations will be counted and some re-
cords may be entirely missed. To avoid this situation, the

Analyzing Your Data
counting function must be limited such that no data are missed.

This requirement sets the minimum counting aperture to be ap-
proximately the distance between stations. The exact value de-
pends upon the station distribution.
SpheriStat limits the counting circle diameter and Gaussian
k-value based upon the square grid used for counting. When
this limit is exceeded, SpheriStat automatically sets the value to
the limit and flags the value using red and places the value in
parentheses. The statistical values are also adjusted for this
limit. If this situation arises, you can either choose a finer sam-
pling grid, if possible, or a different counting model.
References
Schmidt, W., 1925. Gefgestatistik. Tschermaks mineralog. petrog.
Mitt., 38, pp. 395-399.
Starkey, J., 1977. The contouring of orientation data represented in
spherical projection. Can. J. Earth Sci., 14, pp. 268-277.
Kamb, W. B., 1959. Ice petrofabric observations from Blue Gla-
cier, Washington, in relation to theory and experiments. J.
Geophys. Res., 64, pp. 1891-1919.
Robin, P.-Y. F. and E. C. Jowett, 1986. Computerized density con-
touring and statistical evaluation of orientation data using
counting circles and continuous weighting functions.
Tectonophysics, 121, pp. 207-223.
E. C. Jowett and P.-Y. F. Robin, 1988. Statistical significance of
clustered orientation data on the sphere: an empirical deriva-
tion. J. Geology, 96, pp. 591-599.
Subtracting a Point Density Peak

Statistical evaluation of a point density distribution for an orienta-
tion data set can determine the significance of a major concentra-
tion peak. But there is no theory to allow you to say that other
lesser peaks are also significant. In 1986, P.-Y. F. Robin and E. C.
Jowett devised a method to remove the major peak so that other
peaks can be evaluated. The technique relies on the assumption
that the major peak marks the position of a cluster of orientations
satisfying a Fisher distribution and the fact that the calculated point
density results from the convolution of the sample density with the
counting function. If the Gaussian counting method is used, then
the underlying cluster density can be calculated in a fairly simple
Subtracting a Point Density Peak / 79

SpheriStat 3
way. Once this is done, the density of the local cluster can be sub-
tracted from the overall distribution. This allows you to examine
the secondary peak.
To remove a point density peak:
1. With the net window active, select the Analysis|Subtract den-
sity peak menu command to open the dialog box. If the point
density of the data has not yet been counted and contoured, you
are asked if you want to count it first. If you choose yes, the
point density dialog opens. When you complete the counting
and select Done, the peak subtraction dialog then opens. If
no, then the subtraction dialog opens but the peak subtraction
action is unavailable. You can, however, load a previously
saved count file, provided it was calculated with data of the
same type (axial or polar) and using a Gaussian counting
method.
2. You must now estimate the position (trend and plunge), height
and breadth (half-angle) of the peak you want to remove. Here
is where art replaces science. You have two ways to proceed:
a) Manually: Enter the estimated values in the appropriate
edit boxes. The trend and plunge give the orientation of the
Fisherian peak. Depending upon the choice you made
when you originally contoured the point density, the height
is expressed either in multiples of the standard deviation,
s, above the expected value, E, or in multiples of E itself.
This height is not the peak value, but rather the difference
between the peak value and the background level (the re-
gional, as a geophysicist would call it). When the peak is
removed, the background must remain. You judge the
breadth of the peak by estimating its angular spread at its
half-height. The half-angle is used as the breadth measure.
Remember, too, that the half-height must be referred to the
height above the background level. As you enter the val-
ues, SpheriStat draws a dashed small circle centered on the
estimated peak and with a radius equal to the half-angle.
b) Interactively: With the mouse cursor, click down with the
left button at the position of the estimated peak. The net
coordinates will be entered automatically in the appropri-
ate edit boxes. The peak height (in the appropriate multiple
units) is that at the station nearest to the click-down posi-
tion. While holding down on the button, drag the cursor
away from the peak. A dashed small circle will follow the
80 / Subtracting a Point Density Peak

Analyzing Your Data
cursor, maintaining its center at the click-down location.

The half-angle value is continuously updated in the edit
box. When you judge the half-angle circle to be the proper
size, release the button. You must now adjust the peak
height for the background level by editing the value in the
edit box.
SpheriStat calculates the K-value of the estimated Fisher distri-
bution from the half-angle and shows it in the Results part of
the dialog box. Remember, the peak you are removing is a
combination of the true point density and the counting function.
You cannot subtract an observed peak that is narrower than the
counting function (a bell-shaped surface) itself. A cluster of
points with all the same orientation (and all with an infinite
Fisher K-value) will produce an observed peak whose breadth
is that of the counting function. If the half-angle is less than the
half-angle of the counting function, then the Fisher K-value
will not appear.
3. Select the Subtract button. SpheriStat calculates the Fisher
distribution of the estimated peak and subtracts it from the ob-
served distribution. Then SpheriStat recalculates the density
contours and shows the revised statistics. Because the orienta-
tion data do not have to be recounted, this operation is fairly
fast.
4. Make any necessary changes to the peak parameters and select
the Subtract button again. Repeat step 4 as often as you wish,
making small changes each time, until you are satisfied that the
peak is gone. Subtraction is always carried out on the original
data, so you cannot remove two peaks successively from the
same count set. You can easily toggle between the original and
subtracted nets by clicking the mouse in the net display outside
the net circle.
The art of this technique, and its most subjective aspect, is in
determining whether you have estimated the true peak. One
guide is whether there is any significant signature left of the
original peak. If you removed too much and the residual counts
were reduced to below zero, SpheriStat flags those stations by
drawing a small green circle at their location. The status win-
dow will show the recalculated counts when you move the
mouse cursor over those stations. In this case, reduce the peak
height value and recalculate. If a small peak remains, or a
trough appears where the peak was, then you will have to make
Subtracting a Point Density Peak / 81

SpheriStat 3
further adjustments. Change the peak height and possibly the

half-angle. You probably will not need to adjust the trend and
plunge values if they were chosen well. You can determine the
significance of the small adjustments by examining the resul-
tant statistics before and after each recalculation.
5. You can save the modified point density contour plot using the
Save Counts option. Similarly, a previously saved count file
can be loaded using the Load Counts option. This ability to
save and load count files allows you to remove successive
peaks and recalculate the statistics after each removal. Of
course, you have to decide how statistically significant and reli-
able the new peaks are when you remove more than one peak.
6. When you have finished your analysis, you can restore the
original contour plot by selecting Cancel, or you can keep the
unsubtracted plot (using Exit with Orig Counts option) or the
subtracted plot (using Exit with Subt Counts option). The dif-
ference between using the Cancel and Exit with Orig Counts
options is that with the former, SpheriStat restores the count
file present prior to entering the Subtraction dialog box, while
with the latter choice, SpheriStat uses original count file pres-
ent in the dialog box (it could be that loaded with the Load
Counts option).
Subtraction Method
The observed point density distribution is a combination (mathe-
matically, it is called a convolution) of the true distribution and
the counting function. Assuming a Fisher density distribution
(f = exp[K(cos(q)1)]) and a spherical Gaussian counting function
(w = exp[k(cos(q)1)]), Robin and Jowett showed that the convo-
lution is another Gaussian surface (g = Hexp[K*(cos(q)1)]).
The kurtosis, K*, of the combined surface is a simple combination
of the counting kurtosis, k, and the Fisher kurtosis, K:
K* = kK/(k+K), for k and K both greater than 10.
The peak height, H, is related to the number of points, N, in the
Fisher distribution by: H/N = K/(k+K).
The half-angle, a, at half-height is calculated from
K* = ln2/(cos(a)1), where ln2 is the natural logarithm of 2.
Because k is known and K* and H are estimated from the data,
then the Fisher K and the number of data removed, N, can be cal-
82 / Subtracting a Point Density Peak

Analyzing Your Data
culated. Note that N need not be an integral value, so the number

of data remaining will also not be an integer, in general.
Removal of the estimated Fisher density distribution is then done
by computing its density (count) in the orientation of each grid sta-
tion and subtracting that value from the count at that station.
Recontouring the residual counts gives the final plot.
Knowing the number of data points remaining after subtraction,
SpheriStat can then calculate the expected count, E, and the stan-
dard deviation, s, and express the new peak height either as a mul-
tiple of s above E, i.e., as (peakE)/s, or as a multiple of E, i.e., as
peak/E.
Reference
Robin, P.-Y. F. and E. C. Jowett, 1986: Characterization of
superposed Fisher distributions from point density surfaces.
Geol. Assoc. Canada, Annual Meeting, Abstract Volume.
See Analysis|Subtract Density Peak for more details on the dialog
box options.
Calculating Principal Directions on the Net

Unlike the point density distribution, which measures the local
clustering of directions, the principal directions measure the aver-
age clustering for the sample as a whole. In a general sense, the
difference between these two measures of clustering is similar to
the difference between the mode (most frequent) and the mean
(overall average) of a set of numbers, the point density distribution
showing the mode.
SpheriStat calculates the principal directions in two ways: as
eigenvectors and as a resultant vector.
The eigenvectors are a set of three orthogonal vectors, called
eigenvectors or principal vectors, having a magnitude, called an
eigenvalue. The smallest eigenvector points in the direction of the
normal to the best-fitting plane (in the least-squares sense) through
the set of sample directions (lineations or poles to planes). The
largest eigenvector is in the direction of the statistically greatest
clustering, although not necessarily in the direction of the maxi-
mum point density. The eigenvectors can be calculated for both po-
lar and axial data. For convenience, SpheriStat calculates
eigenvectors for axial data only. To find the eigenvectors for polar
data, convert the data to axial (using the Display|Setup data for-
Calculating Principal Directions on the Net / 83

SpheriStat 3
mat menu command) before using the Analysis|Principal direc-

tion analysis command.
The resultant vector is the vectorial sum of all the sample vectors.
Since axial data are not vectors, the resultant has no significance
for such data and, indeed, may give a misleading interpretation of
the distribution. SpheriStat analyzes the vector distribution by
comparing it to the Fisher distribution model and calculating vari-
ous statistical parameters, the most important being the 95% confi-
dence cone (also called a95) about the resultant vector.
To calculate the eigenvectors and their associated statistics:
1. With the net window active and containing axial (non-directed)
data, choose the Analysis|Principal direction analysis menu
option. This opens the Eigenvector Analysis dialog box.
2. SpheriStat gives you five display options: Eigenvectors and
Eigenvalues, Statistics of Directions and Values, Modified
Flinn Diagram, Triangular Fabric Diagram and Uniformity
Tests. Choose which item you wish to display by selecting the
appropriate button. Each option shows its own results and net
display. Remember that SpheriStats calculations include all
data in the set, except for those whose group value is 0 (these
are for display only). SpheriStat does not distinguish between
structural data types. For very large data sets, the calculation of
the uniformity test can be quite time-consuming; SpheriStat
makes the calculation only when you request it.
3. To get a printout of your option choice, select the Print button.
To print all of the results together, choose the Print All button.
Choose Copy to save the current plot to the clipboard as a
metafile drawing which can be pasted into another application.
4. To see the effect weighting has on the analysis, check the
Weighted button. Then choose the display option.
5. Select the Include As Markers button if you wish the principal
directions and planes to be added to your data set as markers
(group zero) records. SpheriStat requires that you confirm your
selection. The marker records will be added only if you quit the
dialog box by selecting Done.
To calculate the resultant vector and associated statistics:
1. With the net window active and containing polar (vector) data,
choose the Analysis|Principal direction analysis menu option.
This opens the Fisher Analysis dialog box.
84 / Calculating Principal Directions on the Net

Analyzing Your Data
2. SpheriStat gives you two display options: Directions and

Statistics and Uniformity Tests. Choose which item you wish
to display by selecting the appropriate button. Each option
shows its own results. The net display is the same for both. Re-
member that SpheriStats calculations include all data in the
set, except for those whose group value is 0 (these are for dis-
play only). SpheriStat does not distinguish between structural
data types. For very large data sets, the calculation of the uni-
formity test can be quite time-consuming; SpheriStat makes the
calculation only when you request it.
3. To get a printout of both sets of results, select the Print button.
The printed page includes separate plots of the upper and lower
hemisphere and the two sets of statistical results. The Copy op-
tion will save the drawing to the clipboard in metafile format
for later pasting into a suitable application.
4. To see the effect weighting has on the analysis, check the
Weighted button. Then choose the display option.
5. Select the As Markers button if you wish the principal direc-
tion and confidence cone to be added to your data set as mark-
ers (group zero) records. SpheriStat requires that you confirm
your selection. The marker records will be added only if you
quit the dialog box by selecting Done.
Eigenvector Analysis
The eigenvector method consists of forming a matrix of the prod-
ucts and cross-products of the direction cosines of each data direc-
tion and summing the matrices of all data, excluding Group 0 data.
SpheriStat calculates the eigenvectors of the resultant matrix using
the Jacobi method. In mathematical terminology, the procedure
diagonalizes the matrix, i.e. rotates the coordinate reference frame
until the matrix contains only diagonal components. The three di-
agonal components of the resulting matrix are the three
eigenvalues (the magnitudes of the eigenvectors); they are ordered
from smallest (1) to largest (3). The directions of the vectors are
calculated from the rotation necessary to diagonalize the matrix.
SpheriStat shows the trend and plunge of these directions using the
orientation format you chose in the Display|Setup data format di-
alog box.
The minimum eigenvector points in the direction normal to the
best-fitting (in the least-squares sense) plane (or girdle) through the
data (lineations or poles to planes). This plane contains the maxi-

SpheriStat 3
3 An equal-angle stereographic
major axis projection showing three
principal directions with their
minor axis
associated 95% confidence
cones. The long (major) axes
of the elliptical cones are
2 shown with zero orientation
1 (measured relative to the line
tangent to the great circles
joining the principal direc-
tions).
mum and intermediate eigenvectors. The minimum eigenvector

magnitude (eigenvalue) is the sum of the squared angular deviation
of the data from this plane. The maximum eigenvector is in the di-
rection of the best-fitting maximum cluster, under the assumption
of orthogonal symmetry.
The Statistics of Directions and Values option displays the values
of the elliptical 95% confidence cone for each of the three princi-
pal directions and the standard deviation for the three principal val-
ues. SpheriStat uses G.R. Hexts method to calculate the
confidence cone. A newer method, called bootstrap resampling,
makes no assumption about the error distribution, but is not imple-
mented in this version of SpheriStat.
Since the confidence cones generally are not circular, but elliptical,
several angles are presented: the major, minor, and average cone
angles and the orientation of the major cone angle. The reference
direction for the major cone angle is as follows: for principal direc-
tion 1, the line from 1 to 2 and for principal direction 3, the line
from 3 to 2. The major axis for principal direction 2 may point to
either 1 or 3, depending on whether the pattern is predominantly a
cluster or a girdle. A positive orientation angle means that the long
axis of the cone points into the triangle formed by the three princi-
pal directions; a negative angle means it points out of the triangle.
To help you better understand the significance of these confidence
ellipses (cones) and what they are telling you about the nature of
the point pattern, we must explain the eigenvector analysis more
fully.
The fundamental assumption made when calculating the

Analyzing Your Data
eigenvectors is that the points lie in a Bingham distribution, i.e.,

the pattern is orthorhombic. As such, the matrix of cross-products
of direction cosines, used to calculate the principal directions, is a
second-order tensor having six independent coefficients (because
of symmetry). However, the trace of the matrix, or the sum of the
diagonal coefficients, must equal N, the number of data points, (or
the sum of wi, in the case of weighted data, where wi is the weight-
ing factor for point i). This fact reduces the number of independent
coefficients to five. Two of them are the lengths of two of the prin-
cipal vectors, leaving three independent coefficients for specifying
the vector directions. The same argument can be made for the
covariance matrix for the errors. Two coefficients are for the vari-
ance of the eigenvalues and three for the variance of the axis direc-
tions. Since six cone angles are given (the major and minor axes of
the elliptical cones for each of the three principal directions), only
three are independent.
Enter a simple cluster or girdle pattern into SpheriStat and examine
the confidence values; you will see the repeating angles. Where
two axis angles are equal, the corresponding axes are directed to-
wards each other. For example, for an ideal girdle pattern, the ma-
jor axes of the 1 and 3 principal directions are different, but the
minor axes are equal. The major axes are directed towards princi-
pal direction 2 and the minor axes towards each other. The axis an-
gles for direction 2 are dependent on the others, and indeed 2 has
angles equal to one each of the axes from directions 1 and 3. The
orientation of 2s cone axes is towards the corresponding principal
direction. For a girdle, the long (major) axis of 2 points to 3, and
the short (minor) axis, to 1.
Because of the orthorhombic symmetry, the elliptical confidence
cones lie in the principal planes. In this case, the orientation angles
(displayed as Orientation) are zero. However, where the pattern is
not truly orthorhombic, the cones will lie out of the principal
planes and give non-zero Orientation angles. The cone angles also
will have more than three independent values. For example, enter
two clusters whose means lie at less than 90 to each other.
The confidence cone analysis is an important quantitative tool for
judging the symmetry of your point distribution. Significant depar-
tures from orthorhombic symmetry occur with Orientation angles
greater than only 2-3. In such cases, use the eigenvector data with
great caution.
The Modified Flinn Diagram option shows the two Woodcock ra-

SpheriStat 3
K=
K=20 K=2 K=1.25 K=1
7
A two-axis ratio plot of the
K=0.8
eigenvalues, modified af-
5
ter Woodcock (1977). Typ-
ical orthorhombic point
C
ln(E3/E2)
=6
4
K=0.5 patterns are shown, along
3 with lines of constant K
and C values.
C
=4
1
C
=2
K=0.05
K=0
1 3 5 7
ln(E2/E1)
tios of the eigenvalues (principal values), along with their confi-

dence intervals, based on the standard deviations. These ratios are
defined as:
K = ln(E3/E2)/ln(E2/E1) and C = ln(E3/E1).
The confidence intervals are calculated from the standard formula
for the propagation of errors.
As N.H. Woodcock pointed out, these ratios may measure the
shape of the distribution and the strength of the pattern. They are
similar to the Flinn ratios familiar to structural geologists. Wood-
cock used this analogy to make a modified Flinn diagram, plotting
the eigenvalue ratios ln(E3/E2) and ln(E2/E1). Fixed K and C val-
ues appear as lines of constant slope.
K (not to be confused with the counting function k-value or the
Fisher K value) measures the girdle and cluster tendencies, where
K>1 indicates a cluster and K<1, a girdle. Where both tendencies
are equally developed, K=1. For a uniaxial girdle, K=0; for a uni-
axial cluster, K=infinity.
The pattern type of the sample distribution has been somewhat ar-
bitrarily divided into 7 classes based on the K value. The bound-
aries between the classes are plotted as constant K values. The
pattern classes are:
0 - 0.05 uniaxial girdle
0.05 - 0.5 girdle
0.5 - 0.8 girdle with cluster
0.8 - 1.25 girdle and cluster
1.25 - 2 cluster with girdle
2 - 20 cluster
K>20 uniaxial cluster

Analyzing Your Data
Similarly, the pattern strength is measured by the C value. Follow-

ing Woodcock and Naylor, SpheriStat uses a critical value, C95,
for the 95% confidence level to determine the C value for a uni-
form sample. The strength measures are:
C<C9595 uniform distribution
C95 - C95+1 weakly developed
C95+1 - C95+3.5 moderately developed
C>C95+3.5 strongly developed
You must exercise great caution in interpreting these ratios, as
Woodcock strongly and graphically emphasizes in his paper. More
complex patterns will also be represented by these same ratios, but
should not be interpreted in the same simple way. Examine the
confidence cones, as described earlier, to judge when to rely on
them. Under certain circumstances, though, these ratios, when
combined with the uncertainties, provide a useful statistical mea-
sure of the orientation pattern.
The Triangular Fabric Diagram option gives another representa-
tion of the pattern based on the eigenvalues. The plot was devel-
oped by F. W. Vollmer in 1989 to represent three of the basic point
patterns commonly observed: cluster, girdle and uniform (random).
Other patterns exist (eg., small-circle girdles and combinations of
the basic types, such as crossed girdles or multiple clusters), but
recognition of these main patterns is very useful for interpretation
of field structures, particularly to identify domains, i.e., regions of
similarly oriented structures. The ideal patterns have the following
eigenvalues [minimum, intermediate and maximum]:
cluster: [ 0 0 N ]
girdle: [ 0 N/2 N/2 ]
uniform:[ N/3 N/3 N/3 ]
where N is the number of data points. Any less ideal pattern can be
represented by a combination of these three components, although
non-orthorhombic symmetry or the presence of small-circle girdles
will make the representation less exact, as is true for Woodcocks
pattern analysis.
From these relations, Vollmer defined three indexes:
Cluster = (E3E2)/N
Girdle = 2(E2 - E1)/N
Uniform = 3E1/N
where E1, E2 and E3 are the minimum, intermediate and maxi-
mum eigenvalues, respectively, of the sample set.

SpheriStat 3
Vollmer suggested that his cylindricity index, CI, where CI = Clus-

ter+Girdle, is a good measure of how closely the data are to being
perpendicular to a principal axis. CI = 0 for a uniform distribution
and CI = 1 for either a perfect cluster or a perfect girdle distribu-
tion.
Fisher Analysis
Although other methods exist, Fisher analysis is the most common
technique for analyzing vector or polar orientation data. It is based
on the assumption that the directions are sampled from a Fisher
distribution of orientations, suggested by R. Fisher in 1953. This
distribution is characterized by a single point maximum (cluster)
and circular symmetry about that maximum. The maximum direc-
tion is calculated as the resultant, or vector sum, of all the direction
vectors.
For an ideal point maximum, the magnitude of the resultant vector,
R, is equal to N, the number of data vectors. As the cluster be-
comes more dispersed, R decreases below N and greater error ex-
ists in defining the maximum.
The error in the maximum is measured in several ways:
precision (also called dispersion), k = (N1)/(NR),
spherical variance, (NR)/N, a measure of how closely the
data fit the ideal cluster, and
95% confidence cone, measured by its apical half-angle, a95.
Cos(a95) = 1.0(NR)*(a1)/R, where a = P1/(1N), and
P = (1.0confidence level). Here, P = (1.00.95) = 0.05.
These estimates are valid only when R/N 0.95 and sample sizes
are greater than 15 (Fisher et al., 1987, pp. 129-132). For smaller
sample sizes, the confidence cone may be underestimated.
Uniformity Tests
Uniformity tests examine the assumption that the sample is drawn
from a random, or uniform, population of directions. Several such
tests have been proposed. SpheriStat uses those described by N. I.
Fisher, T. L. Lewis and B. J. Embleton: Beran/Gin and Rayleigh
tests for polar data and Gin and Mardia tests for axial data.
SpheriStat also uses the Woodcock/Naylor test for axial data,
based on the critical C95 value, as discussed above.

Analyzing Your Data
Polar data:
1) Beran/Gin test: In 1968, R. J. Beran devised a statistic, based
on the angle between pairs of sample directions, for testing uni-
formity against alternate models that are not symmetric with re-
spect to the center of the sphere. E. M. Gin, in 1975, extended
Berans work to the case where the data may be centro-sym-
metric.
The combined statistic, used for polar data, tests against both of
these possibilities, by comparing the summed statistics to a crit-
ical value at the 95% confidence level. Because of the nature of
the calculation, this test is not reliable for girdle data.
2) Rayleigh test: This test, developed by Lord Rayleigh in 1919,
tests for uniformity against a unimodel alternate model, as as-
sumed for the Fisher distribution. For N, it compares the mag-
nitude of the resultant vector, R, to a critical value. For N>9,
the test statistic, 3*R2/N, is tested with the chi-squared distribu-
tion at the 95% confidence level.
Axial data:
1) Gin test: This test uses Gins statistic for centro-symmetric
data. It compares his statistic to a critical value at the 95% con-
fidence level. As noted above, this test is not reliable for girdle
data.
2) Mardia test: This test compares a statistic calculated from the
three sample eigenvalues against a critical value at the upper
5% level. If the statistic is too large, the assumption of unifor-
mity is rejected at the 95% confidence level. The statistic is the
sum of 15*(EiN/3)2/2N for all eigenvalues Ei.
3) Woodcock/Naylor test: This test compares the Woodcock
strength ratio, C = ln(E3/E1), to a critical value determined em-
pirically by randomly sampling a uniform distribution of direc-
tions. SpheriStat uses the critical value for the 95% confidence
level. The results of this test are shown in the Modified Flinn
Diagram option. The shaded regions in the Modified Flinn dia-
gram and the Triangular Fabric Diagram show where C<C95.,
ie., the data are uniform.
References
Beran, R., 1968. Testing for uniformity on a compact homoge-
neous space, Journal of Applied Probability, 5, pp. 177-195.

SpheriStat 3
Bingham, C., 1964. Distributions on the sphere and on the projec-

tive plane, Ph.D. Thesis, Yale University.
Davis, J. C., 1986. Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology, John
Wiley & Sons, New York, 646 p.
Diggle, P. J., N. I. Fisher and A. J. Lee, 1985. A comparison of
tests of uniformity for spherical data, Australian Journal of Sta-
tistics, 27, pp. 53-59.
Fisher, R., 1953. Dispersion on a sphere, Royal Society of London
Proceedings, 217, pp. 295-305.
Fisher, N. I., T. L. Lewis and B. J. Embleton, 1987. Statistical
Analysis of Spherical Data, Cambridge University Press, Cam-
bridge, U. K., 329 p.
Gin, E. M., 1975. Invarient tests for uniformity on compact
Riemannian manifold based on Sobolev norms, Annals of Sta-
tistics, 3, pp. 1243-1266.
Hext, G. R., 1963. The estimation of second-order tensors, with re-
lated tests and designs, Biometrika, 50, pp. 353-373.
Mardia, K. V., 1972. Statistics of Directional Data, Academic
Press. London, 357 p.
Rayleigh, Lord, 1919. On a problem of vibrations, and of random
flights in one, two and three dimensions, Philosophical Maga-
zine, 37, pp. 321-347.
Vollmer, F. W., 1989. A triangular fabric plot with applications for
structural analysis, Eos (American Geophysical Union Transac-
tions), 70, 463 p.
Vollmer, F. W., 1990. An application of eigenvalue methods to
structural domain analysis, Geological Society of America Bul-
letin, 102, pp. 786-791.
Woodcock, N. H., 1977. Specification of fabric shape using an
eigenvalue method, Geological Society of America Bulletin,
88, pp. 1231-1236.
Woodcock, N. H. and M. A. Naylor, 1983. Randomness testing in
three-dimensional orientation data, Journal of Structural Geol-
ogy, 5, pp. 539-548.

Analyzing Your Data
Cluster Analysis
Cluster analysis is a technique for separating a data set into groups
based on some criterion. In the case of directional data, the crite-
rion is the similarity of orientation within a group.
To calculate clusters in your net data:
1. With the net window active, choose the Analysis|Cluster
analysis menu option.
2. SpheriStat allows you to define up to 7 clusters in your data.
You do this by selecting initial cluster nuclei, or mean direc-
tions, around which the clusters can form. Click at locations on
the net that are close to where you think the clusters may lie. If
you are analyzing polar data, you can switch to either hemi-
sphere to add initial nuclei. Either choose the appropriate
Hemisphere button or click in the net display outside the net
area.
3. Select the Calculate button. SpheriStat redraws the net, show-
ing the clusters with color-coded symbols, after each iteration
cycle. You can abort the calculations at any time by selecting
the Cancel button.
If the partitioning is successful, the net will show the final
clusters, while the results display will show the individual clus-
ter statistics. Scroll through the list to see the data for all clus-
ters. You can get more statistical measures by saving the
clusters and using other Analysis menu options on each cluster.
If the partioning is not successful, you will see a warning
message and the initial nuclei will be removed. Repeat steps 2
and 3 with different initial positions or with a different number
of nuclei.
4. Print the statistical results, along with a small net plot, by
choosing the Print button. For polar data, SpheriStat plots both
hemispheres together.
5. You can repeat the partioning process with a different choice of
initial nuclei by selecting the Clear Nuclei button and repeat-
ing the process (step 2 and 3).
6. To quit while saving the groupings, select the Save button.
SpheriStat will create new data sets, one for each cluster. The
clusters will appear in a set of new net windows. The data sets
are untitled, so you will need to save them each as separate data
Cluster Analysis / 93
SpheriStat 3
files.
To quit without saving the clusters, choose the Cancel button.
Cluster Analysis Method

The method is that described by A. Pecher in 1989. SpheriStat at-
tempts to find the best set of clusters by grouping each data direc-
tion with the nucleus to which it is closest in orientation. When the
groups are constructed, SpheriStat calculates the new mean direc-
tion (the maximum eigenvector, for axial data, or the resultant vec-
tor, for polar data) and regroups the data using the new nuclei
orientations. The process is repeated until there is little change in
mean direction between successive grouping attempts or the num-
ber of attempts exceeds 10, whichever occurs first. Of course, the
success of the technique depends upon the number of data records
and your choice of initial cluster nuclei.
The technique works well where the clusters are clear in the origi-
nal plot. The cluster analysis tool then gives you a convenient way
of making the separations. The difficulties arise when the clusters
are close together and probably overlap. In this case, the method
arbitrarily divides the data between the individual clusters, allow-
ing no overlap between them. This process leads to an artificial
subdivision of data and, more importantly, shifts the mean cluster
direction away from the overlapping regions. The statistical mea-
sures will also show smaller error bounds than one would normally
expect. In such situations, use the technique with caution.
Reference
Pecher, A., 1989. SCHMIDTMAC a program to display and ana-
lyze directional data, Computers & Geosciences, 8, pp.
1315-1326.
Spatial Averaging on a Map

Local variations in structural attitude can be removed by averaging
the measurements within a small region of the map. The local aver-
age may be more representative of the structure at that location.
SpheriStat allows you to calculate such local averages throughout
your map area and plot the results in a number of ways, including
an averaged map.
To calculate the spatial average of attitudes in a map area:
1. With the map window active, choose the Analysis|Spatial av-
94 / Spatial Averaging on a Map

Analyzing Your Data
eraging menu option.

2. Set the number of averaging stations in each direction of the
grid.
3. Choose the averaging method. SpheriStat can calculate the
averages within circular regions around each station or within
each grid rectangle. In the former case, the averaging circle can
be larger than the grid rectangle, providing overlap, so that
some data records could be included in two or more station av-
erages, depending upon their location. If you choose the circle
method, set the circle diameter in your chosen map units.
4. If you want to weight the measurements by the inverse of their
distance to the averaging station, choose the Weighted button.
This option then gives more weight to measurements closest to
the station site and none for those at the farthest point in the av-
eraging region.
5. If you plan to save the spatially averaged data as a new data set,
enter the structure code (using one of SpheriStats numeric
codes) to be stored with each data record. The code must repre-
sent a structure of the same type as for the original data.
SpheriStat identifies this type from the first non-Group 0 record
in the original data set. You can change the structure code for
the averaged data at any time before saving the results.
6. Select the Calculate button. SpheriStat will begin averaging at
each station, scanning the grid from west to east and south to
north. If you want to abort the process, select the Cancel but-
ton.
7. When the averaging process is done, a map of spatially aver-
aged data will appear in the map display. You can switch to
other displays of results by selecting one of the results buttons.
The choices are:
a) Symbol map: This is a plot of the averaged attitude using
special symbols for planar and linear data. These symbols
give a better visual impression of the map pattern than if
the dips or plunges are shown as numbers. You have the
option of plotting the numeric data by saving the averages
and using the map window.
b) Stereonet map: Instead of using a structural symbol, this
map shows the averaged attitude in a small equal angle
(Wullf) stereonet, one at each station. Both hemispheres
Spatial Averaging on a Map / 95

SpheriStat 3
are plotted for polar data. Planar attitudes appear as great

circles and accompanying poles, while linear attitudes
show as points. Those with an easy facility with stereonet
projections may find this plot a good way to view the data.
c) Statistics: This option gives a selection of statistical results
for each station average, as well as a few overall statistics.
d) Combined stereonet: This option plots the attitude of each
station average as a point (lineation or pole to plane) with
its accompanying elliptical (for axial data) or circular (for
polar data) confidence cone, if available, on an equal area
(Schmidt) net. Both hemispheres are plotted for polar data.
The two stereonet displays (b and d) are not available if the in-
clination field is closed and only azimuth data are entered.
8. You can choose to limit the option displays to non-uniform
averages only. SpheriStat offers the choice of several statistics
to judge whether the distributions are uniform or not: Gin,
Mardia and Woodcock, for axial data; and Beran/Gin and
Rayleigh, for polar data. See Calculating Principal Directions
for more details about the statistics.
9. To print the currently displayed results, select the Print button.
To print all results, choose the Print All button.
10. To copy the currently displayed results to the clipboard, select
the Copy button. The plots are stored in Windows metafile for-
mat, while the statistical results are stored as text.
11. To exit the dialog while saving the station averages as a new
data set, choose the Save & Quit button. Choose the Quit but-
ton to exit the dialog without saving the results.
Spatial Averaging Method

SpheriStat uses the principal direction of each station group to de-
termine the average attitude. The maximum eigenvector (for axial
data) and the resultant vector (for polar data) give the mean
lineation or the pole to the mean plane. If the distribution of mea-
surements in each station group is not orthorhombic (for axial data)
or axisymmetric (for polar data), then these means are approximate
only.
96 / Spatial Averaging on a Map

Analyzing Your Data
Calculating the Circular Point Density Dis-

tribution
The circular point density is an estimate of the distribution of azi-
muth values, with the density (or frequency) values plotted radially
in the direction of the azimuth range. The plot is the two-dimen-
sional analogue of the nets point density contour plot and is com-
monly called a circular histogram. SpheriStat offers many options
for the appearance of the plot and for the way in which the density
is calculated. You have a number of decisions to make to best rep-
resent your data. SpheriStat calculates the circular histogram auto-
matically and updates it whenever you change an option.
To calculate a circular point density distribution:
1. If your data are lineations, SpheriStat will calculate the fre-
quency of trend values. If your data are planes, you must de-
cide whether to use the strike or dip directions for the
histogram calculations. Choose which is more relevant for your
purposes. Select between the two by opening the Display|
Setup data format dialog box and choosing either Strike/Dip
(for strike values) or Dip-Direction/Dip (for dip direction val-
ues) for the Planar Data option.
2. With the circular diagram window active, choose the Analy-
sis|Density distribution menu option. The Circular Density
Distribution dialog box appears.
3. The plot display will show the circular histogram calculated
with the starting parameters. Click on the plot to show those re-
cords whose inclination (dip or plunge) falls within the accept-
able Range setting. The plot box is a toggle between these two
displays.
4. You have a number of choices that determine the characteristics
of the computed distribution histogram:
a) Class interval: This value affects the number of data to be
included in the frequency calculation. A small data set will
require a larger class interval to reduce the scatter in the
plot. Choose the interval such that the highest count inter-
val contains more than some minimum number of sample
directions, say 10 or 20, or better yet, a minimum fraction
of the total data set. This choice will help to make the
highest peak more meaningful.
Calculating the Circular Point Density Distribution / 97

SpheriStat 3
If you choose to use Gaussian smoothing to show the his-

togram, the choice of class interval affects the smoothing
parameter, i.e., the kurtosis or k-value. The k-value deter-
mines the angular spread of the smoothing function, higher
k-values giving narrower smoothing functions, and hence
more peak resolution. SpheriStat calculates the k-value
such that the peak height for the smoothed histogram is ap-
proximately the same as that for the unsmoothed histo-
gram. The heights may not be exactly the same,
particularly for small data sets, because the height of the
unsmoothed bars depends upon the class alignment, ie., the
starting position of each bar. For different alignments, the
data are grouped into different intervals and can give quite
different bar heights.
For Gaussian smoothing, the choice of the smoothing func-
tion width is made by a subjective judgement of the reli-
ability of the measurements and the number of data for
counting. For example, if you have a large data set (several
hundred records, say), the smoothing width, specified by
the half-angle (the half-width at half-height), will be lim-
ited by the uncertainty in the measurements themselves. If
the strike, say, is known within 1-2, then you may use a
class interval of 5 or 10, giving k-values of 825 and 206
and half-angles of 2.3 and 4.7, respectively. For small
data sets, you will need to use a lower k-value (larger class
interval) so that sufficient measurements are included in
the frequency count at each station.
b) Class Alignment: You can choose whether to align the
histogram intervals centered on North or starting at North.
This choice affects the frequency counts for the bar and
peak representations of the frequency distribution, but has
no effect on the smoothed histogram. In the latter case, the
counting stations are fixed at 2.5 intervals starting at
North.
c) Range of Dip or Plunge Angle: Since the reliability of
measurements is affected by the attitude of the planes or
lineations, you must decide what range of dip or plunge to
use to limit the included data. This range depends upon
what you are measuring: for strike lines, the range of abso-
lute dips is from 90 down to some limit; for dip direc-
tions, absolute dips from 0 up to some limit; and for
lineation trends, absolute plunges from 0 up to some
98 / Calculating the Circular Point Density Distribution

Analyzing Your Data
limit. The wider the range, the more data are included. If
your data does not include inclination (dip or plunge) val-
ues, this range has no significance, since all data will be in-
cluded. In this case, the Dip-Direction/Dip orientation
option causes SpheriStat to plot lines on the circular dia-
gram that are perpendicular to your azimuth data.
Note: The principal direction calculation uses the same
range value, so a change made here will cause the principal
direction to be recalculated. Similarly, the circular histo-
gram is recalculated if you change the range in the Analy-
sis|Principal direction analysis dialog box. The two
analyses are linked so that the display shows the statistics
calculated for the same data.
d) Weighted: You can choose to weight each data count by
the value stored in the Weight data field. You will have to
decide whether such weighting is physically meaningful.
5. You can choose the histogram type (as bars, peaks or
smoothed) and color.
6. Click on the scrollbar to show the statistical results. SpheriStat
calculates the statistical parameters related to frequency.
In addition to the height and orientation of the frequency peaks
(bar and smoothed), SpheriStat shows the expected frequency
for a uniform distribution of the N data values and the standard
deviation of the frequency. These two parameters are plotted as
solid and dashed circles, respectively, on the circular plot.
7. You can save the counts and histogram options to a file for later
retrieval. Select the Save option. SpheriStat will prompt you
for a directory and file name to use. By default, SpheriStat uses
the name of the current data file, if available, for the name of
the count file. Change this name if you wish, but we recom-
mend that you do not use any file extension other than .SSH,
the default file type. If you enter a name without an extension
and no period, SpheriStat automatically adds .SSH to the file
name.
8. You can retrieve a saved count file and apply it to the current
data set by selecting the Load option. All option choices made
and statistics calculated when the saved counts were calculated
will appear in the dialog box. This option allows you both to at-
tach stored circular density plots to the current data set and al-
ter their display options and to find out the calculated statistics.

SpheriStat 3
However, you cannot change the calculation parameters of a

loaded histogram (class interval, class alignment, range of dip
or plunge angle, or weighting).
9. Once you are satisfied with your choice of setup options, you
can print the results by selecting the Print button. SpheriStat
will print the circular diagram with raw data and histogram,
along with the table of statistical results.
10. To show the histogram in the main circular diagram window,
select the Done button. To discard the calculations, choose
Cancel.
Statistical Analysis of Circular Orientation Data

Standard Histogram Calculations
In standard histogram calculations, the counting window is rectan-
gular, with a width equal to the histogram interval. All measure-
ments falling within that interval are counted with weight equal
either to 1.0 (for unweighted counting) or the value in the Weight
field (for weighted counting) and those outside with zero weight
(i.e., they are not counted). SpheriStat accumulates the counts in
the interval bins and computes the frequencies by dividing the sum
by the number of data, N, or the total weight, W.
Histogram Smoothing
Histogram smoothing uses a Gaussian-like continuous counting
function shaped somewhat like a bell curve with a width, at half
height, determined by a constant, k, called the kurtosis. This func-
tion determines the counting weight given to each measurement
during counting. Thus all data are counted at each histogram sta-
tion, although those measurements lying far from the counting sta-
tion contribute little to the total count. The purpose of this
procedure is to smooth out the fluctuations in the histograms to
make the meaningful peaks more visible. These fluctuations arise
because of error in the direction and variations due to local causes.
The choice of window width is made by a subjective judgement of
the reliability of the measurements.
In practice, the method is as follows: at selected stations around the
compass, the histogram count is calculated by summing over all
measurements, with each count weighted by a value that depends
on q, the angular difference between its measured direction and
that of the station. The counting function is w=exp[k(cos(q)1)],
100 / Calculating the Circular Point Density Distribution

Analyzing Your Data
where k is the kurtosis, a coefficient that specifies the peakedness

of the weighting function. For example, a k-value of 120 gives a
half-width of 12. For axial data, the absolute value of the cosine is
used. The counting stations are placed at 2.5 intervals. Using this
method gives smoothly varying histograms that can be statistically
analyzed.
To make matters even more confusing: If you elected to calculate
the weighted histogram, then the count is further multiplied by the
ratio of the sample weight to the total sample weight. The sample
weight refers to the value in the Weight field of each record.
Statistical Parameters and Tests
The expected value of frequency, E, for a uniform distribution of N
directions, is given by the integral of Nw over the full- or
half-circle (depending upon whether the data are polar or axial, re-
spectively), where w is the counting function. For standard histo-
gram counting, w is a square wave function which is equal to 1.0
within the histogram interval and zero outside of it. For smoothed
counting, w is the circular Gaussian function. The variance, v, is
given by the integral of (wE)2 over the full- or half-circle. Be-
cause SpheriStat calculates the kurtosis or k-value of the smooth-
ing function from the class interval, the two statistical parameters,
E and v, are the same for both standard and smoothed histograms.
Kamb suggested that a peak in the distribution is to be considered
significant if its value exceeds E+2s, where the standard deviation
s = v. In 1986, P.-Y. F. Robin studied the statistical significance
of the peaks by performing a large number of Monte Carlo simula-
tions. He found that the 95% confidence limit varied with the num-
ber of samples, but that for sample sizes above about 100, the 95%
limit about the expected value is about 1.8s, smaller than that sug-
gested by Kamb. However, this limit applies only to histograms
smoothed with a k-value of 100. Until the confidence limit is stud-
ied with other k-values, Kambs suggestion will be followed.
References
Kamb, W. B., 1959. Ice petrofabric observations from Blue Gla-
cier, Washington, in relation to theory and experiments. J.
Geophys. Res., 64, pp. 1891-1919.
Robin, P.-Y. F. and E. C. Jowett, 1986. Computerized density con-
touring and statistical evaluation of orientation data using
counting circles and continuous weighting functions.

SpheriStat 3
Tectonophysics, 121, pp. 207-223.
Calculating the Circular Principal Direction

The circular principal direction is the mean or average direction of
the records within the inclination range specified. It differs from
the point density peak in the same way that a statistical mean dif-
fers from a mode. The point density peak is the most common di-
rection, but not necessarily the average.
To calculate a circular principal direction:
1. If your data are lineations, SpheriStat will calculate the mean of
the trend values. If your data are planes, you must decide
whether to use the strike or dip directions; choose which is
more relevant for your purposes. Select between the two by
opening the Display|Setup data format dialog box and choos-
ing either Strike/Dip (for strike values) or Dip-Direction/Dip
(for dip direction values) for the Planar Data option.
2. With the circular diagram window active, choose the Analy-
sis|Principal direction analysis menu option. The Circular
Principal Direction Analysis dialog box appears.
3. Assign the range of dips or plunges, according to the type of
data displayed, that you want included in the analysis. You can
change this range at any time to examine how including or re-
jecting data affects the statistical results.
Note: The circular point density distribution calculation uses
the same range value, so a change made here will cause the cir-
cular histogram to be recalculated, if it had already been
calculated. Similarly, the principal direction is recalculated if
you change the range in the Analysis|Density distribution dia-
log box. The two analyses are linked so that the display shows
the statistics calculated for the same data.
4. Choose whether to weight each data count by the value stored
in the Weight data field. You will have to decide whether such
weighting is physically meaningful. For example, if your data
are lineament directions, you may wish to weight the average
by the lineament length, stored in the Weight field, thus empha-
sizing the longer structures.
5. You can choose between two analytical results: Direction and
Statistics and Uniformity Test.
The plotted circular diagram includes the raw data and mean
102 / Calculating the Circular Principal Direction

Analyzing Your Data
direction, and the results window shows the table of statistical

results. If the data are statistically non-uniform, then the 95%
confidence angle appears in the plot as a circular arc straddling
the mean direction.
6. You can print the statistical results by selecting the Print but-
ton. SpheriStat will print the circular diagram with raw data
and mean direction, along with the table of statistical results.
8. To show the principal direction in the main circular diagram
window, select the Done button. To discard the calculations,
choose Cancel.
Statistical Parameters and Tests

The mean direction is determined from the direction of the resul-
tant vector, that is, the normalized vector sum of all the sample di-
rections. For axial data, SpheriStat calculates the resultant using
Krumbeins angle-doubling method. The magnitude of the resul-
tant, expressed as a percent, is a measure of the preferred orienta-
tion of the sample data. A low value indicates a widely dispersed
sample set or one that is multi-modal. SpheriStat also provides two
other measures of the sample dispersion: the circular variance and
the circular standard deviation. The circular variance is 1-R, where
R is the normalized magnitude of the resultant vector. A high
value, close to 1, indicates a poor clustering of the directions. The
circular standard deviation, expressed in angular degrees, is
(-2lnR), where lnR is the natural logarithm of R. A high value in-
dicates a widely dispersed set of sample directions.
SpheriStat also tests whether the sample is from a uniform distribu-
tion using Rayleighs test of the magnitude of the resultant vector.
This test compares the resultant vector, R, to a critical value at the
5% significance level. When R exceeds the critical value, the dis-
tribution cannot be considered to be uniform. In that case,
SpheriStat compares the distribution to the Von Mises distribution,
a circular equivalent to the Gaussian distribution. The Von Mises
parameter, K, measures the spread of the distribution (lower K for
wider spread), and the 95% confidence angle, derived from the
standard error of the mean, gives the uncertainty in the resultant di-
rection. SpheriStat plots the 95% confidence interval as a circular
arc at the outer edge of the circular diagram, centered on the resul-
tant direction. The Von Mises distribution is unimodal, so a
multimodal distribution will lead to a wider confidence interval
than expected. Use your own judgement in interpreting these re-
Calculating the Circular Principal Direction / 103

SpheriStat 3
sults.
References
Batschelet, E., 1981. Circular Statistics in Biology, Academic
Press, London.
Cheeney, R. F., 1983. Statistical Methods in Geology, George Allen
& Unwin, London, 169 p.
Davis, J. C., 1986. Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology, 2nd
Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 646 p.
104 / Calculating the Circular Principal Direction

10
Exporting and Printing
SpheriStat provides two ways to get your plots to paper:
print it directly with your Windows-supported printer.
export (transfer) it as a vector graphic to other applications for
enhancing, combining with other data or printing. You can ex-
port the graphic either to the Windows clipboard or to a file as a
Windows metafile (.WMF or .EMF).
Only the plots in the main display windows (net, map and circular
diagram) can be exported. The plots created in the analysis dialog
boxes can be printed and in many cases, copied to the clipboard as
a Windows metafile..
SpheriStat can also print a paginated listing of your data, in tabular
form, and save the data as a text file. You have considerable con-
trol of the page layout.
Exporting
Exporting is the process of transferring the drawing in a form that
can be used by other applications. There are two ways to do this:
through the clipboard and as a file (WMF and DXF formats). Se-
lecting File|Export (or pressing [CTRL+E]) allows you to choose
between these options. In the case of the clipboard and WMF op-
tions, the exported drawing is the same as that appearing in the dis-
play window. For the DXF option, the drawing is an approximation
to the screen plot, but does not include any filled regions,
user-added plot labels or contour legend.
To copy the plot to the clipboard:
1. Make sure that the plot you want to export is in the currently
active display window. Select the File|Export menu command
(or press [CTRL+E]).
2. Click on the Clipboard button in the File|Export dialog box, if
not already selected.
Exporting / 105
SpheriStat 3
To save the plot as a Windows Metafile file:

2. Click on the Metafile button in the File|Export dialog box, if
not already selected.
3. Select either the Keep Scale or Scale To Fit option in the
File|Export dialog box. The Keep Scale option adds additional
information to the file to record the absolute size of the saved
plot. Because of internal limitations in 16-bit Windows, the
drawing cannot be larger than about 81 cm (32 inches) in its
largest dimension. This limit is important if you are using
SpheriStat to produce full-size maps.
4. When the Export file dialog box appears, choose the drive,
directory and file name, as you would any other Windows file.
To save the plot as a DXF file:
2. Click on the DXF button in the File|Export dialog box, if not
already selected.
3. When the Export file dialog box appears, choose the drive, di-
rectory and file name, as you would any other Windows file.
Remarks
Copying to the clipboard
Copying the map to the clipboard lets you immediately switch to
another application and paste the drawing into it. Only certain ap-
plications will allow this process, ones that can read and paste
metafile-formatted data from the clipboard. The metafile format,
special to Windows, is a series of instructions for drawing lines on
the screen or any other output device, such as a printer.
Most major Windows drawing, painting and word processing ap-
plications support the metafile format, although the paste operation
may involve a special menu choice. The clipboard does not retain
the drawing scale information; you will need to use the tools of the
new application to resize the plot to your preferred size.
106 / Exporting
Saving as a Metafile
You can also save the plot as a drawing file, formatted in Win-
dows metafile format. The default option is Scale To Fit, which
does not include any size information, allowing the receiving ap-
plication to size the graphic as it needs. Such files are given the ex-
tension .WMF. You can choose to retain the plots scaling
information with the Keep Scale option. Such files are given the
extension .EMF and are called placeable metafiles. Special data
is added to the beginning of the file concerning this scaling.
Some applications do not use placeable metafiles because they
need to keep total control of the sizing of the graphic image; others
can read either format. Which format you use will determine the
size of the plot when imported into its document. Consult the
users manual of your other applications to determine which
metafile file format to use.
Saving as a DXF file
All of the net and map symbols have been recreated in DXF block
format and stored in a subdirectory in your main SpheriStat direc-
tory. When you create your own symbols using the Symbol Editor
provided, you have the option to save DXF block files, too. Those
files should be stored in the DXFBLCKS folder.
When the DXF export file is constructed, SpheriStat links in the
block definitions for the symbol needed in that drawing and calls
the blocks as entities. This technique produces the smallest possi-
ble DXF files.
Printing
SpheriStat offers two ways to print your data and plots: directly or
through a preview screen. In both cases, you choose the page and
print options. The page options include the size and orientation of
the paper and the margin dimensions. In the case of the plots, the
print options include the plot scaling and whether or not to include
an accompanying information sheet, specifying the display options
and some statistical parameters, if relevant. For the data table, you
can choose whether or not to include the file name, page number
and vertical column dividers, as well as the font size.
For direct printing of the data table, you must set up the options
prior to printing. For direct printing of any of the plots, SpheriStat
will show the print options dialog first to allow you to make
last-minute changes to the scaling and the inclusion of the informa-
Printing / 107
SpheriStat 3
tion page. In the preview window, these options are also accessible
for modification.
To print directly:
1. Choose File|Setup printer page to set the paper size, page ori-
entation (portrait or landscape) and page margins. You can also
change the printer being used and its properties. The default
Windows printer is preselected.
2. Choose File|Print options to choose some options particular to
the type of output. For the editor, specify whether to include the
file name, page number and column dividers, and the font size
(small, medium or large). For the plots, choose whether the plot
should print at the size set in the plot setup dialog or be
rescaled to fit the available paper size. You can also select to
print an accompanying information sheet of display and statisti-
cal parameters.
3. Choose File|Print... (or press [CTRL+P]) to open the Print dia-
log box. From there you can choose the number of copies.
To preview the printed page:
1. Choose File|Print preview or in the toolbar click on the but-

ton to open the preview window. From there, you can change
the print options, set up the page orientation and printer and, of
course, print.
Printer Options
For the net, map and circular diagram, two options are available:
1. Plot scaling:
Fit To Page: SpheriStat will scale the drawing and
associated symbols so that the plot will fit within the
limits of the printable page. This option is useful if
you are working with a large plot, but want a proof
copy on a single small page.
As Scaled: SpheriStat will use the plot size specified
in the Display|Setup net, Display|Setup map or
Display|Setup circular diagram dialog boxes.
2. Include Information Sheet: SpheriStat can include a reference
page showing the display setup options used to produce the
drawing.
108 / Printing
For the data table, you can choose among the following items to
include on each page:
1. Page Numbers shown at the top right corner of each page.
2. Column Dividers, vertical lines separating the columns. The
horizontal lines marking the table header and the bottom of the
table on each page are always printed.
3. File Name shown at the top center of each page.
4. Selected Data Only. This option becomes available when one
or more records have been selected. You can choose to tabulate
all records or only those selected.
5. Font Size. Choose between small, medium and large.
Printing / 109
11
Customizing Your Setup
Customizing the Editor
You can customize the layout of your editing screen in three ways:
by moving individual columns to change the order of the dis-
play,
by changing the width of individual columns, and
by opening the Display|Setup editor dialog box to change
several characteristics at once.
You can change the appearance of the screen and the number of
data records displayed by changing the screen font.
You can also change the format of the azimuth and inclination val-
ues using the Display|Setup data format menu command. Rather
than using a standard format, you can display your data just as you
had entered them, making it easy to check against your field notes.
Click on the Setup Editor tool button ( ) to open the editor

setup dialog box or select the Display|Setup editor menu com-
mand.
This dialog will allow you to change:
the title text;
the number of decimal places and significant figures of the nu-
meric data;
the column order;
whether the column is open or closed; and
the editor display font.
A checkbox also allows you to disable or enable the error message
windows appearing during data validation when entering data
through the keyboard.
The dialog box also shows the current delimiter; you can change it
by selecting the Change Delimiter button to activate the Change
110 / Customizing the Editor

Delimiter dialog box (see Display|Setup Editor and Setup Delim-

iters).
When you save a data file, all the setup information is saved with
the file. When you then reload the same file, the display windows
are configured as they were when you last worked with the file.
To make your setup choices apply to all new data files, use the
Save button in the Setup Editor and Setup Data Format dialog
boxes When you quit SpheriStat, the editor, net, map, rose diagram
and data format setups are saved in a configuration file particular
to the current Project Code. This procedure allows you to have sev-
eral different setups, each recalled with a different Project Code.
(See StartUp Dialog Box, Configuration Files.)
Changing the Column Order

To change the column order with the mouse:
1. Point the mouse cursor in the title box of the column you wish
to move.
2. Drag the cursor to the new position. While dragging, the cursor
changes to to indicate that a column is being moved.
3. Release the button. The moved column will appear under the
new cursor position, shifting the other columns to the right.
Only the numeric field columns can be moved; the first (#) and last
(Information) columns are fixed in the order. If you drag a column
to either end position, it will be moved to the position just before
the end.
To change the order of several columns at once:
1. Select the Display|Setup editor menu command.
2. For each column to be moved:
a) Click on the column (field item) name in the list.
b) Select the Move Field Item button.
c) Click on the new position in the list where that column
should be. If the column is moving up the list, the item
where you click will move down, as will all others below
it. If the column is moving down, it will displace the others
up the list.
3. Select Ok to enact the changes, or Cancel to discard them.
Customizing the Editor / 111

SpheriStat 3
Changing the Column Width

To change the column width:
1. Place the mouse cursor over a vertical column divider in the
shaded title bar. The cursor changes to .
2. Move the column boundary by dragging the mouse with the left
button. During dragging, the column headings and boundaries
in the title bar will adjust to show you the new width.
3. Release the button to fix the new column width.
The new width will be retained when you change the column order
with the mouse. The column widths are stored with the data file, so
reloading the file will restore the screens appearance.
To close a column for data entry:
1a. Drag the right column boundary completely to the left;
or
1b. Click in the appropriate column of the title bar with the right
mouse button;
or
1c. Open the Display|Setup editor dialog box and remove the
checkmark beside that columns name in the list.
A closed column appears as a thickened column division line. In
the case of the Information column (last on the right), the title text
is grayed, but the column remains in place.
When you move the Field Edit Window with the keyboard direc-
tion keys, the selection will skip over any closed columns. If you
close a column containing the FEW, the FEW will move to the
next available column on the right or to the first available column
on the next row.
Closing a column provides a means of pasting data in ASCII for-
mat from another application where one or more of the data values
is missing.
To open a closed column:
1a. Drag the thickened boundary to the right. If several contiguous
columns have been closed, dragging will select and move the

right-most boundary appearing within the upright lines of the

cursor. Experiment to get a feel of how this feature works;
or
1b. Select the Display|Setup editor menu option. Add the
checkmark to the box beside the column name in the list. Click
on Ok to quit the dialog.
Changing the Display Font
To change the typeface, type style and size of the characters
used in the Editor:
1a. Select the Display|Change font menu item to open a font se-
lection dialog box;
or
1b. Click on the Change Font button in the Display|Setup editor
dialog box.
2. Choose from the available fonts and font sizes. These choices
are determined by Windows at installation time and by which-
ever additional fonts you installed yourself.
Changing the Azimuth and Inclination Format
To change the format for the entry and display of the azimuth
and inclination angles:
1. Select the Display|Setup data format menu command, or
click on the Setup Data Format tool button ( ).
2. Choose how you want planar data to be presented and inter-
preted. You can choose between Strike/Dip, Dip-Direction/
Dip and Pole Trend/Plunge.
a) For Strike/Dip, the first number is the bearing of the strike
line and the second is the dip angle measured down from
the horizontal.
b) For Dip-Direction/Dip, the first number is the bearing of
the down-dip line, measured in the direction of maximum
dip; the second number is the dip angle, measured down
from the horizontal.
Customizing the Editor / 113

SpheriStat 3
c) For Pole Trend/Plunge, the first number is the bearing of

the planes pole and the second is its plunge, positive
downward.
Choosing between these three display options also affects the
data in the circular diagram window. If your data are planar,
then selecting Strike/Dip causes the strike directions to be plot-
ted, while Dip-Direction/Dip shows dip directions and Pole
Trend/Plunge shows the pole bearings. The circular histogram
adjusts accordingly.
Changing the planar data option does not affect how the net or
map plots existing data. When the values are first entered (ei-
ther in the editor or when the file is loaded or imported),
SpheriStat calculates the structures orientation according to the
current data format options and stores it internally as direction
cosines (of the pole, for a plane, or of the lineation). The net
and map plots are based on these direction cosines. Changing
between strike/dip, dip-direction/dip and pole trend/plunge af-
fects only the editors display of values, not the plots
themselves.
3. Choose the convention you want to use for presenting the an-
gles.
a) The first two (360 - RH Rule and 360 - LH Rule) use
the full 360 compass circle for azimuth measurements.
The Rule specifies the angular relationship between the
strike and dip directions. It has no effect if planes are mea-
sured with the Dip-Direction/Dip format.
The RH Rule (right-hand rule) assumes that the
down-dip direction is clockwise from the strike
direction.
The LH Rule (left-hand rule) assumes it is
counterclockwise from the strike.
b) For the Inclination-Defined option, the azimuth value
uses a 360 compass circle convention and can refer to ei-
ther line direction; the inclination requires an additional di-
rection information for the dip line or plunge (using a
quadrant notation) to uniquely define the proper azimuth
direction. Thus the Inclination-Defined option is a combi-
nation of 360 and quadrant conventions.
c) For the Quadrant option, both the azimuth and inclination
require additional direction information to define the atti-
tude uniquely. The azimuth direction can refer to either

line direction. For planes with the Strike/Dip convention,

SpheriStat converts your strike entry to an angle measured
relative to North and the direction of dip is specified in the
inclination.
4. Decide whether you want SpheriStat to display your data in the
same form as you entered them, or to convert them to its own
standard form. Click in the Use Original Input Values
checkbox to keep your entries as entered, useful for comparing
them with your field notes. Clear the checkbox if you want
SpheriStat to convert the numbers. To change the display op-
tion from that used during data entry, you must clear the Use
Original Input Values checkbox. Even with the Use Original In-
put Values option selected, SpheriStat still uses the chosen ori-
entation conventions for interpreting any further entries or
editing changes in the edit window. This behavior may cause
some confusion if you change conventions while entering or
editing data records.
SpheriStat shows you examples of planar and linear readings for
the current format options. As you change options, the examples
change format, so you can more easily see the structure of the new
format.
Customizing the Net

You have a large number of options available to change the appear-
ance of the net, all available in the Display|Setup net dialog box
(accessible with the Setup Net tool button ). These options
are:
the printed net size;
the symbol size and whether to scale the symbols with the siz-
ing factor specified in the Weight field of each record;
the type of projection (equal area or equal angle);
the projected hemisphere (upper, lower or both) - for polar
data only;
whether to include the raw data points (or great circles), con-
toured point density distribution, principal direction(s), princi-
pal planes (for axial data) and 95% confidence cone (for polar
data);
whether to include the group-zero marker data;
Customizing the Net / 115

SpheriStat 3
whether to include various plot decorations, such as diameter

lines, north indicator, grid (great and/or small circles) or tick
marks, contour legend, user-defined plot labels and text infor-
mation; and
the choice of text font.
As well, you can assign a color for each data point, great circle or
small circle plotted. Use the nets Edit|Assign symbol color menu
command to set the color of all or selected records.
See Display|Setup net and Edit|Assign symbol color for more de-
tails.
Customizing the Map

Several features of the map can be modified in the Display|Setup
net dialog box (accessible with the Setup Map tool button ).
These features include:
the map bounds, in user coordinates;
the user coordinate units (UTM [Universal Transverse
Mercator], kilometers, meters, miles, feet, or arbitrary);
the X/Y distance ratio;
enabling autosizing;
the symbol size, in actual printed dimensions;
the map dimension units as printed (inches, centimeters, or
points);
the map width or height, in actual printed dimensions, or the
map scale;
the choice of map symbol type (full symbols with dip/plunge
values, or simplified stick-figure symbols);
whether to plot each symbol with the size (in user map units)
specified in the Weight field of each record;
whether to plot the symbols with their color (if different from
black) or black;
whether to include the user-defined plot labels; and
the font used for the inclination values.
The shape of the map is determined by the map bounds and the
X/Y ratio, but the plotted size is governed by your choice of either
width or height (the other being calculated by SpheriStat) or the
116 / Customizing the Map

map scale (with the user and dimension units chosen). The actual
width and height shown refer to the current map bounds.
If you change these bounds, the map size in the fixed direction
(width, height or scale) remains the same, as does the symbol size.
This provides you with one way to select a portion of the map for
printing or exporting to another application. Another way is to se-
lect the data within the region of interest and create a data subset in
its own display map window (see Creating a Data Subset). This
new map can then be printed or exported, or can be used for spe-
cialized analysis.
SpheriStat initially uses Windows Arial typeface for the inclina-
tion values on the map. This is a sans serif TrueType font and may
not be acceptable when imported into some drawing applications
that do not use TrueType fonts. You can choose from any other
available font.
See Display|Setup map for more details.
Customizing the Circular (Rose) Diagram

You have a large number of options available to change the appear-
ance of the circular diagram, all available in the Display|Setup cir-
cular diagram dialog box (accessible with the Setup Circular Di-
agram tool button ). These options are:
the printed circular diagram size;
the type of frequency scaling (linear, equal area or square
root);
the maximum frequency plotted;
whether to include the raw data (as fixed- or variable-length
lines), the principal direction, the histogram (bar, peak or
smoothed) and the mean and 95% confidence circles;
the plots range of angles (0-360, 0-180, 180-0, 90-270
or 270-90);
whether to include various plot decorations, such as quadrant
lines, north indicator, grid (radial and/or concentric) or tick
marks, user-defined plot labels and text information; and
the text font.
The raw data appears as lines, symmetric about the center if the
data are non-directed. You can choose between plotting the lines
with a constant length or plotting them with a length that varies
Customizing the Circular (Rose) Diagram / 117

SpheriStat 3
with the inclination, if present. SpheriStat uses the equal angle pro-
jection to calculate the length. The variable-length technique lets
you easily judge the quality of the data. For example, the trend of
steeply plunging lines is less reliable than that of shallowly plung-
ing ones.
See Display|Setup Circular Diagram for more details.
Saving Your Custom Setups

SpheriStat stores the default display window setups in a configura-
tion file for your particular Project Code. When you open a new
data set, SpheriStat uses these default setups to configure the new
display windows. When you create a new data subset from an ex-
isting data set, the new display windows will be configured the
same as for the existing data.
To modify the default setup for a display window type:
1. Activate a window (click on the window or repeatedly press
[CTRL+TAB] until that window is highlighted) of that type
that has the desired setup..
2. Select the Display|Setup... menu command.
3. Click on the Save button.
Preferences and Initialization Files

The setup of the various display windows is particular to the data
files. The setup parameters and options are saved with the data and
these options are restored when you reload that data file. Each data
set can be displayed in its own way. These are local preferences
and affect such features as the type of information displayed on a
plot or the format of the orientation measurements.
Global preferences apply to all data sets loaded during a session.
Examples are the choice of ASCII data file extension, the symbol
sets and the default display options used when creating a new data
file.
These session options are stored in four files that are read by
SpheriStat when first executed. These files are SS2_***.INI,
SS2_***.CFG, and user-named ASCII files for the symbol equiva-
lents (see Configuration Files). The INI file contains the settings
for the ASCII data file extension (which specifies which files ap-
pear in the file list when ASCII Data File is selected as filetype in
the File|Open and File|Save as dialog boxes), the name for the
118 / Saving Your Custom Setups

symbol equivalence and map and net symbol definition files, the
timed backup setting, the last-used directory paths, the window
type for new files and the banding and scaling settings for the
printer. The CFG file stores the default options for the setup of
new display windows.
Preferences and Initialization Files / 119

SpheriStat 3
120 / Preferences and Initialization Files

Reference
Menu Commands
12
File Menu Commands
File|New
Quick Access: Editor: CTRL+ ; Net: CTRL+ ;
Map: CTRL+ ; Circular diagram: CTRL+

The File|New command offers a selection of display types. When
the command is selected from the menu, a secondary menu list ap-
pears, showing the four display types.
If you use the toolbutton to open a new display window, make sure
that no data records are selected in the currently active display
window, if present.
Selecting one of the display types or using the toolbutton opens a
new window showing the corresponding display (editor, net, map,
or circular diagram) with no data showing.
The layout of the new display depends upon the procedure used to
create the new data set:
1. When you start a new editor with the menu command or
with the tool button when no data is already loaded, the edi-
tor and plot layouts will be that specified by your default set-
tings (see Display|Setup Editor). You can change the default by
using the Display|Save option of the corresponding Display|
Setup... dialog box.
2. If you use the tool button and data are already loaded in a
current plot window but no records selected, the new editor
and plot windows will have the layout specified for the existing
data set.
In the case of the net or circular diagram, this empty display may
be useful for showing a formatted grid. Generally, however, you
will want to enter data to make the display useful. There are three
ways to add data: enter the data manually, paste it in or import it in
text format using the File|Open menu command.
File|New / 123
SpheriStat 3
If you opened a new display other than the edit window and wish
to enter data manually, open an edit window by selecting Win-
dow|Editor or by clicking on the Edit button. See Entering and
Editing Data for details on how to start a new data set.
To paste data into an empty (non-edit) display, copy the selected
data (in SpheriStat format) into the clipboard using either the
Edit|Copy record or Edit|Cut record command, depending upon
whether you wish to remove the records from the original data set.
Then activate the new display window by clicking in it and use the
Edit|Paste record command to copy the data into your new win-
dow. All data fields will be copied. If the new window is an editor,
then you can copy text-formatted data into it, providing the layout
of the text data and the editor are matched. In this situation,
SpheriStat uses the editor layout to determine how to parse the in-
coming text stream (see Customizing the Editor and Cut, Copy,
Paste and Delete).
File|Open
Quick Access: [CTRL+O] or in the toolbar
The File|Open command allows you to load a pre-existing data
file, either in SpheriStats own format (with the file name exten-
sion .SS3 or .SS2, depending upon the program version) or in
text format (with the extension of your choosing). The File|Open
dialog box is Windows standard file dialog.
To select a file:
1. Choose the appropriate drive, directory, file type and file name.
Unique to SpheriStat is the choice of file type. Three are avail-

able in the filetype list: SpheriStat 3, SpheriStat 2 and Text
Data File.
SpheriStat 3: This is a ASCII (text) file in SpheriStats own
format, having the file name extension .SS3. Although it
can be read by any text editor, the meaning of most of the
parameters are not obvious. The file contains a complete
record of the data and the display settings selected when
the file was saved. When you load such a file, the editor
and graphic plots configure themselves to appear the same
as when you saved the file.
124 / File|Open
File Menu Commands
SpheriStat 2: This file uses SpheriStats own binary format

and always has the file name extension .SS2. It cannot be
read by any other application. SpheriStat binary files con-
tain a complete record of the data, including symbol off-
sets, along with the net, map, rose diagram, data format
and editor setups. As with SS3 files, when you load such a
file, the editor and graphic plots configure themselves to
appear the same as when you saved the file.
Text Data File: This is a ASCII (text) file created either with
SpheriStat or some other application. It must not contain
any special formatting codes. SpheriStat 1.x creates a spe-
cial form of text file that can be imported by SpheriStat.
The text file may have any file name extension. Initially,
SpheriStat uses the default extensions .TXT and .DAT.
You can change the default selection of extensions using
the Help|Preferences dialog box.
2. Select the Ok button.
If the file is a SpheriStat 3 file: the data will load immediately
and the displays you open will be configured as they were when
the data was previously saved.
If the file is a SpheriStat 2 file: the data will load immediately
and the displays you open will be configured as they were when
the data was previously saved. If you are loading a version 2.0 or
2.1 file, the net symbols will plot in red, instead of black. Version
2.2 includes the option to individually color the net symbols. Be-
cause of the way the color information is stored in the file, data re-
cords without this information, such as those in earlier version
files, will default to red. You will need to select all the records and
apply the Edit|Assign symbol color menu command to change the
symbols to a different color.
In both cases, SpheriStat will attempt to load any saved count files,
whether for the net or circular diagram, that were linked to the data
file. Since the full path of the count file at the time of saving is
stored, SpheriStat will search that folder. If the file is not found,
then SpheriStat searches in the folder containing the data file. This
operation is useful when you have occasion to move your files to a
different folder or even a different computer. The link is not lost.
If the file is a text data file: SpheriStat displays an Import Setup
dialog box. At this point you can review and modify the setup to
conform to the structure and layout of the incoming text file. Be-
File|Open / 125
SpheriStat 3
cause of the large variety of possible data structures in such files,

you must configure SpheriStat properly to parse the incoming text.
The features that can be changed are the record fields in the incom-
ing file and field order, the delimiter separating fields, the charac-
ter delimiting a text variable, the data type (axial or polar), the ori-
entation format, and whether to convert from user structure codes
and to skip initial lines.The dialog box also displays a portion of
the incoming file to help you set up the importing configuration.
Once the file is decoded and stored in memory, SpheriStat will
open a display window to show the data. Your only connection
with the data is through a display window. Closing all windows
containing this data will remove the data from memory. The win-
dow that initially contains the data after opening the file will de-
pend upon the prior setup. If no data is currently loaded into
SpheriStat, then the new data will appear first in the window type
specified in the Help|Preferences dialog box. To show the data in
any of the other window types, choose the appropriate option (Edi-
tor, Net, Map or Rose) in the Window menu list, or click on the ap-
propriate display-type tool button ( , , , ).
Import Setup
The Import Setup dialog box is used to configure SpheriStat so that
it can properly decode the incoming text data file. It appears when
126 / File|Open
File Menu Commands
a text data filetype is selected in the File|Open dialog box. The

current settings are displayed in the dialog box window.
Several settings can be changed:
1. Record contents and order: Make sure that the list of data
fields agrees in type and order with that in the data file, so that
SpheriStat decodes and places the values properly.
Click on the Change Record Structure button to change the
field types and order. A dialog box, similar to the Dis-
play|Setup editor dialog box, will appear (see also Dis-
play|Setup editor and Customizing the Editor). Follow the
procedures for the Setup Editor dialog. Close any fields that are
not present in the incoming data file. Alternatively, any missing
data must have a # character in the corresponding position in
the data file.
Note that the text information will always be last in the record.
Any data items not assigned to a particular field will be col-
lected into the Additional Information field, separated by the
current delimiter. As such, these items must appear at the end
of each record.
2. Delimiters: This is the special code character (or characters)
used to distinguish between data values in the text string and to
indicate when a portion of the incoming string is to remain as a
text string. Change this code by clicking on the Change Delim-
iters button (see Setup Delimiters).
SpheriStat can handle two types of file structure:
1) all items in a record are in one line, separated by a spe-
cial character (the field delimiter), and the record is termi-
nated by an end-of-line code (CR or CRLF); and
2) each data item in the record is on a separate line and ter-
minated by an end-of-line code (CR or CRLF).
In the former case, specify the field delimiter character. In the
latter, use either the CR or CRLF field delimiter, depending
upon whether one character (CR, the carriage-return code) or
two characters (CR, the carriage-return code, and LF, the
line-feed code) terminates each line.
SpheriStat cannot decode more complex file structures, such as
those containing a varying number of data items on a line. If
your text data files have a complex structure, you will need to
File|Open / 127
SpheriStat 3
write a program or macro to reconstruct it into a form that

SpheriStat can handle.
3. Data Conventions: These conventions determine how
SpheriStat interprets the azimuth and inclination character
strings, if present in the data record. SpheriStat can import data
having one of a variety of different structures: two numeric for-
mats (right-hand rule (RHR) and left-hand rule (LHR)) and two
quadrant formats (inclination-directed, sometimes called
dip-directed, and full quadrant). Planar data can also be in the
form of either strike/dip, dip-direction/dip or pole trend/plunge
values. You can specify whether the data are axial
(non-directed) or polar (vector); import decoding is the same in
both cases, but the internal calculation of direction cosines is
different. Once the data are properly imported, you are free to
change these conventions for your displays and analyses.
Select the Change button to modify the data format. See Dis-
play|Setup data format for further details. The text strings for
the azimuth and inclination are stored internally; by selecting
the Display|Show original direction values option [Shift+F5],
you can show these values in the editor to verify correct data
entry.
4. Convert from Custom Structure Codes: Since you have the
choice of using SpheriStats structure codes or your own cus-
tom codes, you need to inform SpheriStat which are being used
in the incoming file, if any. SpheriStat will verify the codes
against its known code list. SpheriStat maintains a table corre-
lating the default and custom codes. This correlation is defined
in the Symbol Equivalence file loaded on startup (see Configu-
ration Files). You can change which equivalence table is used
by changing the appropriate filename in the Help|Preferences
dialog box; you can also use this dialog box to modify the
equivalence table. If your incoming data file does not contain
structure codes, you can ignore this option.
5. Skip Header Lines: If your text data files are used for other
applications, they may contain one or more lines of information
at the beginning of the file. You can force SpheriStat to skip
over these lines so that the data are interpreted properly. Click
in the checkbox and enter the number of lines to skip in the edit
box.
The import dialog box also provides a small file viewer so you can
verify the contents and structure of the incoming file. However,
128 / File|Open
File Menu Commands
this viewer is limited to files of no more than 2000 characters (in-

cluding CRLF pairs). The file will be truncated in the viewer at
this limit (Note: the original file is not altered). Usually this will be
enough for you to determine the file structure.
Click on the Ok button or press [Enter] to import the data. If any
errors are encountered, SpheriStat will abort the action, showing
the line number and problem, and create a data set containing only
the successfully imported data. In this case, you may need to ex-
amine the data file to verify that you made the correct choices of
layout, delimiters and measurement conventions, or whether your
data file has an error.
The partial or complete data will display in the editor or one of the
other display windows (net, map or rose). The editor will be set up
according to the choices made during conversion. The file name is
that of the text file, with the extension changed to .SS3. The net,
map or rose diagram, on the other hand, will have the current de-
fault setup of the previously loaded file.
To abort the file conversion procedure, select the Abort button
or press [Esc].
File|Save
Quick Access: [CTRL+S] or in the toolbar
The File|Save command is used to save the current values of the
data in the currently active display window.
If the data has already been assigned a file name, choosing the
File|Save command immediately executes the Save operation. In
the case of a previously loaded SS2 or SS3 file, SpheriStat will
save the file only if the data or its display options were changed.
If the data was entered directly into the editor and remained unti-
tled, then File|Save will open the File|Save as dialog box. There
you can choose the drive, directory and file name to be used for the
new file.
File|Save As
Quick Access: [Ctrl+W]
The File|Save as command is used to change the file name or file
type of the stored data. Use this procedure to convert SpheriStat-
formatted data to text format.
File|Save / 129
SpheriStat 3
When the File|Save as command is selected, a standard Windows

Save dialog box opens. You can change the drive and directory
used for the file. You can also change the file type (SpheriStat 3,
SpheriStat 2.2 or Text Data File). The default is SpheriStat 3.
To save a SpheriStat 3 file: Select the correct drive and directory
and enter your choice of file name. The required file name exten-
sion is .SS3. You do not need to enter the extension with the file
name, but if you use another extension, SpheriStat will change it to
the required one. The records are stored in a special SpheriStat
ASCII text format, along with the net, map, rose, data format and
editor configurations.
To save a SpheriStat 2.2 file: Select the correct drive and direc-
tory and enter your choice of file name. The required file name ex-
tension is .SS2. You do not need to enter the extension with the
file name, but if you use another extension, SpheriStat will change
it to the required one. The records are stored in SpheriStat 2 binary
format, along with the net, map, rose, data format and editor con-
figurations.
To save a text data file: Select the correct drive and directory and
enter your choice of file name. You are free to use whatever legal
(to Microsoft Windows) file name and extension you wish. Dur-
ing saving, the data values in each record are converted to ASCII
text (using the text delimiter, if necessary) and linked together with
the currently selected field delimiter. Each record is terminated
with a CRLF (carriage return+linefeed) character pair (also called
end of line, line break or, sometimes, hard return). The order
and display convention are determined by the corresponding
choices in the editor at the time of saving. If you want to save the
azimuth, inclination and symbol using the same format used when
entered, be sure to select Show Original Input Direction Values
and Show User Structure Codes in the Setup Data Format dialog
box. If you wish to eliminate a field (e.g., inclination or station co-
ordinate), close the corresponding column before saving (see Cus-
tomizing Your Setup or Display|Setup editor). If any columns are
closed, SpheriStat will query you before saving, requesting
whether you wish to include the data in the closed columns. Any
missing data will be replaced in the resulting text data file by a pair
of # (number or pound) characters.
You can also save your data in text format by copying it to the clip-
board, pasting it into a suitable text editor and saving it from there.
130 / File|Save As
File Menu Commands
Remember to turn off any formatting commands in the text editor

or these codes will be included in the data file.
File|Publish As
Quick Access: [Ctrl+B]
The File|Publish as command is used to save the data set along
with the map symbol set. In this way, any custom-made symbols
can be displayed in SpheriStat on another computer which does not
have that symbol file installed. The published file will have the
SpheriStat 3 format.
To publish a data file:
Select the File|Publish as command which opens a standard Win-
dows Save dialog box. You can change the drive and directory
used for the file. Enter your choice of file name. The required file
name extension is .SS3. You do not need to enter the extension
with the file name, but if you use another extension, SpheriStat
will change it to the required one. The records are stored in a spe-
cial SpheriStat ASCII text format, along with the net, map, rose,
data format and editor configurations, and map symbol definitions.
When the file is reloaded, SpheriStat recognizes the presence of
the symbol definitions and creates a temporary symbol set. This set
is used to draw the map for this data set. The symbols from this
symbol set also appear in the Map Symbol window whenever a
plot window or editor using that symbol set is activated.
Note: Published data sets do not have the full capabilities of
SpheriStat 3 available when they are reloaded. The editing and
analysis procedures, along with random selection, are disabled.
Such procedures may require creating a new data set, a facility not
available for published data in SpheriStat 3.0. Further, published
data may not be resaved, since that process removes the attached
structure symbol set.
File|Load Counts (Net)

Quick Access: None
SpheriStat allows you to save the point density count files created
with the Analysis|Density distribution menu option or modified
with the Analysis|Subtract density peak option. The File|Load
counts menu command (available only when a net window is ac-
tive) gives you a quick way to attach a previously saved count file
File|Publish As / 131
SpheriStat 3
to the currently accessed data set, regardless of whether the count

file was created with that data. The only requirement is that the
count file be of the same data type (i.e., axial or polar) as is the
current data set, because polar data produces two sets of counts,
one for each hemisphere. When you select the menu command, a
standard Windows Open File dialog appears, with the file type set
to Point Density having the default extension .SSC. Navigate to
the desired directory and select the file. SpheriStat will prevent you
from loading a count file of a different data type. After you close
the dialog box using the Ok command, SpheriStat records the drive
and directory used, so that when you next load a count file in this
project, the same location will appear. The loaded counts will be
contoured and plotted in the net. SpheriStat adds the contour level
legend to the side of the net. The legend can be hidden using the
Display|Setup net menu command. You can examine the counting
options and statistics associated with the count file by using the
Analysis|Density distribution or Analysis|Subtract density peak
menu options.
File|Save Counts (Net)

Quick Access: None
The File|Save counts menu option is available only when a net
window is active and the net contains contoured count data that has
not yet been saved. A standard Windows Save File dialog box
opens allowing you to choose the drive and directory. By default,
the filename is the same as the current data set, with the extension
changed to .SSC. If the current data has not yet been saved and is
untitled, then an asterix is used in place of the name.
Since a published data set cannot be counted in SpheriStat 3.0, this
option is disabled for such data sets.
File|Load Histogram (Circular Diagram)

Quick Access: None
SpheriStat allows you to save the circular point density count files
created with the circular diagrams Analysis|Density distribution
menu option. The File|Load histogram menu command (available
only when a rose window is active) gives you a quick way to at-
tach a previously saved count file to the currently accessed data
set, regardless of whether the count file was created with that data.
The only requirement is that the count file be of the same data type
(i.e., axial or polar) as is the current data set, because SpheriStat
132 / File|Save Counts (Net)

File Menu Commands
stores only half of the counts for axial data. When you select the
menu command, a standard Windows Open File dialog appears,
with the file type set to Point Density having the default extension
.SSH. Navigate to the desired directory and select the file.
SpheriStat will prevent you from loading a count file of a different
data type. After you close the dialog box using the Ok command,
SpheriStat records the drive and directory used, so that when you
next load a count file in this project, the same location will appear.
The loaded counts will be plotted in the circular diagram. You can
examine the counting options and statistics associated with the
count file by using the Analysis|Density distribution menu op-
tion.
File|Save Histogram (Circular Diagram)

Quick Access: None
The File|Save histogram menu option is available only when a
rose window is active and the circular diagram contains a histo-
gram that has not yet been saved. A standard Windows Save File
dialog box allows you to choose the drive and directory. By de-
fault, the filename is the same as the current data set, with the ex-
tension changed to .SSH. If the current data has not yet been
saved and is untitled, then an asterix is used in place of the name.
Since a published data set cannot be counted in SpheriStat 3.0, this
option is disabled for such data sets.
File|Export
Quick Access: [CTRL+E]
Exporting is the process of storing
the net, map or circular (rose) dia-
gram as a drawing, using either
Windows metafile or AutoCAD
DXF codes. These codes are rec-
ognized by most major Windows
applications that import drawings.
Selecting the File|Export com-
mand opens a dialog box giving
you three choices of destination:
the Windows clipboard, a Win-
File|Save Histogram (Circular Diagram) / 133

SpheriStat 3
dows metafile file (WMF) or an AutoCAD DXF file (DXF).
Select destination:
Clipboard: The drawing is stored in memory as a memory
metafile; you can immediately switch to another application
and paste the drawing into it, if the application is capable of do-
ing so.
Windows Metafile, WMF: You have another choice to make.
Keep Scale: Retain the preset diagram size, as set in the corre-
sponding setup dialog box (see Display|Setup Net, Dis-
play|Setup Map or Display|Setup Circular Diagram). This
option produces a so-called placeable metafile.
Scale To Fit: Allow the map to be resized when the WMF file
is loaded into another application.
If you are adding the structural map to another map in your
second application, you will probably prefer to fix its scal-
ing, assuming the map size was set correctly. Some appli-
cations may not be able to import a fixed WMF file or may
convert it to a rescaleable file.
If you choose to create a WMF file, another dialog box opens, sim-
ilar to a File|Save as dialog. In this case, the only file type avail-
able is Windows Metafile, with the file extension .WMF. After
choosing the desired drive and directory, all previously saved
WMF files in the selected directory will appear in the file list. En-
ter your file name. You do not need to add the file extension;
SpheriStat assumes .WMF and will change the extension to that if
another is used.
DXF File: As with the WMF file, a dialog box opens allowing you
to specify the name of the file and where you want the file to be
stored. You do not need to add the file extension; SpheriStat as-
sumes .DXF and will change the extension to that if another is
used. The DXF file uses a special version of the symbols, in the
case of net and map plots. Also all user-added labels, as well as the
density contour legend, are omitted from the plot.
134 / File|Export
File Menu Commands
File|Print...
Quick Access: [CTRL+P] or in the toolbar
The File|Print command is used to print the data records (as a tab-
ular listing) and the net, map and circular (rose) diagram (as a
drawing) as they appear in the corresponding display window.
When the command is selected to print one of the plots, the Print
Options dialog opens, allowing you to choose the plot scaling and
whether to include the information sheet. Once selected, click on
OK.
For the data table, you must set the print options prior to selecting
the File|Print... menu option.
In either case, the standard Windows print dialog then opens allow-
ing you to change the printer or its properties and choose the num-
ber of copies and the page layout. When you then click Ok, the
page is immediately printed using the chosen printer with its cur-
rent settings. You can change also the printer and its settings in the
File|Setup printer page menu option.
Printing of statistical results or special plots created by the Analy-
sis procedures is handled by a Print option located in the corre-
sponding Analysis dialog box. In such cases, no output options are
offered. To alter the print setup, such as page orientation, number
of copies or choice of printer, use the File|Setup printer page
menu command before performing the analysis.
File|Print Preview
Quick Access: In the toolbar
The File|Print Preview command is used to view the printed page
prior to sending it to the printer. When it appears, it replaces the
normal SpheriStat working window. The preview window provides
several tool buttons:
1. Print: Immediate printing of the document
2. Print...: Open the standard Windows print dialog. From there
you can change the printer and its settings, the number of cop-
ies and the page orientation. SpheriStat automatically updates
the data table or plot according to the new settings. Depending
upon your choice of options, you may not necessarily get the
File|Print... / 135
SpheriStat 3
output that you expect. For example, if you chose a paper size
that is too small, the data table or as-scaled plot may not fit
within the available margins.
3. Page Orientation: Change the paper orientation between por-
trait and landscape.
4. Options: For plots, change the plot scaling and include the op-
tional page of plot information and statistics. The options ap-
pear individually in the toolbar, as:
For the data table, choose whether to include the file name,
page numbers and vertical column lines, and to set the font size
(small, medium or large). The options are accessed by a button,
equivalent to the File|Print Options menu command.
5. < and >: Where the output consists of more than one page,
these buttons will appear and will allow you to change the dis-
played page.
6. Close: Abort the preview and printing. Clicking on the normal
red Close button in the upper right corner will similarly abort
the preview and return you to the normal SpheriStat screen.
For your convenience, the preview window shows the currently se-
lected printer in the status bar at the lower left corner of the win-
dow.
Resizing the preview window will cause SpheriStat's main window
to resize by the same amount. Similarly, clicking on the Minimize
or Maximize buttons will cause the main window to perform the
same actions.
Note: The preview image is only an approximation to the actual
printed page because the text can appear only as integral pixel
heights. Enlarging the preview page will give the closest repre-
sentation of the printed page.
File|Setup Printer Page

Quick Access: none
136 / File|Setup Printer Page

File Menu Commands
Selecting the File|Setup printer page menu command will open

the Page Setup dialog box.
To choose the page properties:
1. Choose the paper size from the drop-down list.
2. Choose the paper source from the drop-down list. The choices
will depend upon your printer.
3. Choose the page orientation, either Portrait or Landscape.
4. Choose the page margins, in millimeters.
To choose a new printer:

1. Click the Printer... button. A new dialog box will open allow-
ing you to choose a new printer from a drop-down list of in-
stalled printers. If your computer is connected to a network,
you can click on the Network... button to access the list of net-
worked printers.
To configure a printer:
1. Select the Printer... button.
2. Click on the Properties... button. This dialog box is created by
the printer driver installed in Windows and its appearance and
options will vary with printer manufacturer and type.
File|Print Options
Quick Access: None
SpheriStat allows certain print
options that are particular to
the type of printout.
Options particular to the edi-
tor:
1. Include: You can choose
to include or exclude the
following page enhance-
ments.
File|Print Options / 137

SpheriStat 3
a. Page Numbers: The values appear at the upper right cor-

ner of each page of the data listing.
b. Column Dividers: The columns are separated by vertical
one-point wide black lines. You can remove them by
unselecting the option. The horizontal lines defining the
header row and the bottom of the page's portion of the ta-
ble will remain.
c. File Name: The file name appears at the top center of each
page.
d. Selected Data Only: When one or more records have been
selected, this option becomes available. You can choose to
tabulate all records or only the selected ones.
e. Font Size: Choose between small, medium and large.
The actual layout of the printed table, including which columns to
show and their order, are those of the editor containing the data.
Use the Display|Setup Editor menu option to change them prior
to printing.
Options particular to the net, map and circular diagram:
1. Print Scaling: You can choose to print the plot at the size spec-
ified in the appropriate Display|Setup dialog box or to rescale
the plot to fit the currently selected page size.
a. Fit To Page: the plot is scaled to fit within the printable
page and any symbols and text present are scaled in pro-
portion to the new plot size.
The Fit To Page op-
tion is most useful
when you are produc-
ing a plot larger than
your printer's avail-
able paper size and
wish to preview the
whole diagram on a
single page.
b. As Scaled: the plot
dimensions and the
symbol size are those
138 / File|Print Options

File Menu Commands
you selected in the plot's Setup dialog box.

If the plot size is larger than the page size, choose the
File|Setup Printer Page menu option and select a suitable
page size for your printer. If a large enough paper size is
not available, you will need a different printer.
2. Include Information Sheet: Selecting this option will add a
printout page that includes a listing of the display parameters
and statistical results for those graphical elements appearing the
currently active display window. For those elements not chosen
to appear in the graph, their data are not included. More de-
tailed statistics are printed from the corresponding Analysis di-
alog box.
The actual plot that appears on the page is the same as that of the
plot window containing the data. Use the Display|Setup net, Dis-
play|Setup map or Display|Setup circular diagram menu option
to change them prior to printing.
See Customizing Your Setup for more details.
File|Change Project Code

Quick Access: None
You can change your project code at any time during a session by
selecting the File|Change project code menu command. The
start-up dialog box will appear, allowing you to enter a new code.
The new project configuration files define its own default directo-
ries for loading, saving and exporting files, default display and re-
cent files list.
File|Save Symbol Equivalences

Quick Access: None
This menu command allows you to store your changes to the sym-
bol equivalence file made directly in the Structure Codes/Symbols
display window. since SpheriStat overwrites the current equiva-
lence file, it gives you an opportunity to change your mind before
proceeding.
See Configuration Files and Display|Show Structure Codes/Sym-
bols in the manual for more details on symbol equivalence files.
File|Exit
Quick Access: [ALT+F4]
File|Change Project Code / 139

SpheriStat 3
Select File|Exit to quit SpheriStat.

If any data was modified, then you will be given an opportunity to
save it before quitting. Since the net, map, rose, data format and
editor setups are saved with the data, any changes to these setups
are considered to be data modifications.
Recent Files (MRU) List

SpheriStat maintains a list of the 10 last-used files, with their full
directory path. The list is included in the File|Recent files flyout
menu and stored in the INI file of the current project
(SS3_***.INI).
When you load a file that was already on the current list, that file
name is removed from the display.
Each time you close the last window holding the contents of a data
file, SpheriStat adds the file name to the top of the list, displacing
another at the bottom if the list already held 10 file names.
When you exit SpheriStat, this list is written to the INI file. The
MRU list is rebuilt when you next start SpheriStat with the same
Project Code.
140 / Recent Files (MRU) List

13
Edit Menu Commands
Edit|Cut Record
Quick Access: [SHIFT+DELETE]
The Edit|Cut record menu command copies the selected data re-
cords to the windows clipboard and deletes them from the data set.
Any display windows showing this data set will be updated. In the
Editor, the remaining records are shifted up in position so they are
contiguous.
See Working in the Display Windows and Searching and Selecting
Data for detailed information on how to select data, either with the
mouse or by Boolean selection.
The records are copied to the clipboard in two forms: as binary
SpheriStat data and as text data, converted according to the current
conventions and editor setups. The specially formatted SpheriStat
3 text data can be pasted back into any SpheriStat display window,
either for the same or a different data set. Other more simply for-
matted text data in the clipboard can be pasted into any other appli-
cation that accepts data in this form.
The only way to restore cut data is to paste it back (see Edit|Paste
record).
Edit|Copy Record
Quick Access: [CTRL+INSERT]
The Edit|Copy record menu command copies the selected infor-
mation to the Windows clipboard, but does not delete it from the
SpheriStat data set.
See Working in the Display Windows and Searching and Selecting
Data for detailed information on how to select data, either with the
mouse or by Boolean selection.
The records are copied to the clipboard in two forms: as spe-
cially-formatted SpheriStat text data and as simply-formatted text
data, converted according to the current conventions and editor set-
ups. The SpheriStat data can be pasted back into any SpheriStat
Edit|Cut Record / 141

SpheriStat 3
display window, either for the same or a different data set. The
text-formatted data in the clipboard can be pasted into any other
application that accepts data in this form.
Edit|Paste Record
Quick Access: [SHIFT+INSERT]
The Edit|Paste record menu command copies selected records
from the clipboard into the currently active data set (i.e., that ap-
pearing in the currently active window). If the currently active dis-
play window is the editor, the menu option will be enabled when
SpheriStat-formatted or text-formatted data are available. Of
course, not all text-formatted data is suitable for pasting into
SpheriStat. For the other types of display windows, the Edit|Paste
record menu option is enabled only if SpheriStat-formatted data is
in the clipboard.
For the editor:
1. If you want to insert the new records within the existing data
set, click on a #-column box. The new records will be pasted
before this position so that the selected record and all the fol-
lowing records will be pushed down. If you select more than
one record, the new records will be pasted before the first se-
lected one.
2. If you want the new records placed at the end of your current
data set, do not select any record. SpheriStat will query you to
determine if you want to add the new records at the end.
Choose Ok to do so, or Cancel to abort the paste operation.
For the net, map and rose diagram: Pasted records are always
added to the end of the current data set.
If the text data is not proper SpheriStat record information, the
paste operation will abort. This possibility will occur when you
copy text either from the editors FEW or some other text-based
application. Having the Edit|Paste record menu option enabled
does not guarantee that the pasting will be successful; on the other
hand, no harm is done if pasting fails.
Edit|Delete Record
Quick Access: [CTRL+DELETE]
The Edit|Delete record menu command will remove the selected
records, but not copy them to the clipboard.
142 / Edit|Paste Record

Edit Menu Commands
This deleted information is not recoverable, so SpheriStat will

verify that you wish to proceed.
Edit|Cut Text
Quick Access: [CTRL+X]
The Edit|Cut text menu command copies the information selected
from the field edit window (FEW) to the windows clipboard and
deletes it from the FEW and the corresponding field of the data re-
cord.
Text data, selected in an FEW (an edit box), is removed and the
space closed up.
You can restore cut text by pasting it back (see Edit|Paste text) or
by selecting the Edit|Undo text edit menu command.
Edit|Copy Text
Quick Access: [CTRL+C]
The Edit|Copy text menu command copies the information se-
lected from the FEW to the windows clipboard, but does not delete
it from the SpheriStat editor.
Edit|Paste Text
Quick Access: [CTRL+V]
The Edit|Paste text menu command will paste text information
into the editors FEW, at the current insert position (shown by the
flashing I-beam carat). The FEW must be active (visible) when
pasting.
Edit|Undo Text Edit

Quick Access: [ALT+BACKSPACE]
The Edit|Undo text edit menu command will restore the most re-
cent editing in the FEW. The FEW must not be altered in any way
between editing and restoring. In particular, the FEW should not be
moved to a different field or record.
Edit|Assign Group
Quick Access: none
The Edit|Assign group menu command allows you to set the
group value of all selected records to the same value. Since the
Edit|Cut Text / 143

SpheriStat 3
group code is used to determine the net plotting symbol, this com-
mand provides a quick way to change the symbol for a group of re-
cords.
To assign a group value:
1. Select the records whose group code is to be changed. See
Searching and Selecting Data for detailed information on how
to select data, either with the mouse or by Boolean selection.
2. Choose the Edit|Assign group menu command. If no records
were selected prior to choosing this command, a message box
will appear, asking if you wish to assign the new group code to
all of the data records. Select Ok if you do, or Cancel, if not.
If you continue, a dialog box opens, allowing you to enter a group
code. SpheriStat accepts only valid SpheriStat or user group codes.
Select Ok to complete the change.
Edit|Assign Weight
Quick Access: none
The Edit|Assign weight menu command allows you to set the
weight value of all selected records to the same value.
To assign a common weight value:
1. Select the records whose weight is to be changed. See
2. Choose the Edit|Assign weight menu command. If no records
were selected prior to choosing this command, a message box
will appear, asking if you wish to assign the new weight to all
of the data records. Select Ok if you do, or Cancel, if not.
If you continue, a dialog box opens, allowing you to enter a weight
value. Select Ok to complete the change.
The weight must be positive and non-zero. SpheriStat will prevent
you from entering an unacceptable value.
Edit|Assign Symbol Color

Quick Access: none
The Edit|Assign symbol color menu command appears when any
of the display windows is active. It allows you to assign or change
the plotted color of all selected records, except those whose group
144 / Edit|Assign Weight

Edit Menu Commands
value is zero. The color is applied to net, map and circular diagram
symbols. The map setup dialog allows you to over-ride these col-
ors and plot the symbols in black only (see Display|Setup map).
To assign a common symbol color:
1. Select the records whose symbol color is to be changed. See
2. Choose the Edit|Assign symbol color menu command. If no
records were selected prior to choosing this command, a mes-
sage box will appear, asking if you wish to assign the new sym-
bol color to all of the data records. Select Ok if you do, or
Cancel, if not.
If you continue, a dialog box
opens showing a color
wheel. You can choose be-
tween No Color and Solid
Color. When you choose No
Color, the symbols are not
plotted at all. This gives you
a simple way of hiding these
data from the presentation.
However, these data are still
included in any analyses, so
dont forget them!
To set a symbol color, make sure that the Solid option is selected,
then click on the appropriate color in the wheel. The wheel pro-
vides the full spectrum of hues, with two values of each. Also in-
cluded are pure black and 50% grey. When you click on the color,
the small color box shows your choice.
Select Ok to complete the change. Both the net and editor (if open)
will be redrawn, showing the new colors. In the editor, the group
values will be drawn in the new color, so that you easily can relate
the color choices to the data values.
Edit|Rotate Data
Quick Access: none
The Edit|Rotate data menu command appears in the menu list
when either the net or the circular (rose) diagram window is active.
Edit|Rotate Data / 145

SpheriStat 3
In each case a different rotation procedure, each having its own di-
alog box, is followed.
Edit|Rotate Data (Net)

The Edit|Rotate data menu command opens a dialog box contain-
ing four distinct regions: options, results, net display and action
buttons.
Options
1. Trend, Plunge and Angle: These are the orientation and rota-
tion angle of the current rotation axis, in degrees. The rotation
angle is positive for a clockwise rotation when the rotation axis
is viewed from the center of the unit sphere. If the plunge is
negative, then you are looking up at the upper hemisphere.
You can manually enter values from the keyboard. Alterna-
tively, when you use the mouse to drag a net point to a new po-
sition, these edit boxes show the rotation axis parameters
calculated from the starting and ending drag positions. (see Net
Display)
2. Show Original and Show Rotated: These buttons are used to
switch the net display between the original unrotated data set
and the same data rotated by the total rotation axis and angle.
Rotations apply only to the currently displayed data. By choos-
ing Show Rotated, you can rotate the data several times, even
146 / Edit|Rotate Data

Edit Menu Commands
changing rotation axes and angles. You can also switch be-
tween selected and all data between successive rotations.
3. Upper Hemisphere and Lower Hemisphere: If the datatype is
polar (vector), these buttons become enabled, allowing you to
switch the net display between upper and lower hemisphere.
Showing both hemispheres together is not available in this dia-
log box.
4. Update Contours: This option is enabled if the net data is con-
toured. While this option is selected, the counts and contours
will be recalculated each time the data is rotated. This allows
you to see the total effect of the rotation. If the recalculation is
too slow, turn this option off until you need to see the contours.
Selecting the update option will cause the contours to be recal-
culated immediately.
5. Selected Data Only: This option is enabled if you selected any
records prior to opening the dialog box. You can choose to ro-
tate only the selected data, leaving all others unaffected. If you
save the rotated data and have chosen Selected Data Only,
then SpheriStat does not give you the option of rotating the
map as well.
Net Display
The net display shows your original data plotted as it appears in the
net window, but without the diameter lines, grid or axis ticks. After
you rotate the data, the net display shows the rotated data, along

SpheriStat 3
with the position of the original geographic directions (N, E, S, W,

Up and Down). You can toggle between the two displays either by
selecting the Show Original or Show Rotated options, or by
clicking in the net display in the grey region outside the net out-
line.
When you move the mouse cursor within the plotted net, the net
coordinates of the tip of the arrow cursor appears in the status line
immediately below the display, along with the station count, if the
density distribution of the data has been calculated. The format of
the density count is the same as that shown in the Analysis|Den-
sity Distribution dialog box and depends upon the counting
method used.
You can rotate the data interactively by clicking down on a point in
the net and dragging the mouse cursor to a new location. As you
drag, a symbol (either or ) appears on the net showing
the position of the rotation axis and the sense of the rotation. Also,
the orientation and magnitude of the rotation axis is placed in the
Trend, Plunge and Angle option boxes. When you release the
mouse button, the symbol disappears and the data are rotated and
displayed.
Results
1. Current Rotation: This is the trend and plunge of the most re-
cent rotation axis, as well as the rotation angle.
2. Total Rotation: This is the cumulative rotation, the single rota-
tion that will take the data from its original to its final position,
regardless of the number and orientation of intermediate rota-
tions. If the data were rotated by two or more separate rotation,
the total rotation will differ from the current rotation. When-
ever you select the original data for rotation, the total rotation
becomes the same as the current rotation. On the other hand, if
you rotate the previously rotated data (by selecting Show Ro-
tated), then the total rotation is calculated by accumulating the
rotations and computing a single rotation that accomplishes the
same effect.
If you change the Selected Data Only option during progres-
sive rotation, the total rotation still records the cumulative ro-
tation, but only of the selected records, not the other records
that rotated only intermittently.
3. Counting Peak: If the density distribution of the data has been
calculated and is displayed as contours, then the counting peak

Edit Menu Commands
is the location (trend and plunge) and peak value for the peak
station. In the case of the Gaussian and Kamb counting meth-
ods, the peak value is given either as the peak height above the
expected value, normalized by the standard deviation, or as a
multiple of the expected value, depending upon what display
choice you made in the Analysis|Density Distribution dialog
box. For Schmidt counting, the peak is given as a percent of the
total data points in the 1% counting circle. For Starkey count-
ing, the peak is the maximum number of data found in the
100/N counting circle. (see Contouring the Point Density Dis-
tribution for a discussion of these statistical parameters.) When
the data are rotated, these parameters are recalculated and the
new values displayed when you select Show Rotated.
Action Buttons
1. Rotate: This button causes the rotation to be calculated for the
data currently shown in the net display using the values in the
Trend, Plunge and Angle option boxes. If the net shows Orig-
inal Data, then the Current Rotation is the same as the Total
Rotation. If the net shows Rotated Data, then the data are fur-
ther rotated and the Total Rotation shows the cumulative result.
2. Center Max E/Center Min E: These buttons appear only for

axial (non-directed) data. They are a short-cut way to rotate the
data so that the maximum/minimum eigenvector is centered on
the net. The result will be the same regardless of whether the
data have been previously rotated or not, except that the data
points will differ in position by a rotation about a vertical axis
(plunge=90). Clicking on either of these buttons does not
change the settings in the Trend, Plunge and Angle option
boxes.
or
Center F Pole: This button appears only for polar (vector)
data. It is a short-cut way to rotate the data so that the Fisher
pole (resultant vector) is centered on the net. The result will be
the same regardless of whether the data have been previously
rotated or not, except that the data points will differ in position
by a rotation about a vertical axis (plunge=90). Clicking on
this button does not change the settings in the Trend, Plunge
and Angle option boxes.

SpheriStat 3
3. Help?: Clicking on this button opens SpheriStats Help file and

displays information on this menu item.
4. Cancel: Use this button to abort the rotation procedure.
5. Save: Use this button to exit the Rotation procedure and save
the rotated data as a new set. This data will appear in a new net
window and will inherit the settings chosen for the original
data. Any selected data will remain selected in the new set. The
new data set will be given the temporary name of untitled #x,
where x is the next number in the series. If you choose to save
this new data set, you will be required to provide a proper file
name.
The new data set is a fully functioning entity: it can be displayed
in any of the windows and analysed by any of the available meth-
ods. In particular, you can read the orientation of the rotated data
by displaying it in the editor.
Rotate the Map?
When you rotate the entire data set, SpheriStat gives you the option
of rotating the map by the same amount, retaining the same map
scale. The station coordinates are transformed to their new position
in three-dimensional space. In certain circumstances, this new plot
can help you to see better the geometry of your structures. For ex-
ample, for folded terrain, rotating your data so the regional fold
axis is vertical may provide a quick way to see the true shape of
the fold when plotted on a map, often called a down-plunge projec-
tion.
In the map display, the stations are projected vertically to the
map plane. To help you relate this new projection to the original,
SpheriStat adds four markers, the corners of the original map area,
to the end of the data set. These markers have a zero group value,
so they are not included in any analyses and show in dark green in
the various displays.
Note: If you choose not to rotate the map coordinates, the rotation
procedure is applied only to the orientation of the feature. The sta-
tion location, if present, is unaltered. Thus, if you show the rotated
data on a map, the stations will be the same as in the original map,
but the orientation of the symbols will differ. This procedure is not
the same as a rigid-body rotation of the sample area.

Edit Menu Commands
Edit|Rotate Data (Circular Diagram)

The Edit|Rotate data menu command opens a dialog box contain-
ing four distinct regions: options, results, rose display and action
buttons.
Options
1. Rotation Angle: This is the amount of rotation about the verti-
cal axis. A positive rotation is clockwise, while a negative one
is counter-clockwise. You can enter this value manually, or it
will be entered when you click-and-drag the mouse on the rose
display (see Rose Display).
2. Show Original and Show Rotated: These buttons are used to
switch the rose display between the original unrotated data set
and the same data rotated by the given total angle.
Rotations apply only to the currently displayed data. By choos-
ing Show Rotated, you can rotate the data several times. You
can also switch between selected and all data between succes-
sive rotations.
3. Selected Only: This option is enabled if you selected any re-
cords prior to opening the dialog box. You can choose to rotate
only the selected data, leaving all others unaffected.

SpheriStat 3
Rose Display
The rose display shows your original data, along with the histo-
gram and the resultant direction/vector. After you rotate the data,
the rose display shows the rotated data, with the updated histogram
and resultant. The rotated display also shows the position of the
original geographic directions (N, E, S, W). You can toggle be-
tween the two displays either by selecting the Show Original or
Show Rotated options, or by clicking in the rose display in the
grey region outside the white circle.
When you move the mouse cursor within the plotted circular dia-
gram, the coordinates (angle and histogram frequency) of the tip of
the arrow cursor appears in the status line immediately below the
display, along with the frequency of the smoothed or unsmoothed
histogram at the same angle, if the histogram is plotted.
You can rotate the data interactively by clicking down on a point in
the circular diagram and dragging the mouse cursor to a new loca-
tion. As you drag, a symbol (either or ) appears at the
center of the plot showing the sense of the rotation. Also, the rota-
tion angle is placed in the Angle option box. When you release the
mouse button, the symbol disappears and the data are rotated and
displayed.
Results
1. Total Rotation: This is the cumulative rotation, if the rotated
data was further rotated. If you change the Selected Only op-

Edit Menu Commands
tion during progressive rotation, the total rotation still records

the cumulative rotation, but only of the selected records, not the
other records that rotated only intermittently.
2. Mean Direction: This is the orientation of the resultant direc-
tion (or vector, in the case of polar data) for the data currently
showing in the rose display. The angle is measured clockwise
from North.
Action Buttons
1. Rotate: This button causes the rotation to be calculated for the
data currently shown in the rose display using the value in the
Rotation Angle option box. If, prior to selecting the Rotate
button, the Original Data were selected, then the Total Rota-
tion is the same as the Rotation Angle. If the rose display
showed Rotated Data, then the data are further rotated and the
Total Rotation shows the cumulative result.
2. Mean to N/Mean to E: These buttons are a short-cut way to
rotate the data so that the resultant direction (or vector, in the
case of polar data) is directed either to the North or East. The
result will be the same whether the data have been previously
rotated or not. Clicking on these buttons does not change the
setting in the Rotation Angle option box.
displays information on this menu item.
4. Cancel: Use this button to abort the rotation procedure.
5. Save: Use this button to exit the Rotation procedure and save
the rotated data as a new set. This data will appear in a new
rose window and will inherit the settings chosen for the original
data. Any selected data will remain selected in the new set. The
new data set will be given the temporary name of untitled #x,
where x is the next number in the series. If you choose to save
this new data set, you will be required to provide a proper file
name.
The new data set is a fully functioning entity: it can be dis-
played in any of the windows and analyzed by any of the avail-
able methods. In particular, you can read the orientation of the
rotated data by opening it in the editor.
Note, however, that the Rotation procedure is applied only to
the orientation of the feature. The station location, if present, is
unaltered. Thus, if you show the rotated data on a map, the sta-

SpheriStat 3
tions will be the same as in the original map, but the orientation
of the symbols will differ. This procedure is not the same as a
rigid-body rotation of the sample area. To make a rotation of
the stations as well, assuming that station coordinates are in-
cluded in the data set, open a net window, choose the Edit|Ro-
tate data command and make the necessary horizontal
rotation. When you then close the dialog box using the Save
option, SpheriStat gives you the option of rotating the map, if
you choose.
Edit|Remove Coordinate Shift

Quick Access: none
The Edit|Remove coordinate shift menu option appears only
when the map display window is active. You use it to reset the
plotted position of all or selected map symbols to their true station
location. SpheriStat resets to zero all shift values changed when the
symbols are dragged on the map with the Map Symbol Mover tool
.
If you did not select any records before using the Edit|Remove
coordinate shift command, SpheriStat will confirm that you want
to shift all coordinates. Click on Ok to continue or Cancel to abort.
154 / Edit|Remove Coordinate Shift

14
Search Menu Commands
Search|Find Text
Quick Access: [CTRL+F]
Search|Find text is a quick and simple way to locate a specific
text string or portion of string in the Additional Information col-
umn. This command is available only in the editor menu.
A dialog box opens for you to enter the search string. You can
choose to make the search case-sensitive or not; that is, you may
request that SpheriStat take notice of character case (upper or
lower case) and search for an exact match to the entered text.
When you choose the Find button, SpheriStat removes the selec-
tion flag of all currently selected records and searches for the first
match to the search string, always starting from the first record. If
one is found, SpheriStat moves the editors FEW to the Additional
Information column in the row of the corresponding data record,
scrolling the window if necessary, and selects the entire text string.
If scrolling is necessary, the records are positioned so that the
found record is second from the top of the screen. SpheriStat also
selects the record and highlights it in all windows. The entry in the
# column is inverted in the editor and drawn in dark red in the
other display windows.
Repeating the Search|Find text command causes the Find dialog
to recall the previous text string entered and select the entire string.
This action makes it easy for you to make any small changes nec-
essary or to start with a new string. In the latter case, simply begin
typing while the previous string is selected; the previous entry is
deleted and replaced with the new typed characters.
Search|Find Next
Quick Access: [CTRL+T]
The Search|Find next menu command uses the search string en-
tered in the Search|Find text dialog box to locate the next record
with a matching string in the Additional Information column. The
Search|Find Text / 155

SpheriStat 3
selection flag of all currently selected records is removed. This

command is available only in the editor menu.
The search will begin from the record previously located by either
the Search|Find text or Search|Find next commands.
Search|Find Stations
Quick Access: [SHIFT+CTRL+F]
Search|Find stations is a quick and simple way to locate all stations
whose station identifier contains a specific text string or portion of
string. This command is available in all menus.
A dialog box opens for you to enter the search string. You can
choose to make the search case-sensitive or not; that is, you may
request that SpheriStat take notice of character case (upper or
lower case) and search for an exact match to the entered text.
When you choose the Find button, SpheriStat removes the selec-
tion flag of all currently selected records and searches for all
matches to the search string. If one or more are found, SpheriStat
selects those records, highlighting them in all windows. The entry
in the # column is inverted in the editor and drawn in dark red in
the other display windows. SpheriStat then moves the editors field
edit window (FEW) to the Station column in the row of the last
found data record, scrolling the window if necessary, and selects
the entire station string. If scrolling is necessary, the records are
positioned so that the found record is second from the top of the
screen.
Repeating the Search|Find stations command causes the Find dia-
log to recall the previous text string entered and select the entire
string. This action makes it easy for you to make any small
changes necessary or to start with a new string. In the latter case,
simply beginning typing while the previous string is selected; the
previous entry is deleted and replaced with the new typed charac-
ters.
Search|Select Records
Quick Access: [F2]
Search|Select records provides a way for you to do a complicated
search of all your data records using a combination of criteria con-
nected by Boolean operators (AND, OR, or NOT). Once you per-
form the search, SpheriStat will highlight all the records that
156 / Search|Find Stations

satisfy your criteria. Once the data are selected, you can create a
data subset (see Creating a Data Subset) and plot only these se-
lected records. This method gives you a way to prepare a number
of different plots from the same data set. This command is avail-
able in all menus.
Options:
1. NOT checkboxes: Click on this checkbox if you wish to ne-
gate the criterion expressed in the corresponding line of the dia-
log box.
For example, if you entered 10 and 100 in the X Coordinate
from and to boxes, then SpheriStat searches for all records
whose X Coordinate lies within and including the limits. Se-
lecting the Not X checkbox forces SpheriStat to select records
having X Coordinates outside the chosen range.
If your criteria include AND or OR Boolean operators, the
NOT operator will change their meaning. For example, if you
search for only fold-axis structure codes (54 to 57), you would
enter these three numbers in the three Structure boxes that are
separated by or. Then SpheriStats search will select only
those records with any one of these three codes. If you select
the Not S checkbox, all records except those with these codes
are selected. In Boolean algebra, the expression is:
NOT (S1 OR S2 OR S3) = NOT S1 AND NOT S2 AND NOT S3.
Search|Select Records / 157

SpheriStat 3
If you included the code range, then Not S excludes all struc-
ture codes in that range from the selected records.
Applying the NOT operator to the selection of Information
strings changes the AND operator to an OR NOT operator. For
example, quartz AND foliation becomes
NOT quartz OR NOT foliation. Thus without the Not Info
box checked, SpheriStat selects records containing both
strings; with Not Info checked, records having one or none of
the strings are selected.
2. X Coordinate: Specify the range of X values within which the
selected stations must lie, including the range limits.
If you want to select for only a single value, enter its value in
one of the boxes. This is the equivalent to entering the same
value in both boxes.
3. Y Coordinate: Same as for the X Coordinate.
4. Z Coordinate: Same as for the X Coordinate.
5. Structure: You have the option of specifying either a range of
structure code values or individual values, or both. SpheriStats
structure codes must be used.
The range is useful if you use several codes for the same struc-
ture, e.g., bedding. Most of SpheriStats codes are grouped so
that similar structures are adjacent in the list. For example, bed-
ding structures, of various types, are in the code range of 1 to 9
in the standard symbol set.
You can also search for up to three individual values (four, if
you use one of the range boxes).
All selection choices of structure code are linked by a logical
OR operator, so SpheriStat will locate records having any one
of the entered code. Obviously, an AND operator has no mean-
ing in this context, since a record can have only one structure
code.
You do not need to enter values in all code boxes. SpheriStat
will ignore any null values.
An example structure code search is:
(from 1 to 9) OR 54 OR 55 OR 56 OR 57.
This criterion will select all records of bedding or fold axis
measurements.
158 / Search|Select Records

6. Group: Same as for Structure. Again, because a record can

have only one group code, an AND operator can have no mean-
ing here. A negative group code is used to plot great circles on
the net, if the data are planes; SpheriStat ignores the sign of the
group search value.
7. Weight: Same as for X Coordinate.
8. Azimuth: Same as for X Coordinate.
9. Inclination: Same as for X Coordinate.
10. Information: Enter strings to search for in the Additional In-
formation column of each record. Do not use quotation marks
( or ) around your search strings unless you want to search for
these characters as well. You may enter up to three text strings,
each of which can contain from 15 to 20 characters, depending
upon how many characters can fit in the boxes. Generally you
do not need to enter the entire key strings, only a string seg-
ment sufficient to uniquely select the records. Shorter key
strings make searching a faster operation.
The search routine links the strings with logical ANDs, so that
all strings must be present in the Additional Information col-
umn for the record to be selected.
The search for text strings is implicitly not case-sensitive, so
you do not need to be concerned about finding quartz but
missing Quartz, say.
The Not Info checkbox allows you to negate the entire Infor-
mation search criterion, but not individual text strings.
To negate individual strings, place a - (minus) character as the
first character of that key string (without any leading spaces).
For example, to locate records of quartz-bearing rocks that are
not foliated, you can search for quartz AND -foliated.
If you are using the - (minus) character in your Additional In-
formation column entries and want to search for it, then place a
+ (plus) before it; the + character is ignored. If you want to
search for the + character, use ++.
11. Search Criteria: These options change the way the search is
performed. Some options are mutually exclusive, but others act
independently.
a) Search All Data or Search Selected Data Only:
Search|Select Records / 159

SpheriStat 3
Search All Data applies the search criteria to all data.

The Search Selected Data Only option applies the criteria
only to those selected prior to your choosing the
Search|Select records command. This option provides a
means of doing a complex multiple-search procedure, by
using the Search|Select records command several times in
succession.
b) Link: The link is the logical operator applied between dif-
ferent selection criteria, i.e., between X Coordinate, Y Co-
ordinate, Symbol, etc. You can choose either AND or OR.
For example, you can search for
(X between 10 and 100) AND (Y between 5 and 50),
or for
(X between 10 and 100) OR (Y between 5 and 50).
In the first case, the selected records must satisfy both
crite-ria, while in the second, either criterion may be satis-
fied for the record to be selected.
You cannot vary the link operator among the various crite-
ria, mixing AND links and OR links in a single search
statement. To do this, you must devise a suitable multiple
search procedure.
c) Clear Previous Selections: Select this option if you want
records to be selected only according to the current crite-
ria.
Turn off this option if you want to retain previous selec-
tions, chosen using other criteria, and add new selections,
using the new criteria. In this case, choose Search All
Data. Logically, this operation is equivalent to (Criteria1
OR Criteria2). Selections from both criteria (or oth-
ers, if you run Search|Select records several times) will
be included together.
d) Complement Search: This option will apply a logical
NOT operator to your entire selection criteria. This means
that all the data that do not satisfy the current criteria will
be selected.
12. Clear: Select this button to clear all changes and return the set-
tings to the default values.
160 / Search|Select Records

When you have set up your search criteria, select the Search but-
ton. SpheriStat will apply the criteria to all the data items (or only
to the previously selected ones, if the Search selected data only
option is chosen). The selected items are highlighted in all open
display windows for that data set.
Choose Cancel to abort the search operation. Any previously se-
lected items will remain selected.
Search|Select All Records

Quick Access: Double click with the left mouse button on any
#-column box in the editor.
The Search|Select all records command mark all records as se-
lected. SpheriStat will highlight all data in all of its display win-
dows by darkening the #-column in the editor and drawing the data
in dark red in the plot windows. This command is available in all
menus.
Search|Random Selection
Quick Access: none
The Search|Random selection menu command allows you to
make a randomly chosen subset of your data, useful for testing the
statistical significance of any observed orientation or spatial distri-
bution. You can select a fixed number of data values or a fixed per-
centage of your entire data set.
Options:
1. Quantity: This number (trun-
cated, if necessary) is either
the number of data values or
the integer percentage of the
data set to be selected. A
non-numeric character entered
here will cause an error.
2. Number of data: If this op-
tion is chosen, the value in the
Quantity box will be used as
the number of data selected.
3. Percentage: If this option is chosen, the value in the Quantity
box will be used to calculate the number of data selected.
Search|Select All Records / 161

SpheriStat 3
4. Allow duplicates: Selecting this option allows SpheriStat to

make duplicate selections from the data set. This operations al-
lows you to perform bootstrap resampling, a statistical proce-
dure for estimating the confidence limits of any statistical
measures (see Selecting Data Randomly). Because the normal
procedure for selecting data using this menu operation is to
mark the data in the original data set as selected, allowing du-
plicates requires that a new data set be created from the se-
lected data. For this reason, the Make new data set option is
automatically selected.
5. Make new data set: This option will create a new data set and
copy the randomly selected data to it. As noted above, this op-
tion is required when you elect to allow duplicate sampling.
Select Ok to perform the selection or Cancel to abort.
Search|Restore Selections
Quick Access: [CTRL+R]
The Search|Restore selections command will recall the record se-
lections made before they were most recently changed. SpheriStat
stores only one level of previous selections. By repeatedly select-
ing the Search|Restore selections command, you can toggle be-
tween two sets of record selections.
This command can be most useful if you inadvertently click the
mouse button in the editors # column.
Search|Clear Selections
Quick Access: [ALT+SPACE]
The Search|Clear selections command will mark all records as not
selected and clear the highlighting in the editor or any of the dis-
play windows.
162 / Search|Restore Selections

15
Analysis Menu Commands
Analysis|Lineation From Rake
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Lineation from rake menu command, available
only when an editor is active, combines the strike and dip measure-
ments of a plane with a given rake angle to compute the trend and
plunge of a line in the plane.
Use the editor to enter your data. Each lineation you wish to calcu-
late is based on data stored in a single data record; you may com-
pute as many lineations as you have data records in the set. The
method assumes that each record is a measurement of a plane and
that the rake angle (measured from the strike direction) is stored in
the Weight field of the record.
Options:
1. New Data Set: Choosing this
option will direct SpheriStat
to place the results in a com-
pletely separate data set. A
new editor will open showing
the new records. You can then
choose to modify, plot or ana-
lyze them as you wish.
2. Add to Existing: SpheriStat
will add the results as new re-
cords in the current data set.
3. Replace Records: SpheriStat
substitutes the plane records in the current data set containing
the rake values with the computed lineations.
SpheriStat requires a structure code to use for the lineation records.
The default code is 37, giving the standard arrow symbol on the
map. You are given an opportunity to alter the choice. Although
you may not wish to plot the results on a map, SpheriStat needs the
Analysis|Lineation From Rake / 163

SpheriStat 3
structure code to recognize internally that the records are for linear
data.
SpheriStat then calculates a lineation from each record and creates
a new record with the results, placing it where you specified. The
group code, for plotting on the net, is chosen to be one greater than
that for the original plane data records, or 1 if the previous group
code was the maximum allowable. All other information stored in
the plane records, including station identifier and location, are cop-
ied to the new lineation records. Only the Azimuth, Inclination,
Group and Weight fields are modified.
After the calculation, SpheriStat opens an editor to show the results
if you chose to create a new data set. The titles and layout are al-
tered slightly from those in the original editor. The new data set
can then be saved or analyzed further, if you wish.
See Calculating Lineations from Rake for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Intersection Lineation
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Intersection lineation menu command, available
only when an editor is active, calculates the line of intersection be-
tween pairs of planes and store the results as lineations. The orien-
tation of the planes are stored in adjacent records. If the original
data set contains an odd number of records, the last record is ig-
nored.
Options:
3. Replace Records: SpheriStat substitutes the plane records in
the current data set with the computed lineations.
164 / Analysis|Intersection Lineation

4. All Intersections: Choose this option to calculate the intersec-

tion line for all possible pairs of planes. This option is useful,
for example, when you want to perform a beta analysis. The
maximum number of possible intersection lines is limited by
the available computer memory and is calculated when the pro-
cedure is executed. If the required number exceeds the avail-
able memory, SpheriStat aborts the calculation.
The default code is 37, giving the standard arrow symbol. You are
given an opportunity to alter the choice. Although you may not
wish to plot the results on a map, SpheriStat needs the structure
code to recognize internally that the records are for linear data.
SpheriStat then calculates a lineation from each record pair and
creates a new record containing the results, placing it where you
specified. Also the angle between the plane pairs is calculated and
stored in the Additional Information field of the new record. The
group code for each new record, used for plotting on the net, is
chosen to be one greater than that for the first of each original re-
cord pair, or 1 if the previous group code was the maximum allow-
able. All other information stored in the first record of the original
pair, including station identifier and location, are copied to the new
lineation records. Only the Azimuth, Inclination, Group and Addi-
tional Information fields are modified.
See Calculating Intersection Lineations for step-by-step instruc-
tions.
Analysis|Plane From Lineations

Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Plane from lineations menu command, available
only when an editor is active, calculates the orientation of a plane
for each pair of records (assumed to be all lineations) in the data
set. SpheriStat then makes a new data set containing the plane re-
cords. If the original data set contains an odd number of records,
the last record is ignored.
Analysis|Plane From Lineations / 165

SpheriStat 3
Options:
2. Add to Existing: In this case,
SpheriStat will place the re-
sults as new records.
3. Replace Records: SpheriStat substitutes the lineation records
in the current data set with the computed planes.
4. All Planes: Choose this option to calculate the planes for all
possible pairs of lineations. The maximum number of possible
intersection lines is limited by the available computer memory
and is calculated when the procedure is executed. If the re-
quired number exceeds the available memory, SpheriStat aborts
the calculation.
5. As Great Circles: Choose this option if you want to plot the
planes on the net as great circles. SpheriStat will assign a nega-
tive group value to each computed plane record.
SpheriStat requires a structure code to use for the plane records.
The default code is 1, giving the standard bedding symbol. You are
code to recognize internally that the records are for planar data.
SpheriStat then calculates a plane from each record pair and cre-
ates a new record containing the results, placing it where you spec-
ified. Also the angle between the lineation pairs is calculated and
stored in the Additional Information field of the new record. The
group code for each new record, used for plotting on the net, is
chosen to be one greater than that for the first of each original re-
cord pair, or 1 if the previous group code was the maximum allow-
able. All other information stored in the first record of the original
pair, including station identifier and location, are copied to the new
plane records. Only the Azimuth, Inclination, Group and Addi-
tional Information fields are modified. The display of the plane at-
166 / Analysis|Plane From Lineations

titudes will use your choice of convention, i.e., strike/dip, dip-

direction/dip or pole trend/plunge (see Display|Setup data format).
See Calculating Planes from Lineations for step-by-step instruc-
tions.
Analysis|Apparent Dip
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Apparent dip menu command, available only when
an editor is active, uses the strike and dip measurements of a plane
and a given azimuthal direction to compute the plunge of a line in
the plane having the given direction as trend. This plunge is the ap-
parent dip of the plane in that direction.
Use the editor to enter your data. Each lineation you wish to calcu-
late is based on data stored in a single data record; you may com-
pute as many lineations as you have data records in the set. The
method assumes that each record is a measurement of a plane. The
desired direction for the apparent dip is stored in the Weight field
of the record. Because the Weight field contains a floating point
number, the direction of the apparent dip must be reported using
the 360 direction convention and measured from north.
Options:
3. Replace Records: SpheriStat substitutes the plane records in
the current data set with the apparent dip azimuth.
Analysis|Apparent Dip / 167

SpheriStat 3

The default code is 37, giving the standard arrow symbol. You are
code to recognize internally that the records are for linear data.
SpheriStat then calculates a lineation from each record and creates
a new record containing the results, placing it where you specified.
The group code, for plotting on the net, is chosen to be one greater
than that for the original plane data records, or 1 if the previous
group code was the maximum allowable. All other information
stored in the plane records, including station identifier and loca-
tion, are copied to the new lineation records. Only the Azimuth, In-
clination, Group and Weight fields are modified.
See Calculating Apparent Dips for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Linears From End-Points

Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Linears from end-points menu command, available
only when an editor is active, calculates the trend and length of
horizontal linears using the spatial coordinates of their end points.
SpheriStat assumes that each pair of records give the X- (easting)
and Y-coordinates (northing) of the two end points. Other record
information is ignored. If the selected data contains an odd number
of records and are not contiguous, the last record is ignored.
Options:
168 / Analysis|Linears From End-Points

2. Add to Existing: SpheriStat will add the results as new records

in the current data set.
3. Contiguous Points: Select this option if your measurements
are a sequence of end points of straight-line segments of a
curving linear. SpheriStat assumes that, except for the first and
last points, each record is the end of one segment and the start
of the next.
4. Add Intersections: choosing this option will cause SpheriStat
to calculate the map coordinates of the points where linears
cross within the limits of their end points and add the records as
markers. The maximum number of possible intersection lines is
limited by the available computer memory and is calculated
when the procedure is executed. If the required number exceeds
the available memory, SpheriStat aborts the calculation, even
though not all linears may intersect. Normally, you would not
choose both this option and the Contiguous option, unless your
linear really does curve back on itself.
SpheriStat uses the structure code 36 for the new records, giving a
simple undecorated line as the map symbol for a horizontal
lineation, and places the computed length of the linear in the
Weight field. The station coordinates for the new records corre-
spond to the mid-point of the linears. When the map is set up to
show the symbols as stick-figures (see Stick-Figure Map Sym-
bols in the Appendix) and scaled to the value in the Weight field
(here, the linears length) (see Customizing the Map and Dis-
play|Setup Map for details), then a lineament map results.
The computed intersections are stored in new records contain verti-
cally plunging lineations. The structure code is set to 39 and the
group to 0, so the intersections become markers, not new data.
See Calculating Linears from End-Points for step-by-step instruc-
tions.
Analysis|Cone Intersection
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Cone intersection menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the best-fit trend and plunge of
the line of intersection for a set of cones. The method requires a
minimum of three cone records. Also, you need to provide an ini-
tial guess for the intersection, in the form of a lineation or plane re-
Analysis|Cone Intersection / 169

SpheriStat 3
cord. In the case of a plane guess record, its pole is the guess
direction.
Options:
will replace the initial guess
with the best-fit direction in
the current data set.
SpheriStat calculates the best-fit intersection line using a
least-squares method and uses the structure code of the guess re-
cord for the new record. The estimate of the uncertainty in its atti-
tude is placed in the records Additional Information field.
See Calculating the Intersection of Cones for step-by-step instruc-
tions.
Analysis|Small-Circle Girdle
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Small-circle girdle menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the least-squares best-fit cone
through three or more oriented lines. On the net, this operation cor-
responds to fitting a small circle to a set of points that represent
those lines.
The data must be either all lines or all planes. In the latter case, the
routine finds the best-fitting cone through the poles to the planes.
The data set must also include a cone record (with structure code
78 or 79) containing the user's best guess at the cone's axis orienta-
tion and apical half-angle. The procedure uses these values as a
starting estimate for the iteration. The final values can either be re-
turned in the same record or placed in a new data set.
Choose the initial guess carefully, since the final solution can de-
pend upon the starting values. This is a consequence of the fact
that this is a highly non-linear problem and local minima in the
170 / Analysis|Small-Circle Girdle

chi-squared surface, defining the fitting function, can give incor-

rect solutions. However, the correct solution will have the lowest
value of the chi-squared statistic.
Options:
SpheriStat will calculate the orientation of the best-fitting small
circle through the lineation (or pole) records and stores the results
in a new record, using the default structure code of 79. You can
change this code to specify some other structure and map symbol.
Where more than three points are given, it also calculates the esti-
mated standard errors of the trend and plunge of the cone axis and
the half-apical angle and places the information in the Additional
Information field of the cone record.
Because the solution is an iterative one and seeks the error mini-
mum in the neighborhood of the starting direction, the solution
may not necessarily be the best one, depending upon the quality of
the data. By choosing Add to Existing, you can repeat the analysis
to see if the fit improves, making adjustments to the starting value
each time. Your judgement and the resulting statistics will decide
which is the best solution.
See Calculating the Best-fitting Small Circle for step-by-step in-
structions.
Analysis|Great-Circle Girdle
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Great-circle girdle menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the least-squares best-fit plane
through three or more oriented lines. On the net, this operation cor-
Analysis|Great-Circle Girdle / 171

SpheriStat 3
responds to fitting a great circle to a set of points that represent

those lines. The lines may be lineations or poles to planes.
The data must be either all lines or all planes. In the latter case, the
routine finds the best-fitting plane through the poles to the planes.
The procedure uses the eigenvector method and is a sub-set of the
more general Principal Direction analysis procedure. It is provided
here as a quick means to calculate the girdle and add it to the data
set as a group-zero plane marker. Included in the new record is an
estimate of the half-angle of the error cone about the planes pole.
Options:
SpheriStat will calculate the orientation of the best-fitting great cir-
cle through the lineation (or pole) records and store the results in a
new record, using the default structure code of 1. You can change
this code to specify some other structure and map symbol. Where
more than three points are given, SpheriStat also calculates the es-
timated half-apical angle of the mean error cone about the plane's
pole and places the information in the Additional Information field
of the plane record.
See Calculating the Best-fitting Great Circle for step-by-step in-
structions.
Analysis|3-Point Analysis
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|3-Point analysis menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the strike and dip of the plane
through three or more points on the planes surface. For three
points, the calculated plane passes through all points. For more
172 / Analysis|3-Point Analysis

than three points, the plane is the least-squares best-fit plane clos-
est to all points.
The points are specified by X (easting), Y (northing) and Z (depth)
coordinates. If you do not enter an orientation in the Azimuth and
Inclination fields, SpheriStat assumes that the Z-coordinate is in
the vertical direction. However, where the depth is given down an
inclined borehole or along a sloping surface, then enter the trend
and plunge of the borehole or line of measurement in the Azimuth
and Inclination fields and SpheriStat will calculate the true depth.
Options:
SpheriStat will calculate the orientation of the best-fitting plane
through the point records and stores the results in a new record, us-
ing the default structure code of 1. You can change this code to
specify some other structure and map symbol. Where more than
three points are given, it also calculates the coefficient of multiple
correlation, a measure of the goodness-of-fit of the plane to the
points, and places the information in the Additional Information
field of the plane record. A value close to 1 indicates a good fit,
while one close to 0 shows a poor fit.
See Solving 3-Point Problems for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Terzaghi Correction
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Terzaghi correction menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the weighting factor that must
be applied to a plane measurement along a scanline survey or in a
borehole to correct for the bias towards measuring only planes
Analysis|Terzaghi Correction / 173

SpheriStat 3
making a significant angle with the outcrop surface or borehole

axis.
Options:
will modify the weight values
in the current data set.
3. Survey Type: Choose between Borehole and Outcrop. The
choice determines which angle to use for the bias correction.
4. Minimum Angle: This is the angle between the planar surface
and the scanline or borehole below which the data are too sparse
for meaningful statistics, producing a blind spot. Specifying this
value is important for borehole surveys and scanline surveys across
flat outcrops. Where you have some three-dimensional informa-
tion, such as on fractured outcrops, this minimum may not be nec-
essary.
Once the bias corrections have been calculated, you can analyze
the plane data to determine the corrected point density distribution
contours or the principal directions, using. the Weighted option to
include the bias correction.
See Terzaghi Bias Correction for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Alpha-beta Analysis
Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Alpha-beta analysis menu command, available only
when an editor is active, calculates the strike and dip of a plane in
a borehole core from a pair of alpha-beta measurements, according
to the Craelius method.
The plane measurements are entered by placing the beta angle in
the Azimuth field and the alpha angle in the Inclination field.
174 / Analysis|Alpha-beta Analysis

Include at least one lineation record specifying the down-hole ori-

entation of the borehole. For multiple boreholes, add a lineation re-
cord for each borehole before the plane measurements
corresponding to that section of core.
Options:
1. Beta Reference: Specify
whether the beta angle is
measured relative to the top
or bottom of the core.
2. Selected Data Only: This op-
tion is enabled if you had al-
ready selected some of your
records prior to activating the
menu command. You can
then choose to apply the anal-
ysis to only the selected data
or all the data. If you choose
only selected data, make sure that a lineation record is included
in the selection.
3. Multiple Boreholes: This option allows you to enter data for
several boreholes at once or for one borehole whose orientation
changes along its length. Before each section of new borehole
measurements, include a lineation record whose attitude is that
of the down-hole orientation of the borehole.
SpheriStat will calculate the orientation of the best-fitting plane
through the point records and stores the results in a new record, us-
ing the default structure code of 1. You can change this code to
specify some other structure and map symbol. Where more than
three points are given, it also calculates the coefficient of multiple
correlation, a measure of the goodness-of-fit of the plane to the
points, and places the information in the Additional Information
field of the plane record. A value close to 1 indicates a good fit,
while one close to 0 shows a poor fit.
See Analyzing Alpha-beta Measurements from Borehole Cores for
step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Density Distribution
Quick Access: Net Circular Diagram
Analysis|Density Distribution / 175

SpheriStat 3
Analysis|Density Distribution (Net)

With a net active, the Analysis|Density distribution menu com-
mand allows you to choose from among various options for count-
ing the point density distribution on the net and contouring the
result. Counting is done on a rectangular grid of stations distrib-
uted over an equal-area projection.
Options:
1. Counting Model: You can choose among several Gaussian and
fixed-circle methods to count the point density.
The Gaussian methods use a bell-shaped weighting function,
centered on the counting station. The spread of the bell is deter-
mined by the kurtosis, or k-value; higher k-values give nar-
rower weighting bells and hence higher resolution for the
variations. For polar data, the expected count, E, under the bell
is N/2k, where N is the number of data records; for axial data,
E=N/k.
Note: If the selected model produces a weighting function that
is narrower than the sample spacing (i.e., a k-value that is too
high), SpheriStat automatically sets k to the limiting value. The
counting statistics will then appear in red and the values in
round brackets to highlight the situation. (see Contouring the
Point Density Distribution for further details and explanation)
176 / Analysis|Density Distribution

a) Custom K This option lets you enter your own choice of

k-value. Enter the value in the Custom K edit box, which
becomes enabled when you select this option.
b) K=100: This choice gives an expected count, E, that is the
same as the conventional 1% counting circle. The weight-
ing curve has a width at half-height of 8.1. The contour
levels are in multiples of the standard deviation, s, above
(or below) E.
c) E=Sigma: This choice give an expected count, E, that is
equal to the standard deviation, s, of the point density dis-
tribution. Both values are functions of the number of data
counted. The width of the weighting curve also depends
upon the number of data, as well as whether the data are
axial or polar. The contour levels are in multiples of s
above (or below) E.
d) E=3*Sigma: Here, the expected count, E, is three times
the standard deviation, s. This relation gives a counting
function that is much broader than the E=Sigma curve.
The contours are much smoother, but lack the resolution of
finer details of the distribution. The contour levels are in
multiples of the standard deviation, s, above (or below) E.
The fixed-circle methods equally weight all data points in the
moving circle. The difference among the fixed-circle methods
is the size of the circle.
Note: As with the Gaussian counting, if the diameter of the
fixed circle is less than the sample spacing, SpheriStat sets the
diameter to the limiting value. To highlight this fact, the count-
ing statistics appear in red and the values are shown in round
brackets. (see Contouring the Point Density Distribution for
further details and explanation)
e) Schmidt: This is the standard 1% fixed circle counting
procedure, except that the counting is done on the sphere,
rather than on the projection, as is done in manual count-
ing. The contour levels are the counts, expressed as a per-
cent of N, the total number of records, per 1% fractional
area.
f) Starkey: This is a variation of Schmidt counting. The size
of the counting circle is calculated such that it encloses
100/N% of the net area, where N is the number of data re-

SpheriStat 3
cords counted. For N<100, the circle is larger than that for
Schmidt counting, while for N>100 it is smaller. This ad-
justment is an attempt to improve the statistics for different
sample sizes. Nominally, this counting technique is equiv-
alent to the E=Sigma method. However, to improve the
appearance of the density plot, the contours are smoothed
by averaging the 8 nearest counts around each station, giv-
ing contours more equivalent (but not quite) to those pro-
duced by E=3*Sigma counting. The counts shown in the
status window below the net display in this dialog box, or
above the net in the main net window, are the original,
non-averaged counts. The contour levels are the number of
records having their direction within the counting circle.
g) Kamb: This is another variation of Schmidt counting.
Here, the circle area, expressed as a fraction of the total
sphere area, is E/N, where E is the expected count for a
uniform distribution of N points. The contour levels are in
multiples of s above (or below) E, where s is the calcu-
lated standard deviation of the distribution around the ex-
pected value.
2. Grid Density: You can vary the spacing between the counting
stations, and hence the quality and resolution of the contours,
by changing the grid density. The choices are: coarse (12x12),
medium (24x24), fine (36x36) and very fine (48x48).
3. Weighted: Select this option when you want the sample count
to be further weighted by the value stored in the Weight field of
the sample record. This option is useful when you have an in-
dependent reason to give more weighting to certain measure-
ments. For example, the distribution of quartz vein attitudes
could be weighted by the gold content, perhaps giving a better
idea of the distribution of gold-bearing veins. Choose the
weighting factors carefully to keep the scaling within reason-
able bounds; for example, if the weighting measure has a large
dynamic range, consider using logarithmic values.
4. Custom K: If you choose the Gaussian - Custom K counting
model, enter your chosen value in this edit box.
5. Contour Levels: This button opens a dialog box that lets you
choose the contour levels in the plot, and how the intermediate
color shades and count values are scaled. Up to fifteen contour
levels are allowed, the default values being (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10,
12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28). For the Gaussian

(K=100, E=Sigma and

E=3*Sigma) and Kamb meth-
ods, the contour levels are
multiples of E or of s above
(or below) E. For the Schmidt
method, the levels are percent
counts and for the Starkey
method, the counts themselves.
For the latter two, negative
levels are ignored.
You can enter the contour lev-
els in one of three ways, or a
combination of these three
separated by commas:
a) Enter the desired levels as a sequence of numbers sepa-
rated by commas.
b) Enter the lowest level, the step interval and the highest
level, separated by square brackets. For example, -2[2]6 is
equivalent to -2, 0, 2, 4, 6.
c) Enter the lowest level, the number of steps (not including
the first) and the highest level, separated by the / charac-
ter. For example, 1/5/16 is the same as 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16.
Note that the total number of levels is one more than the
number of steps.
Expand: You can verify your abbreviated entries by selecting
the Expand button. SpheriStat will compute the levels and sort
them into ascending order, as it does when you select the Ok
button. The Expand button changes its caption to Restore.
Clicking on it will change the display back to your previous en-
try.
Scale the fill intensities to: The Levels dialog box includes
three options for how the intermediate fill color intensities are
computed. You select the fill color using the Peak Color but-
ton. SpheriStat then calculates the other intensities with the
peak contour region having the maximum intensity and the
lower levels having lower intensity. The lowest intensity de-
pends upon which option you select.
a) Minimum/maximum contours: The lowest specified con-
tour level is given an intensity value of 5% (near white) of
the peak intensity for Solid or dark blue for Rainbow. For

SpheriStat 3
Solid, the intensity value of the intermediate levels is

scaled between the minimum and maximum contour lev-
els; for Rainbow, the colors range from a peak of red down
through the hues to dark blue. This method gives you
better resolution of the color intensities for the intermedi-
ate levels.
b) Minimum/maximum counts: The lowest count area is
given an intensity value of 0% (white) for Solid or dark
blue for Rainbow. The intermediate levels are scaled be-
tween 0 and 100% of the peak color for Solid and between
red and dark blue for Rainbow. This method gives a better
representation of the contour level itself using the fill in-
tensity.
c) Contour levels: The fill intensities are scaled to the con-
tour levels that you chose, regardless of whether they are
minimum or maximum values. This method allows you to
use the fixed fill colors for the same levels in all contour
plots for easy comparison.
Levels are multiples of: When you select a Gaussian or Kamb
counting method, you have also the choice of two ways to scale
the counts: relative to the Expected value and to Sigma, the
standard deviation of the counts.
5. Peak Color: This option
opens a color selection dialog
box with a color wheel and
several choices of color type:
No Color (contour lines
only), Solid (various intensi-
ties of a single color) and
Rainbow (a range of color
hues from a maximum of red
to a minimum of dark blue,
with the regions below mini-
mum colored in your choice
of white or purple. When a solid color is desired, click the left
mouse button on the color in the wheel; you have a choice of
two shades of each hue, plus 50% gray and black. The selection
appears in the small box in the upper right corner of the dialog
box.

6. View Hemisphere: This option is available only for polar (vec-

tor) data. Use it to switch between Upper and Lower hemi-
sphere displays. Each hemisphere is contoured separately.
7. View Contours: You have two choices for plotting the con-
tours, each with its own contouring algorithm. In Draft mode,
the net area is divided into grid squares and further into 4 trian-
gles per square. The squares are scanned along grid rows and
line segments drawn through each triangle where contour levels
cross. For some computers, this method gives a faster plot of
the density contours, but the contours are unfilled and the lines
are composed of a large number of unconnected segments. In
Proof mode, one or more closed polygons are calculated for
each contour level, allowing them to be filled and colored.
Computing the contour lines may be somewhat
time-consuming, but the results are stored so that repeating the
drawing is fast. The Draft mode gives slightly smoother con-
tour lines because of the subdivision into triangular regions. In
any case, you can judge the contouring by comparing the two
different algorithms.
Net Display:
Before a data set is counted and contoured, the display shows the
net circle with the stations showing as small dots. SpheriStat uses
the same projection (equal area or equal angle) as used for the
main net window, but the counting always assumes an equal area
projection. The position of the contours are recalculated for the
equal angle projection, leading to a slightly longer redrawing time
for this projection.
Moving the mouse cursor arrow over the net gives the station coor-
dinates (trend and plunge) in the status window immediately below
the net.
As counting proceeds, the counting stations are successively turned
off to show the current progress of the calculations.
After counting, the display shows the calculated contours. Moving
the mouse cursor around the net now shows the raw count and, in
parentheses, the normalized count at the nearest station. The nor-
malized count is computed as described above for the Counting
Peak.
You can toggle between the station grid and contour plot by click-
ing in the net display.

SpheriStat 3
Results: Counting Statistics

1. Number of Data: This is the number of countable records in
the data set. You have the option of including special data re-
cords to show great circles or points by setting their group
value to 0. However, such points are not included in any analy-
sis, including the calculation of point density.
2. Mean, E: The mean, or expected, value is the count that should
arise in each counting model if the data set were uniformly dis-
tributed.
3. St. Dev., S: The standard deviation is the variation of the
counts around the expected value for a uniform distribution
with the same number of data records. Its value depends upon
the choice of counting method.
4. Circle Diam.: This is the apical angle of the counting cone for
the fixed-circle counting models. This value appears only if
you choose a fixed-circle method. If the value appears in paren-
theses and colored red, then the circle diameter exceeded the
limit set by the sampling station grid (see Contouring the Point
Density Distribution). The value shown is the limiting value.
5. Kappa, k: Kappa is the kurtosis, or k-value, that determines
the spread of the bell-shaped Gaussian counting function. A
higher k gives a more peaked curve. This parameter appears
only if you choose a Gaussian counting model. If the value ap-
pears in parentheses and colored red, then the k-value exceeded
the limit set by the sampling station grid (see Contouring the
Point Density Distribution). The value shown is the limiting
value.
6. Counting Peak: After counting, the Trend and Plunge of the
station with the highest count is shown. Where two or more sta-
tion share the same high count, the station occurring first in the
scan is used. SpheriStat shows the Peak value in a manner that
depends on the counting model. For the Gaussian and Kamb
methods, the peak is expressed as a difference between the
count and the expected value, normalized by the standard devi-
ation. For the Schmidt method, the peak is expressed as a per-
cent of the total number of data records. For the Starkey
method, the peak is the actual count. You can see the raw sta-
tion count by moving the mouse cursor arrow to the station on
the net display; the count appears after the station coordinates
in the status window below the net.

Action Buttons:
1. Count: If the current data set has not been contoured, or if you
make a change in the setup options, the Count button is en-
abled. Selecting it activates the counting procedure and the cal-
culation of the contours. The counts and contours are stored in
memory to allow for easy screen reading of station counts and
quick redrawing of the contours.
2. Load from File: Select this option to bring in a previously
computed and saved count file. The contour plot is recalculated
and displayed using the stored display parameters. Also the Re-
sults window will show the statistics associated with this count
file. The count file can be one from a completely different data
set, although it must be of the same data type (i.e., axial or po-
lar).
3. Save to File: You can save the computed counts, along with the
associated computation and display parameters. The count file
uses the extension .SSC. Several different count files can be
created and saved for the same data set, each with its own set of
options.
displays the help topic on contouring point density.
5. Done: This button saves the current contours. The main net
window will now include the contour plot. You can prevent
plotting the contours by removing the checkmark from the
Density Contours option in the Display|Setup net dialog box.
6. Cancel: Choosing Cancel will return you to the net window
without saving the count and contour calculations.
See Contouring the Point Density Distribution for step-by-step in-
structions.
Analysis|Density Distribution (Circular Diagram)

When a circular diagram is active, the Analysis|Density distribu-
tion menu option allows you to choose how SpheriStat calculates
the circular histogram. You can choose which records are included,
the size of the class intervals, and other parameters. Changing any
of these values automatically updates the computed histograms.
SpheriStat also provides a number of statistical measures and tests
so you can judge the significance of any peaks that may appear.

SpheriStat 3
You can calculate histograms for either the strike or dip direction
of planes or the trend of lineations and poles to planes. The struc-
ture code determines whether the data are planes or lineations. In
the case of planar data, you choose the strike or dip direction by se-
lecting the appropriate measurement convention in the Display|
Setup data format dialog box. Choose Strike/Dip for strikes,
Dip/Dip Direction for dip directions and Pole Trend/Plunge for
pole bearings.
Options:
1. Class Interval: This is the angular width of the histogram bins.
You have a number of choices from 5 to 45. Click in the box
or on the down-arrow to show the list. The class interval also
determines the kurtosis, or k-value, and hence the spread of the
Gaussian smoothing function. k is chosen such that the peak
height for the smoothed histogram is approximately the same
as that for the unsmoothed histogram. The heights may not be
exactly the same, particularly for small data sets, because the
height of the unsmoothed bars depends upon the class align-
ment, i.e., the starting position of each bar. For different align-
ments, the data are grouped into different intervals and can give
quite different bar heights.
2. Class Alignment: This is the starting position of the histogram
intervals. Two choices are provided: Start at 0N and Cen-
tered at 0N. These two options can yield quite different histo-
gram plots, especially for small data sets. The sampling

intervals, drawn as short arcs around the raw data in the rose
display, show the effect of choosing either option.
3: Show Histogram As: You can choose to plot the histogram as
a bar, peak or smooth plot.
a) Bar: A bar plot uses a radial wedge whose height is the
frequency of data within that angular interval.
b) Peak: A peak plot uses a straight line to join the center
points of the intervals at their respective frequency height.
c) Smooth: A smooth plot uses a Gaussian smoothing func-
tion, computed at 2.5 intervals, to remove many of the ir-
regularities of the histogram and give a better statistical
measure of the significance of any peaks present.
4. Range of Dip (Plunge) Angle: The significance of the histo-
gram depends upon the orientation of the features analyses. For
linear data, the trend is more significant for shallowly plunging
structures; you will want to limit the range of plunge angle
from 0 to some plunge less than 90. For planar data, the sig-
nificant orientation range depends upon whether the strike or
dip directions are being analyzed. Strikes are more significant
for steeply dipping planes, while dip directions are more signif-
icant for shallowly dipping planes. The Range of Dip (Plunge)
Angle option lets you set your own limits on these angles. The
meaning of the number you enter will differ depending upon
what structural parameter SpheriStat is analyzing, and the text
beside the entry box in the dialog will change to reflect this
fact. Note: To keep the analyses synchronised, the range of an-
gles used for principal direction analysis will be set to the same
value and the principal direction recalculated.
The possibilities are:
a) For strike directions: Range of Dip Angle: 90 - .
b) For dip directions: Range of Dip Angle: 0 - .
c) For lineation or pole trend directions: Range of Plunge
Angle: 0 - .
5. Weighted: You can choose to weight each of the data counts by
the value stored in the Weight data field. For example, you can
store the length of the feature (perhaps a fracture or lineament)
in the Weight field and easily examine the effect of this weight-
ing upon the resultant histogram.

SpheriStat 3
6. Histogram Color: This option opens a color selection dialog

box with a color wheel and two choices of color type: No
Color (outline only) and Solid (various intensities of a single
color). When a solid color is desired, click the left mouse but-
ton on the color in the wheel; you have a choice of two shades
of each hue, plus 50% gray and black. The selection appears in
the small box in the upper right corner of the dialog box.
Rose Display:
Click outside the rose circle to toggle between two displays:
1. Raw Data: SpheriStat plots the measurements, within the cho-
sen range of dip or plunge angle, as either fixed- or vari-
able-length lines as set in the Display|Setup circular diagram
dialog box. The full 360 circle is used and shows the N-S and
E-W crosshairs as reference. SpheriStat also shows the current
sampling intervals as short arcs around the circular diagram.
Adjacent intervals are offset radially for visibility.
Moving the mouse cursor around the diagram shows the cur-
rent coordinates (Angle and Frequency) of the arrowhead.
2. Histogram: The histogram plot shows your choice of bar,
peak or smooth plot, scaled to the maximum frequency of
both the unsmoothed and smoothed histograms.
Moving the mouse cursor around the diagram shows the cur-
rent coordinates (Angle and Frequency) of the arrowhead and
the computed histogram frequency at that angle. For the bar
and peak plots, the class interval is shown in square brackets as
well.
Results:
SpheriStat displays two sets of results. Use the scrollbar to move
between them.
1. Sample Parameters: These are the parameters you chose for
the analysis. Use this list to verify your choices. The parame-
ters include: the total number of data, number of counted data,
type of measurement analyzed (Planes (strike), Planes (dip di-
rection) or Lines (Trend)), angle range, class interval, class
alignment, and kurtosis (k) and half-angle width of the smooth-
ing function, and whether the calculation was weighted by the
value in the Weight field of the data record.

2. Frequency Statistics: These are the parameters to measure and

test the histogram frequency values. They include: the mode
(maximum frequency) and the angle interval for the mode; the
peak frequency for the smoothed histogram and its azimuth (in
2.5 steps); the expected frequency for a uniform distribution,
the sample standard deviation and the 95% confidence level(s);
and a statement on the statistical significance of the distribu-
tion. The distribution is judged to have a preferred trend if the
maximum smoothed peak exceeds the upper 95%-confidence
level.
Action Buttons:
1. Load: Select this option to bring in a previously computed and
saved circular point density file. The histogram plot is recalcu-
lated and displayed using the stored display parameters. Also
the Results window will show the statistics associated with this
count file. The count file can be one from a completely differ-
ent data set, although it must be of the same data type (i.e., ax-
ial or polar).
2. Save: You can save the computed point density counts, along
with the associated computation and display parameters. The
count file uses the extension .SSH. Several different count
files can be created and saved for the same data set, each with
its own set of options.
3. Print: Select this button to print the circular diagram with the
raw data and the computed histogram. Included also are the
three results tables (sample parameters, frequency statistics and
resultant vector and associated statistics). The printout is de-
signed for a standard letter or A4 size page or larger. Although
the diagram scales to the page size, the tables may be partially
truncated on smaller page sizes.
displays the help topic on circular histograms.
5. Done: Select this button to accept the histogram plot and add it
to plot in the rose window.
6. Cancel: Select this to discard the calculation and return to the
rose window with no changes.
See Calculating the Circular Point Density Distribution for
step-by-step instructions.

SpheriStat 3
Analysis|Subtract Density Peak

Quick Access: none
The Analysis|Subtract density peak menu option allows you to

remove a peak from the contoured plot to reveal any secondary
peak that may be present and its possible statistical significance.
This method works only if the point density was computed with
one of the Gaussian counting methods. If the data have not yet
been counted and contoured, the peak subtraction action is not
available. You can, however, load a previously saved count file,
provided it was calculated from the same data type and using a
Gaussian counting method
The concentration peak to be removed is assumed to have a Fisher
distribution. Subtracting it requires that you estimate the position
and height of the peak and the spread, or kurtosis, of the
bell-shaped Fisherian surface that lies around the peak. Herein lies
the art of peak removal and is discussed in more detail in Sub-
tracting a Point Density Peak. You can enter the values directly in
the small entry boxes in the Options area, or you can click and
drag a small circle in the net display. In the latter case, SpheriStat
calculates the peak parameters and enters them in the parameter
entry boxes.
188 / Analysis|Subtract Density Peak

Options:
1. Trend and Plunge: These are the net coordinates of the peak to
be subtracted. You can approximate the subtracted peak by the
mode (observed peak) of the contoured density distribution.
2. -Angle: This is the angular width of the bell-shaped sub-
tracted surface at half of its peak height. Remember to allow
for the density level of the surrounding region. This -angle
determines the Fisher k-value (kurtosis) of the distribution be-
ing removed. This k-value is shown in the Results section of
the screen. The subtracted peak must not be narrower than the
Gaussian counting function itself. In practice, this means that
the Fisher k-value must be a finite, positive real value.
3. Peak Height: This value is the height of the peak above the
background level, expressed in multiples of the expected value,
E, or of the standard deviation, s, above E. In general, this
value is less than the observed mode height.
4. Draft or Proof: As with contouring itself, you can change the
algorithm and technique for displaying the contours. The Draft
mode gives line segments calculated along scans of the station
grid, while the Proof mode gives filled and colored contours.
You can toggle between these two display options.
5. Levels: This option allows you to change the displayed contour
levels and the base level to use for calculating the fill intensi-
ties of the intermediate contour levels. The original and sub-
tracted nets each maintain their own set of contour levels and
fill option. See the description of the Levels dialog box in
Analysis|Density Distribution (Net).
6. Lower or Upper Hem.: This option is for polar (vector) data
only and allows you to toggle between the upper and lower
hemisphere projections.
Net Display:
The net shows the original or subtracted contoured plots in the
same projection (equal area or equal angle) as for the main net
window. You can toggle between the two contoured plots by click-
ing in the display box. Initially they are the same until you perform
a subtraction.
When you move the mouse cursor arrow within the net, the coordi-
nates of the arrow head appear in the status window immediately
Analysis|Subtract Density Peak / 189

SpheriStat 3
below the net, as well as the count (raw and normalized) at the
nearest counting station.
To interactively select the peak to be removed, click down on the
left mouse button when the arrow tip lies at the peak location and
drag the arrow away. If the display shows subtracted data, the net
is immediately redrawn with the original data. As you drag the cur-
sor, a dashed small circle appears around the peak point and fol-
lows the arrow tip. At the same time, the parameter entry boxes for
the subtracted peak, as well as the computed Fisher k-value, are
updated with values calculated from the cursor positions. When
you release the mouse button, the small circle remains. You can
toggle between original and subtracted views without losing the
small circle. If you click down another time, the first small circle is
removed and replaced by one for the new click and drag positions.
Results:
SpheriStat gives counting statistics for both the original data and
the data with the peak removed. Where the counting function pa-
rameter, k, has been limited by the sampling spacing, the statistics
are shown in red and the values are enclosed in round brackets (see
Contouring the Point Density Distribution for details). These sta-
tistics include:
1. Number of Data: For the original data, this is the number of
countable data and excludes all Group 0 data. For the sub-
tracted data, the number of data represented by the subtracted
peak is a function of the Fisher k-value and the height of this
peak. Consequently, this number need not be integral and leads
to a non-integral number of data for the peak-removed set.
2. Mean, E: This is the expected count for a uniform distribution
of the same number of data values.
3. St. Dev., S: The standard deviation is the variation of the uni-
form distribution about E.
Note: If the E and S values appear in parentheses and colored
red, then the k-value exceeded the limit set by the sampling sta-
tion grid (see Contouring the Point Density Distribution). The
values shown are calculated from this limiting value.
4. Counting or Fisher k: The counting k-value is that used to
count the original data. The Fisher k-value is computed from
the counting k-value and the -width of the subtracted peak.
190 / Analysis|Subtract Density Peak

5. Counting Peak: The peak is specified by its net coordinates

(Trend and Plunge) and the Peak height, expressed as a multi-
ple of the expected value, E, or of the standard deviation above
E.
Action Buttons:
1. Subtract: After you have entered the parameters of the peak to
be removed, select Subtract to calculate the new counts and
contours. The net display will then show the subtracted con-
tours.
2. Print: Selecting this option will print the contoured net for the
subtracted data, along with a listing of the statistical results.
SpheriStat uses the current printer settings. The printout is de-
signed for a standard letter-sized page or larger; although the
diagram scales to the page size, the statistical results may be
partially truncated on smaller page sizes.
Shown in the printout, along with the contoured net, are the
parameters of the subtracted peak and the before and after sta-
tistics.
3. Load Counts: Select this option to bring in a previously com-
puted and saved count file. The contour plot is recalculated and
displayed using the stored display parameters. Also the Results
window will show the statistics associated with this count file.
The count file can be one from a completely different data set,
although it must be of the same data type (i.e., axial or polar)
and must have been counted using a Gaussian method. It can
also be a previously saved substracted count file, allowing you
to subtract another peak from the same data set.
4. Save Counts: You can save the subtracted counts, along with
the associated computation and display parameters. The count
file uses the extension .SSC.
displays the help topic on peak subtraction.
6. Exit with Orig Counts: Select this button when you are fin-
ished and wish to retain the unsubtracted contour plot in your
net.
7. Exit with Subt Counts: Select this button when you wish to
use the subtracted point density contours in your main net plot.
Analysis|Subtract Density Peak / 191

SpheriStat 3
8. Cancel: Select this button when you want to restore your net
plot to its appearance as it was before you entered the subtrac-
tion dialog box.
See Subtracting a Point Density Peak for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis

Quick Access: none
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis (Net)
The Analysis|Principal direction analysis menu option opens ei-

ther the eigenvector or Fisher analysis dialog boxes, depending
upon whether the data are axial (non-directed) or polar (vector), re-
spectively.
Eigenvector Analysis
When your data are axial (non-directed), the Analysis|Principal
direction analysis menu option opens the Eigenvector Analysis di-
alog box. This display shows you the direction and magnitude of
all three eigenvector components, along with their statistics. In-
cluded are plots of the eigenvectors, their error ellipses, two plots
using the eigenvalues (i.e., the magnitudes of the eigenvectors) to
give fabric information and three tests of sample uniformity.
192 / Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis

Options:
1. Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues: This option shows the magni-
tude and direction of the three eigenvectors for the data set.
2. Statistics of Directions and Values: This option calculates the
maximum, minimum and average apical angles and orientation
of the long axis of the error ellipses for each principal direction,
as well as the standard deviation of the three eigenvalues. The
standard deviations are used to estimate the error values for the
sample plotted in the modified Flinn and triangular fabric di-
agrams.
3. Modified Flinn Diagram: This option calculates two ratios,
Woodcocks K and C ratios, from the eigenvalues, along with
their standard deviation. These ratios are a measure of the pat-
tern type (K) and strength (C) of the data. The Net Display
shows a plot of the so-called modified Flinn diagram, using ra-
tios of eigenvalues (instead of strain, as in the true Flinn dia-
gram).
The pattern type of the sample distribution has been somewhat
arbitrarily divided into 7 classes based on the K value. The
boundaries between the classes are plotted as constant K val-
ues. The pattern classes are:
0 - 0.05 uniaxial girdle
0.05 - 0.5 girdle
0.5 - 0.8 girdle with cluster
0.8 - 1.25 girdle and cluster
1.25 - 2 cluster with girdle
2 - 20 cluster
K>20 uniaxial cluster
Similarly, the pattern strength is measured by the C value. Fol-
lowing Woodcock and Naylor, SpheriStat uses a critical value,
C95, for the 95% confidence level to determine the C value for
a uniform sample. For higher values of C, the strength mea-
sures are:
C<C9595 uniform distribution
C95 - C95+1 weakly developed
C95+1 - C95+3.5 moderately developed
C>C95+3.5 strongly developed
4. Triangular Fabric Diagram: This diagram is another way to
represent the pattern of the data. SpheriStat calculates
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis / 193

SpheriStat 3
Vollmers three components (cluster, girdle and uniform

[Vollmers random]) from the eigenvalues and their standard
deviation. These components give a measure of the pattern of
the data distribution.
5. Uniformity Tests: SpheriStat calculates two uniformity tests.
The Gin test is based upon the angle between pairs of data re-
cords while the Mardia test uses the maximum eigenvalue.
Critical values of the respective statistics allow one to test
whether the sample is drawn from a uniform population. For
the Modified Flinn Diagram, SpheriStat calculates a third uni-
formity test, devised by Woodcock and Naylor from empirical
studies. SpheriStat uses the 95% confidence level for all tests.
6. Weighted: Selecting this option causes SpheriStat to weight
each data record by the value in the Weight field and recalcu-
late the eigenvectors and the associated statistics. Weighting is
not used in the tests of sample uniformity.
If the point density was contoured prior to entering the Analy-
sis|Principal direction analysis dialog box and the Weighted
option changed, the contours will be removed. You will need to
contour the net again using the new Weighted option.
Net Display:
SpheriStat uses the same projection (equal area or equal angle) as
used for the main net window.
1. Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues: The Net Display shows the
principal planes and directions, along with the data records
themselves. Moving the mouse cursor around the plot gives the
trend and plunge of the net point at the arrow tip.
2. Statistics of Directions and Values: The Net Display shows
the error ellipses plotted along with the principal planes and
directions and the raw data. Moving the mouse cursor around
the plot gives the trend and
plunge of the net point at the ar-
row tip.
3. Modified Flinn Diagram:
SpheriStat plots a grid of con-
stant K and C values and shows
the sample results as a filled
square. Superimposed on the
square are two I-beam symbols

representing the error bars for the plotted ratios. These error
bars are twice the standard deviation of the ratios, giving ap-
proximate 95% confidence limits. The uniform distribution re-
gion is shaded in gray in the plot. Moving the mouse cursor
around the plot gives the Woodcock K and C values and the es-
timated pattern for the graph point at the arrow tip.
4. Triangular Fabric Diagram:
This triangular diagram plots
Vollmers three components (clus-
ter, girdle and uniform [Vollmers
random]) computed from the
eigenvalues. The sample values
are shown by a small triangle and
the 95% error bars (twice the stan-
dard deviation) appear as short
lines directed towards each trian-
gle corner. Also shown are the shaded region of uniform distri-
bution, calculated from the Woodcock ratios, and, for
comparison, a line for Woodcocks K=1.
5. Uniformity Tests: The Net Display shows the principal planes
and directions, along with the data records themselves. Moving
the mouse cursor around the plot gives the trend and plunge of
the net point at the arrow tip.
Results:
1. Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues: SpheriStat shows a table of
the magnitude and direction of the three eigenvectors for the
data set.
2. Statistics of Directions and Values: SpheriStat shows a table
of the maximum, minimum and average apical angles and ori-
entation of the long axis of the error ellipses for each principal
direction, as well as the standard deviation of the three
eigenvalues.
3. Modified Flinn Diagram: SpheriStat shows the calculated
Woodcock K and C values and their standard deviation calcu-
lated from the standard deviation of the eigenvalues. The sam-
ple pattern is estimated from K and C.
4. Triangular Fabric Diagram: SpheriStat shows the three
Vollmer indexes (cluster, girdle and uniform [Vollmers ran-
dom]) for the data set and their standard deviation calculated
from the standard deviation of the eigenvalues. The fourth in-

SpheriStat 3
dex, cylindricity, is equal to (1-uniform) and is a measure of

how closely the pattern approximates an orthorhombic distribu-
tion, without distinguishing between cluster and girdle patterns.
The estimate of uniformity is based upon Woodcock and
Naylors statistics.
5. Uniformity Tests: The results of two tests are shown:
a) Gin Test: If the Gin Statistic, calculated from record
pairs, exceeds the Critical Value, there is no evidence that
the data comes from a uniformly distributed population at
the 95% confidence level. The Probability Value applies
to this null test and ranges from 0 to 1.0.
b) Mardia Test: If the Eigenvector Statistic exceeds the
Critical Value, there is no evidence for a uniform popula-
tion at the 95% confidence level.
Action Buttons:
1. Print: Use this button to print the currently selected display op-
tion. The printed page consists of the plot showing in the Net
Display and the text in the Results area. SpheriStat uses the
current printer setup. To change the printer or its setup, choose
the File|Setup printer menu command before entering the
Analysis|Principal direction analysis dialog box. The printout
is designed for a standard letter-sized page or larger; although
the diagram scales to the page size, the statistical results may
be partially truncated on smaller page sizes.
2. Print All: This option prints all five displays and associated
statistical results, one per printed page.
3. Copy: SpheriStat places a copy of the current graphic in Win-
dows enhanced metafile format in the clipboard, along with a
text listing or table of the current statistical results. Depending
upon which application you paste the data to, you will get one
or the other object. Some applications allow you to choose
which object to paste into your document.
4. Include As Markers: Choose this option when you want to
convert the principal directions and planes to marker records,
having a group value of zero. You will be asked to confirm the
choice, in case you accidently clicked the button. The markers
will only be added if you quit the dialog box by selecting
Done.


displays the help topic on eigenvector analysis.
6. Done: This option will exit you from the dialog box. If you
chose the Include As Markers option, the marker records will
be added now.
7. Cancel: This option will exit you from the dialog box without
creating marker records, if you chose to add them.
See Calculating Principal Directions for more details on the ana-
lytical techniques.
Fisher Analysis
When your data are polar (vector), the Analysis|Principal direc-

tion analysis menu option opens the Fisher Analysis dialog box.
This display shows you the direction and magnitude of the resul-
tant vector, as well as associated statistical measures and two tests
of sample uniformity.
Options:
1. Direction and Statistics: Selecting this option shows the direc-
tion and magnitude of the resultant vector, the spherical vari-
ance, the precision and the half-apical angle of the 95%
confidence cone around the resultant vector.
2. Uniformity Tests: SpheriStat calculates two uniformity tests.
The Beran/Gin test is based upon the angle between pairs of

SpheriStat 3
data records, while the Rayleigh test uses the magnitude of the
resultant vector. Critical values of the respective statistics allow
one to test whether the sample is drawn from a uniform popula-
tion. SpheriStat uses the 95% confidence level for all tests.
3. Hemisphere: You can toggle the Net Display between the
Upper and Lower hemisphere projections.
4. Weighted: Selecting this option causes SpheriStat to weight
each data record by the value in the Weight field and recalcu-
late the resultant vector and the associated statistics. Weighting
is not used in the tests of sample uniformity.
Net Display:
SpheriStat uses the same projection (equal area or equal angle) as
used for the main net window. Plotted are the resultant vector (a
small circle with crosshairs), the 95% confidence cone (dashed
curve) and the raw data records.
Moving the mouse cursor around the plot gives the trend and
plunge of the net point at the arrow tip. When the upper hemi-
sphere is visible, the plunge is negative, according to the standard
convention.
Results:
1. Direction and Statistics: SpheriStat shows the number of data
analyzed, whether the computations were weighted by the
value in the Weight field, the direction and magnitude of the
Mean or Resultant Vector, the Spherical Variance, the sam-
ple Precision and the half-apical angle of the 95% Confidence
Cone about the mean vector.
2. Uniformity Tests: The results of two tests are shown:
a) Beran/Gin Test: If the Beran/Gin Statistic, calculated
from record pairs, exceeds the Critical Value, there is no
evidence that the data comes from a uniformly distributed
population at the 95% confidence level. The Probability
Value applies to this null test and ranges from 0 to 1.0.
b) Rayleigh Test: If the Rayleigh Statistic, calculated from
the magnitude of the Resultant vector, R, exceeds the
Critical Value, there is no evidence for a uniform popula-
tion, at the 95% confidence level.

Action Buttons:
1. Print: This command will print all the information on a single
page: two side-by-side nets showing the lower and upper hemi-
sphere projections, and below, the statistics and uniformity test
results in side-by-side tables.
2. As Markers: Choose this option when you want to convert the
principal direction (resultant vector) and 95% confidence cone
to marker records, having a group value of zero. You will be
asked to confirm the choice, in case you accidently clicked the
button. The markers will only be added if you quit the dialog
box by selecting Done.
3. Copy: SpheriStat places a copy of the graphic in Windows en-
hanced metafile format in the clipboard, along with a text list-
ing of the statistical results. If the uniformity tests have not yet
been carried out (by clicking on the Uniformity Test button),
then those statistics will not appear in the listing. Depending
displays the help topic on Fisher analysis.
5. Done: This option will exit you from the dialog box. If you
chose the As Markers option, the marker records will be added
now.
6. Cancel: This option will exit you from the dialog box without
creating marker records, if you chose to add them.
See Calculating Principal Directions for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis (Circular

Diagram)
When a circular diagram is active, the Analysis|Principal direc-
tion analysis menu option shows you the principal direction (re-
sultant vector), a number of statistical parameters to judge its
significance and two tests of sample uniformity.
You can calculate the principal direction for either the strike or dip
direction of planes or the trend of lineations. The structure code de-
termines whether the data are planes or lineations. In the case of
planar data, you choose the strike or dip direction by selecting the

SpheriStat 3
appropriate measurement convention in the Display|Setup data

format dialog box. Choose Strike/Dip for strikes, Dip/Dip Direc-
tion for dip directions and Pole Trend/Plunge for pole bearings.
Options:
1. Range of Dip (Plunge) Angle: The significance of the princi-
pal direction depends upon the orientation of the features ana-
lyzed. For linear data, the trend is more significant for
shallowly plunging structures; you will want to limit the range
of plunge angle from 0 to some plunge less than 90. For pla-
nar data, the significant orientation range depends upon
whether the strike or dip directions are being analyzed. Strikes
are more significant for steeply dipping planes, while dip direc-
tions are more significant for shallowly dipping planes. The
Range of Dip (Plunge) Angle option lets you set your own
limits on these angles. The meaning of the number you enter
will differ depending upon what structural parameter SpheriStat
is analyzing, and the text beside the entry box in the dialog will
change to reflect this fact. Note: To keep the analyses synchro-
nised, the range of angles used for circular density analysis will
be set to the same value and the circular histogram recalcu-
lated.
The possibilities are:
a) For strike directions: Range of Dip Angle: 90 - .
b) For dip directions: Range of Dip Angle: 0 - .

c) For lineation or pole trend directions: Range of Plunge

Angle: 0 - .
2. Weighted: You can choose to weight each of the sample direc-
tions by the value stored in the Weight data field. For example,
you can store the length of the feature (perhaps a fault or linea-
ment) in the Weight field and easily examine the effect of this
weighting upon the resultant principal direction.
3. Choice of display: you can show either the principal Direction
and Statistics (the default option) or the sample Uniformity
Test. The Results display changes to reflect your choice.
Rose Display:
SpheriStat plots the measurements, within the chosen range of dip
or plunge angle, as either fixed- or variable-length lines as set in
the Display|Setup circular diagram dialog box. The full 360 cir-
cle is used and shows the N-S and E-W crosshairs as reference.
SpheriStat also shows the current sampling intervals as short arcs
around the circular diagram. Adjacent intervals are offset radially
for visibility.
Moving the mouse cursor around the diagram shows the current
coordinates (Angle and Frequency) of the arrowhead.
Results:
1. Principal Direction and Statistics: These parameters are the
calculated resultant vector (magnitude and direction), the circu-
lar variance and the circular standard deviation. See Calcu-
lating the Circular Principal Direction for an explanation of
these quantities.
2. Rayleigh Test of Uniformity: SpheriStat calculates the Ray-
leigh critical value for the resultant. If the magnitude exceeds
the critical value, the distribution probably has a preferred
trend. In this case, SpheriStat calculates three additional param-
eters: the Von Mises shape parameter, K, the standard error of
the resultant direction and the 95% confidence interval around
the resultant direction. The calculation of the three values de-
pends upon the assumption that the data can be fitted to a Von
Mises distribution.
Action Buttons:
1. Print: Select this button to print the circular diagram with the
raw data and the resultant vector and its confidence interval. In-

SpheriStat 3
cluded also are the two results tables (sample parameters and
resultant vector and associated statistics). The printout is de-
signed for a standard letter or A4 size page or larger. Although
the diagram scales to the page size, the tables may be partially
truncated on smaller page sizes.
2. Copy: SpheriStat places a copy of the graphic in Windows en-
hanced metafile format in the clipboard, along with a text list-
ing of the statistical results. Depending upon which application
you paste the data to, you will get one or the other object. Some
applications allow you to choose which object to paste into
your document.
displays the help topic on circular histograms.
3. Done: Select this button to accept the principal direction and
add it to the plot in the rose window.
4. Cancel: Select this to discard the calculation and return to the
rose window with no changes.
See Calculating the Circular Principal Direction for further details
on the analytical technique.
Analysis|Cluster Analysis
Quick Access: none
Choosing the Analysis|Cluster analysis menu command opens a
dialog box that allows you to define up to 7 clusters in your data
202 / Analysis|Cluster Analysis

interactively. You do this by clicking on the net to select initial

cluster nuclei, or mean directions, around which the clusters can
form and choosing Calculate. SpheriStat will attempt to find the
best set of clusters by grouping each measurement with its nearest
nucleus and repeatedly adjusting the groupings and nucleus orien-
tation until the estimated mean is close to the calculated mean di-
rection (maximum eigenvector or resultant vector). Of course, the
success of the technique depends upon the number of data records
and your choice of initial cluster nuclei.
Options:
1. Hemisphere: These options are available for polar (vector)
data only. Select Upper or Lower to toggle the net display be-
tween the two hemisphere projections. Alternatively, click in
the gray area outside the net to switch hemispheres. You can
toggle the net while selecting the nuclei to choose nuclei from
both hemispheres.
Net Display:
For both axial and polar data, the net shows the plotted data re-
cords. If you elected to represent any of your planar data as great
circles, they will be plotted as such. The cluster analysis is unaf-
fected, but you may find the process of selecting initial nuclei more
challenging.
When the data are polar, the net will be either the lower or upper
projections, not both. You can toggle between the two by selecting
either of the Hemisphere buttons, or by clicking in the net display
in the area immediately outside the net.
Clicking in the net itself will add nuclei to the list. They appear as
color-coded circles with crosshairs. The resultant clusters will be
plotted with these same colors. A corresponding list of matching
color numbers are added to the display in the upper right corner
and can be used to match the display to the results listing. You can
add up to 7 nuclei as cluster seeds. If you dislike your choices, se-
lect the Reset button and begin again.
After partitioning, the net shows each cluster set plotted in the
same color as the corresponding cluster center. Also plotted are the
error cones (elliptical for axial data and circular for polar data) as
dashed curves.
Moving the mouse cursor around the plot gives the trend and
plunge of the net point at the arrow tip. When the upper hemi-
Analysis|Cluster Analysis / 203

SpheriStat 3
sphere is visible for polar data, the plunge is negative, according to

the standard convention.
Results:
1. Before analysis: The results window shows the orientation of
the selected nuclei (trend/plunge) as they are added to the list.
Those selected in the upper hemisphere will, of course, have a
negative plunge.
2. After analysis: The results for each cluster appear one at a time
in the results window. Use the scrollbar to move through the
list.
a) Axial data: Shown are the number of data records in each
cluster, the trend, plunge and magnitude of the maximum
eigenvector (cluster center), and a selection of statistics:
standard deviation of the eigenvalue, maximum and mini-
mum half-apical angles of the elliptical error cone, and
Beran/Gin uniformity statistic and critical value.
b) Polar data: Shown are the number of data records in each
cluster, the trend, plunge and magnitude of the resultant
vector (cluster center), and a selection of statistics: spheri-
cal variance, precision, half-apical angle of the 95% confi-
dence cone, and the Gin uniformity statistic and critical
value.
204 / Analysis|Cluster Analysis

You can get further statistical measures for the clusters by sav-
ing the clusters as separate data sets (using the Save button)
and using other Analysis menu commands.
Action Buttons:
1. Reset: If you are unsatisfied with the resultant set of clusters,
use the Reset button to start again.
2. Print...: SpheriStat prints side-by-side displays of the net and
statistical results, one row for each cluster. SpheriStat will fit
as many cluster results on the page as the page allows. For ex-
ample, for a letter-size (8"x11") or A4 (210x297 mm) page
with 0.25" margins, three clusters can fit on the page.
SpheriStat forces the page layout to Portrait mode. For polar
data, both hemispheres are plotted in one net.
3. Copy: SpheriStat creates a Windows enhanced metafile image
of the current net and places it in the clipboard. If the clusters
have been calculated, SpheriStat also adds a text listing of the
statistical results to the clipboard. Depending upon which ap-
plication you paste the data to, you will get one or the other ob-
ject. Some applications allow you to choose which object to
paste into your document.
4. Save: Select this option to quit the dialog box and save the
clusters as separate data sets. Each set will be placed in its own
net window.
5. Calculate: Once you have selected the initial nuclei positions,
select Calculate to perform the partitioning. SpheriStat will
make up to 10 iterations while searching for the best set of
clusters; if the cluster centers are not stable within these 10,
SpheriStat assumes that the data cannot be partitioned with the
chosen set of nuclei. In that case, change the number or initial
position of the nuclei and try again.
displays the help topic on cluster analysis.
7. Cancel: Select this option to quit the dialog box without saving
the clusters.
See Cluster Analysis for step-by-step instructions.
Analysis|Spatial Averaging
Quick Access: none
Analysis|Spatial Averaging / 205

SpheriStat 3
The Analysis|Spatial averaging menu command is available when

a map window is active. It allows you to scan your map data and
calculate the mean orientation at each station in a rectangular grid.
For axial (non-directed) data, the maximum eigenvector defines
the mean direction, while for polar (vector) data, the resultant vec-
tor is used. A dialog box opens to allow you to set the averaging
parameters and see the results displayed in a variety of ways. The
set of station-averaged data can be saved as a new data set for fur-
ther analysis or exporting.
Options:
1. Number of Stations: The averaging stations are distributed in
a rectangular array. You specify the number of stations
East-West and North-South within your map bounds. The two
values need not be the same. SpheriStat calculates the station
locations such that the outer stations lie at half of the inter sta-
tion distance (Spacing) from the map edge. The map display
shows the current station grid and updates the plot as you enter
changes to the number of stations in each direction.
2. Averaging Method:
a) Moving Circle: All data within a certain radial distance,
set by one half of the circle Diameter (in user units), are
included in the averaging. The circle diameter can be
larger than the distance between stations to allow for con-
206 / Analysis|Spatial Averaging

tinuous coverage. Where you have specified that the

east-west and north-south units represent different physical
distances (i.e., the x-y ratio is non-unity), the circle diame-
ter is measured in north-south units.
b) Grid Rectangle: The map area is divided into rectangular
sections, centered in the stations. Only records within each
rectangle are included in the average.
3. Map Symbol: Because you have the option of saving the spa-
tially averaged results as a new data set, you must specify the
map symbol to store in each record. SpheriStat initializes the
box with the symbol in the first non-Group 0 record in the data
set. This symbol is not used for the maps shown in the Analy-
sis|Spatial averaging dialog box. If you wish to see the results
with the dip or plunge values, save the spatially averaged data
set and display or print it from the map window itself.
4. Weighted by 1/Distance to Station: Select this option to
weight all data lying within the circle or grid rectangle in in-
verse proportion to the distance away from the averaging sta-
tion. The weighting factor is 1.0 at the averaging station (the
center of the circle or grid rectangle) and 0.0 at the furthest dis-
tance (the circle edge or rectangle corners).
Results Options:
These options become active after the spatial averaging calculation
is done. For data containing no inclination values (the inclination
field of the editor is closed), the two stereonet plot options
(Stereonet Map and Combined Stereonet) are not available.
1. Symbol Map: This is a map of the spatially averaged data us-
ing special symbols for planar and linear data. Symbols are
plotted only for the stations having data. The pattern of strike
or trend lines allows you to draw trajectories through your map
area and see obvious deviations in the pattern, if they exist.
2. Statistics: SpheriStat shows overall and station statistics. The
overall statistics are the total number of data records and the
number of stations satisfying various conditions, such as
whether they are occupied or had only one data record for aver-
aging. The station statistics give the station location and aver-
age data orientation, as well as a selection of statistical
measures chosen depending upon whether the data are axial or
polar and which uniformity test you selected.

SpheriStat 3
3. Stereonet Map: The stereonet map is a plot of small

equal-angle stereonets, one at each station site, showing the av-
eraged orientation at that site. This plot gives you a quick vi-
sual representation of the pattern of three-dimensional
orientations.
4. Combined Stereonet: This is an equal-area Schmidt net show-
ing the pole to the planes or the lineation for each averaged sta-
tion, as well as the 95% confidence cone about each average,
where it can be calculated.
5. Exclude Uniform: Using this switch, you can limit the plots
and statistical listings to include only the statistically
non-uniform results. Where the average includes only one data
record, the station is included as significant, for lack of any
other information. You can choose from among several statisti-
cal tests: Beran/Gin, Woodcock and Mardia (for axial data)
and Gin and Rayleigh (for polar data). The choice of test de-
termines which statistics appear in the Statistics display. See
Calculating Principal Directions for more details about these
tests.
6. Hemisphere: When the data are polar, use these switches to
toggle the Stereonet Map and Combined Stereonet between
the Lower, Upper and Both hemispheres.
Map Display:
1. Raw Map: This map appears when you first enter the dialog
box, or when you alter any options so that the previous spatial
averaging, if any, is discarded. The raw map shows the plotted
data records, as they appear in the map window (including any
coordinate shifts you made), as well as the averaging stations
(as small cyan dots) and the sampling grid (cyan circles or
dashed lines).
Once you have calculated the spatial averages, you can
redisplay this raw map by clicking in the map display box. This
action is a toggle, so you can switch between the raw map and
the currently selected average display.
As you move the mouse cursor around the map, the status line
shows the current mouse position, in user map coordinates, and
the station number.
2. Symbol Map: The symbol map is a plot of the spatially aver-
aged results using stick-figure symbols. They are special sym-

bols that show the dip or plunge

value by the way they are plotted,
rather than by using an attached
number. The Appendix shows the
full set of stick-figure symbols and
has a discussion of their shape.
As you move the mouse cursor
around the map, the status line
shows the current mouse position,
in user map coordinates, and the station number where a sym-
bol is plotted.
3. Statistics: The statistical results include:
a) Overall Statistics: Total number of data, number of sta-
tions and the number of occupied, empty, single-sample
and statistically significant (according to the choice of sta-
tistical test) stations.
b) Station Statistics: Station map coordinates, number of
data included in the station average, average attitude (ei-
ther maximum eigenvector, for axial data or resultant vec-
tor, for polar data), and selected statistics (depending upon
the choice of statistical test):
i) Axial data: maximum eigenvalue, Woodcocks K and
C values, standard deviation of the maximum
eigenvalue, maximum and minimum half-apical angles
of the elliptical 95% confidence cone, and either the
Beran/Gin uniformity statistic and its probability
value, the Woodcock/Naylor statistic or the Mardia sta-
tistic;
ii) Polar data: resultant, spherical variance, precision,
half-apical angle of the 95% confidence cone, and ei-
ther the Gins uniformity statistic and its probability
value or the Rayleigh statistic.
4. Stereonet Map: The stereonet map is a plot of small
equal-angle stereonets, one at each station site, showing the av-
eraged orientation at that site. This plot gives you a quick vi-
sual representation of the pattern of three-dimensional
orientations. Planar data are plotted as both great circles and
poles to the plane; linear data plot as points. The size of the net
is set by the minimum inter station distance.

SpheriStat 3
For axial data, SpheriStat uses

the lower hemisphere. For polar
data, you can switch between
the lower, upper and both hemi-
spheres; use the Hemisphere
switches to toggle between the
various views. Great circles are
plotted with solid lines for lower
hemisphere and dashed for up-
per. When you select either of
the single hemisphere views,
SpheriStat plots the data only for those stations where the aver-
age vector (pole or lineation) is directed in that hemisphere, al-
though the net circle is drawn for all stations.
This option is not available for lineation data having no inclina-
tion values (the inclination field of the editor is closed).
5. Combined Stereonet: This is an
equal-area Schmidt net showing
the pole to the planes or the
lineation for each averaged sta-
tion, as well as the 95% confi-
dence cone about each average,
where it can be calculated. For ax-
ial data, the cone is elliptical,
while for polar data, the cone is
circular. The lower hemisphere is
plotted for axial data; either the
lower, upper or both hemispheres, for polar data. In the latter
case, use the Hemisphere switches to toggle between the vari-
ous views.
This option is not available for lineation data having no inclina-
tion values (the inclination field of the editor is closed).
Action Buttons:
1. Calculate: This button performs the calculation of the station
averages according to your choice of options. During calcula-
tion, the button caption changes to Cancel; selecting it at this
stage will abort the computation. After calculation this button is
disabled. Whenever you change any option, this button be-
comes re-enabled so you can calculate the averages again.

2. Print: Use this button to print the results for the currently se-
lected display option.
In the case of the raw map, symbol map, stereonet map and
combined stereonet, the printout is a single page consisting of
the plot showing in the Map Display and, below it, a table of
information about the chosen options. The printout is designed
for a standard letter or A4 size page or larger; although the dia-
grams scale to the page size, the information table may be par-
tially truncated on smaller page sizes.
For the statistical results, the separate tables are arranged in
two columns (if the paper width allows) and as many rows on
the page as the paper length and printer margins allow. For ex-
ample, for a standard letter or A4 size paper, six tables can fit
on a page. The printer will print as many pages as necessary to
include all the results.
SpheriStat uses the current printer setup. To change the printer
or its setup, choose the File|Setup printer menu command be-
fore entering the Analysis|Spatial averaging dialog box.
3. Print All: This option prints all five displays and associated
option information and statistical results.
4. Copy: SpheriStat places a copy of the current graphic in Win-
dows enhanced metafile format in the clipboard. Depending
displays the help topic on spatial averaging.
6. Done: This option quits the dialog box without saving the aver-
aged data.
7. Save & Quit: This option saves the station averages as a new
data set before quitting the dialog box. You are asked if you
want to save all the averaged data or only the statistically
non-uniform averages. The averaged data will appear in a new
map window. You can then make any other plots or calcula-
tions with this data set as you wish or export the diagram to
other applications. For example, you can list the averages in the
editor or save them as a table of measurements.
See Spatial Averaging on a Map for step-by-step instructions.

16
Display Menu Commands
Display|Setup Editor
Quick Access: [F4] or
You use the Display|
Setup editor menu
command to change
the layout, font, field
titles, and number of
significant figures and
decimal places of the
displayed values. This
is also where you en-
able or disable the dis-
play of error messages
during the validation
of data entries and to
choose the delimiters
to use when the data
are saved to disk or
memory as text.
Options:
1. Field Items: This is a list of the standard field names.
To highlight a field name, click on the name or, if you had just
clicked on a name in the listbox, scroll through the list with the
up- or down-arrow keys. The field properties of the currently
selected field appear in the Field Properties area.
The checkmark beside each field name indicates that the field
is open and will be displayed in the edit window. To close a
field, remove the checkmark by clicking in the checkbox. You
can also open and close a field in the editor (see Customizing
the Editor for more details).
212 / Display|Setup Editor

2. Field Properties: You can change three properties of the edi-

tors display of the fields: Title, Significant Figures and Deci-
mal Places.
Title: This is the text that appears at the top of the field column
in the editor. Change this to better reflect the actual contents.
The default names are generic.
Significant Figures: For the fields that store floating point val-
ues, the number of significant figures affects the amount of col-
umn space that the editor devotes to that field. The column
width will be sufficient to fit that number of digits (plus a deci-
mal point) or the column Title, whichever is larger. If the actual
number of digits to be displayed is more than allowed for, the
left-most digits are truncated in the editor.
For certain fields, such as the Azimuth and Inclination fields,
SpheriStat requires a minimum number of significant figures,
because of the range of values known to appear in those col-
umns. For those fields storing text data, such as the Station and
Information fields, the Significant Figures entry box is dis-
abled. For the Station field, the column width is calculated
from the width of the longest Station text string in the data file.
Decimal Places: For the fields that store floating point values,
the number of decimal places determines the numeric resolu-
tion displayed. Internally, the values are stored with 15 signifi-
cant digits, more than sufficient for most uses. Changing the
Decimal Places value affects only the display of the value;
SpheriStat rounds the number to give the resolution needed
when it converts the value to a string, but does not change the
value stored in the field.
3. Move Field Item: Selecting the Move Field Item button al-
lows you to change the order of the currently highlighted field
item. Click the left mouse button on another field name on the
list. If the new name is located above the original name in the
list, SpheriStat places to original field above the new field in
the list (i.e.., before it in the editor). Conversely, if the new
name is below the original in the list, the original will be placed
below the new. The only exception is when the new field is the
Information field; nothing is changed, since the Information
field must remain the last field. If you try to move the Informa-
tion field, SpheriStat shows the message Cannot be moved!
in the Move Field Item status line.
Display|Setup Editor / 213

SpheriStat 3
You can also move the fields in the editor; see Customizing the
Editor and Using the Mouse in the Editor Window for more de-
tails.
4. Show validation error messages: After you enter data into the
editors field edit window (FEW) and move to another field,
SpheriStat checks that the entry is compatible with the format
and type requirements for that field. If an error occurs,
SpheriStat will beep and not move on. By enabling the Show
validation error messages option, you cause SpheriStat to dis-
play a message window showing you the nature of the error. In
that event, click on the Ok button to return to the editor.
5. Change Font: Windows Font Selection dialog box is used to
make these changes. The choices will depend upon the fonts
you have installed in your system. The font size is unlimited,
but we recommend values between 6 and 16 points, depending
upon your screen size and resolution. The editor does not scroll
horizontally, so the upper limit of type size will depend upon
how many fields and records you want to show on the screen.
6. Change Delimiters: This is the special code character (or
characters) used to distinguish between field values in the text
string and indicate when a portion of the incoming string is to
remain as a text string. Change this code by clicking on the
Change Delimiters button (see Setup Delimiters ).
7. Help?: This button will open SpheriStats Help file and show a
description of the Display|Setup editor menu command.
8. Save: Choosing this option will store these choices in your pro-
ject *.cfg file as the default options for a new editor.
9. Ok: Select this button to accept the changes; SpheriStat will re-
draw the editor to show the new configuration.
10. Cancel: This button will discard the changes. The display op-
tions are stored with the data, so that the editor will appear the
same the next time you load the file and show the editor.
Setup Delimiters
When importing, pasting or saving text-formatted data, SpheriStat
needs special codes to distinguish between successive fields in the
character stream. These codes are called delimiters. SpheriStat uses
two codes, one to separate field values and one to delineate charac-
214 / Setup Delimiters

ter strings. The Setup Delimiters

dialog box allows you to make your
choices.
Field: space, comma, tab, CRLF,
CR only and custom.
Text: single quote, double quote,
custom and none.
For custom, you can choose any
other single character you need.
Make sure that the custom character
does not conflict with any character
used in the data itself. CRLF is a
special two-character delimiter. This is the [carriage return +
linefeed] code pair used to terminate a text line. Use this choice
when each numeric value is stored on its own text line. If the Addi-
tional Information field is open but no text data is present, use an
extra CRLF or a # character with no spaces before it. In addition,
you can place no more than one additional CRLF (line break) sep-
arating data records, if you wish.
All records are assumed to be separated by either a CR (carriage
return) character or a CRLF (carriage return/linefeed) character
pair. Any other record separator will cause an error or a misreading
of the data file.
Display|Setup Net
SpheriStat provides a number of ways in which you can change the
net display and printout for the current net window only. Choosing
the Display|Setup net menu command opens a dialog box that
gives you a large number of options.
Options:
1. Net Dimensions (actual):
a) Symbol Size: All net symbols are drawn to the same size,
chosen here. SpheriStat does offer two sizes for certain
symbol types, allowing you some variation in the net.
b) Net Diameter: In addition to setting the size of the net
when printed or exported, the net diameter is the important
Display|Setup Net / 215

SpheriStat 3
scaling parameter for the net window. The symbols and

text are scaled to give the true relative sizes on the screen.
c) Units: You can choose from inches, centimeters and
printers points (1/72"). The symbol size and net diameter
values displayed will change to reflect the new unit, al-
though the plot itself will not change.
d) Scale symbol by weight: Select this option to apply the re-
cords Weight value as a scaling factor, giving you more
control on the symbol sizes shown in the net. A weight
value of 1 produces a symbol with the standard size as
chosen above.
2. Net Type: Choose between Equal Area (the Schmidt net) and
Equal Angle (the Wulff net). Although equal area nets are tra-
ditionally used for statistical analysis and equal angle nets for
rotation problems, either could be used here. SpheriStat makes
all computations on the sphere itself, so the choice of projec-
216 / Display|Setup Net

tion is for your convenience only. The analyses can be per-

formed with either projection, including the contouring of point
density.
3. Hemisphere: If the data are polar (vector) type, the Hemi-
sphere options are enabled. You can choose between Upper,
Lower and Both. Since these choices are easily made using the
tool buttons in the net window, the options here are mainly so
you can see the alternatives in the Preview display. Choosing
the hemisphere here will affect the net window display when
you quit this dialog using the Ok button.
4. Show: These options allow you to show or hide any or all of
the display items.
a) Data Points: Choose this to include the raw data on the
net. If the record Group value is positive, the record plots
as a point, using the symbol defined for the Group. For po-
lar data, closed symbols are used for lower hemisphere and
open symbols for upper, following standard practice. If the
Group is negative and the record is for a plane (defined by
the choice of structure code), the record plots as a great
circle. If the record has a structure code of 78, it represents
a cone and plots as a small circle on the net. The apical
half-angle (circle radius) is set by the value in the Weight
field (in degrees). Group 0 records are special and plot in
light green on the screen; planar records plot as great cir-
cles, cones as small circles and lineations as small open
circles with crosshairs.
b) For axial data:
Principal Directions: Enable or disable this option by
clicking on the main checkbox. There are three orthogonal
principal directions (eigenvectors), ordered by their magni-
tude (eigenvalue). You can display any one or more of
these directions by selecting the appropriate checkbox. The
directions appear as the symbols 1, 2 and 3, repre-
senting the minimum, intermediate and maximum
eigenvectors, respectively. The geometric center of the
symbol is the plotted principal direction. The symbols use
the same font as for the text information. Choose the font
with the Change Font button.
Principal Planes: Enable or disable this option by clicking
on the main checkbox. The principal planes contain the

SpheriStat 3
principal directions (eigenvectors) in pairs. They are iden-

tified by the eigenvector not in the plane. Thus, for exam-
ple, the 1 plane contains the 2 and 3 eigenvectors, i.e., it
lies perpendicular to the direction of the minimum
eigenvector and contains the orthogonal maximum concen-
tration of points (the 3 direction). The principal planes plot
as dashed great circles, blue on the screen. You can choose
to plot one or more of the planes by clicking on the respec-
tive checkbox.
For polar data:
Principal Direction: This is the direction of the resultant
vector. The vector plots as a small circle with crosshairs.
On the lower hemisphere, the circle is filled with black and
the crosshairs are white; the colors are reversed for the up-
per hemisphere. Use the Analysis|Principal direction
analysis menu command to get its direction and statistics.
95% Confidence Circle: This is a measure of the uncer-
tain- ty in the direction of the resultant vector. The circle
plots as a dashed small circle about the principal direction.
Use the Analysis|Principal direction analysis menu com-
mand to get the apical angle of the confidence cone.
c) Density Contours: Choose this option to display the point
density contours previously calculated using the Analy-
sis|Density distribution menu command. If you havent
computed the contours, this item will be grayed. Because
the contours fill space, they plot in the background region
of the net, so that all other features will be drawn in front
of them and not be hidden. For polar data, the density con-
tours can only plot on one hemisphere at a time. If you
choose to show both hemispheres, the contours are hidden.
When the density contour option is selected, you can
choose to include a Contour Legend beside the plot show-
ing the displayed contour levels and colors. The legend can
appear either at the Right or the Bottom of the plot. De-
pending upon the counting model and scaling option used,
the legend text will show the levels according to the appro-
priate scale. See Analysis|Density Distribution for details.
If you have saved the point density counts and contour in-
formation, then the file name and full path will appear
along the bottom of the dialog box for reference.
218 / Display|Setup Net

d) Diameter Lines: Check this box to show the N-S and E-W
crosshair lines in the net. These lines act as a direction ref-
erence.
e) North Position: Check this box to include the N symbol
immediately above the net. The symbol uses the same font
as for the text information. Choose the font with the
Change Font button.
f) Grid: The grid is a set of great circles oriented north-south
and an orthogonal set of small circles centered on the
north-south axis. The number and properties of the grid
lines is set by the azimuth and inclination ticks: the azi-
muth ticks determine the small circles, and the inclination
ticks, the great circles. Check each tick type to enable that
grid component. You can include either or both of the ma-
jor and minor grid lines. The major lines print with thicker
lines. The angular spacing between grid lines of the same
level is set by the values in the tick-interval edit boxes. En-
ter a non-zero value in the appropriate tick-interval edit
box to plot grid lines at that spacing.
Because of the line crowding at the polar regions, the mi-
nor great circle grid lines are not drawn all the way to the
poles. For equal angle plots, they stop at 20 from the pole;
for equal angle plots, they stop at 10 from the pole. The
major great circle grid lines always plot to the poles.
Commercial nets use a major grid interval of 10 and a mi-
nor interval of 2.
When the grid option is enabled, the normal short ticks are
not plotted.
g) Plot Information: Checking this option causes SpheriStat
to add certain explanatory information around the net, both
on the screen and on the printout. This information in-
cludes: the net type (equal area or equal angle), whether
the principal directions and contours were calculated with
weighted data, the hemisphere plotted (if the data are po-
lar), and the number of data plotted on the net (not includ-
ing the special Group 0 records). Choose the font for this
text with the Change Font button.
h) Plot Labels: If you have added your own labels to the net
plot, you can choose to hide these labels temporarily. For
consistency, the labels use the same font as does other in-

SpheriStat 3
formation in the plot; use Change Font to choose another.

Only the typeface is altered, not the size or weight.
i) Group 0 Data: Use this option to show or hide the
group-zero marker data. Such data are not included in any
analysis, even if visible, and are available for your conve-
nience in presenting your results.
j) Azimuth Ticks: Checking this option will add small tick
marks around the outer net circle. The major ticks are
twice the length of the minor ones. You specify the tick
spacing by entering an angle value in the corresponding
tick-interval edit box.
k) Inclination Ticks: Checking this option will add small
tick marks along the major north-south and east-west di-
ameter lines. The major ticks are twice the length of the
minor ones. You specify the tick spacing by entering an an-
gle value in the corresponding tick-interval edit box.
5. Font: Select this button to open Windows standard Font Selec-
tion dialog box. Choose from among your installed typefaces,
as well as the type weight and size. SpheriStat uses this font for
the plot information text, user-defined label text, north position
marker and principal eigenvector directions.
6. Save As Default Options: Choosing this option will store your
choices in your project *.cfg file as the default options for a
new net window.
7. Help?: This option will open SpheriStats Help file and show a
description of the Display|Setup net menu command.
8. Ok: This option allows you to quit the dialog keeping any
changes you made.
9. Cancel: This option allows you to quit the dialog rejecting any
changes you made.
The display options are stored with the data, so that the net will ap-
pear the same the next time you load the file and show the net win-
dow.
Display|Setup Map
220 / Display|Setup Map

SpheriStat provides a number of ways in which you can change the

map display and printout for the current map window only.
Choosing the Display|Setup map menu command opens a dialog
box that gives you several options.
Options:
1. Map Bounds (in user coordinates):
a) West, East, North, South: These are the left, right, top
and bottom limits, respectively, of the map plot, in your
own choice of units. You can set these values to whatever
is convenient. For example, you can set them to limit the
display to only a part of the area. However, because of the
ease with which you can select part of your data and create
Display|Setup Map / 221

SpheriStat 3
a new data set, you will find opening a new map window a
better way to zoom into part of your map area. Since the
Auto-Size mode is enabled for a new window, the map for
the new data set automatically will select bounds appropri-
ate for the new data.
b) Units: Several units are offered: UTM (Universal Trans-
verse Mercator, same as meters), kilometers, meters, miles,
feet and arbitrary. The first five units have very specific
meaning, as you would expect, and your choice will affect
the calculation of map scale, shown elsewhere in the dia-
log box. Choosing the last unit (arbitrary) means that the
numbers are taken at face value and used as-is in the calcu-
lation of map scale. In this case, you must add meaning to
the map scale value; the sizing method, By Scale, has no
meaning and is disabled.
c) EW/NS Ratio: For those occasions where you need to
specify a different physical distance for the east-west and
north-south scale units, you can enter a non-unity value for
this ratio. An example of its use is when you use latitude
and longitude for the map units; depending upon the loca-
tion, a unit of latitude represents a different physical dis-
tance than a unit of longitude. Note that angular distance in
degrees-minutes-seconds is not supported in SpheriStat.
2. Auto-Size to Stations (+10%): When you check this option,
the map bounds are automatically calculated to include all data
records and adds a 5% extra distance around all sides.
SpheriStat will update the displayed map bounds.
While Auto-Sizing is enabled, the plot in the map window will
be redrawn automatically when you add new data records or
modify the map coordinates of existing records.
Turn off Auto-Sizing when you want your map to maintain a
fixed known area, even if your data stations occur in part of the
area only.
AutoSizing is turned on when you create a new data set by se-
lecting a part of your map area and, while holding down the
[CTRL] key, choosing Window|Map menu command or click-
ing on the Map tool button. To create a new map with selected
data while maintaining the original map bounds, hold the
[SHIFT] key down as well.

3. Map Dimensions (actual): These values set the printed size of

the map and associated symbols.
a) Symbol Size: This is the nominal size of the symbols. For
most symbols, this length corresponds to the longest di-
mension, or the height of the symbol when it is oriented
north-south. Some symbols are designed to be smaller and
will not plot at this size.
b) Map Width, Map Height: These are the distances be-
tween the map bounds in output units. Depending upon the
sizing method chosen, you may modify one or the other of
these values, but not both. Any changes you make in one
of these values automatically modifies the other, since the
map shape remains the same.
c) Map Scale: The map scale is the ratio of the map height,
as printed, to the actual north-south distance represented
by this height. SpheriStat shows the scale using a 1:x nota-
tion, where x is the true distance represented by a unit dis-
tance on the printed map.
Because the east-west map units are affected by the choice
of EW/NS ratio, the ratio of the map width to the east-west
map bounds may not give the same scale value.
If you enabled the By scale sizing method, you can change
the map scale value, thus altering the size of the printed
map. You can change either number in the scale, but must
keep the colon. When you change the map scale, the map
width and height will alter to reflect the new scale.
d) Units: These are the units used for the dimensions of the
printed map. You can choose from inches, centimeters
and points (1/72"). When you change units, those dimen-
sions using these units will change, but the lengths they
represent will remain the same.
e) Sizing Method: Since the printed map width, height and
scale are mutually dependent upon the map bounds and
EW/NS ratio, only one can be changed at a time. You
choose which one to alter to modify the size of the printed
map by choosing the sizing method: Width Fixed, Height
Fixed or By Scale. The corresponding entry box is enabled
and the others are disabled. If Arbitrary units are chosen
for the map bounds, the By Scale option is disabled.
Display|Setup Map / 223

SpheriStat 3
4. Symbol Type: You can choose between two type of symbol

plots, Annotated and Stick Figure. Annotated refers to the
numeric dip or plunge values that appear near the symbol,
where appropriate. For stick-figure symbols, SpheriStat draws
a simplified line drawing in place of the specialized symbols
and uses a variable length tick mark to show the dip or plunge,
instead of a number. See the Appendix for a chart of the
stick-figure symbols.
5. Scale Size by Weight: This option directs SpheriStat to draw
each symbol with the size specified in the Weight field of each
record. SpheriStat assumes that the weight value is in the
same spatial units as that chosen for the map bounds. A good
use of this option, in conjunction with the stick-figure symbol
type, is to draw lineaments measured from air photographs or
satellite images.
6. Black Symbols Only: You can choose to show the map sym-
bols in black only or in the same colors as used for the net data.
7. Show Plot Labels: If you have added your own labels to the
map plot, you can choose to show or hide these labels tempo-
rarily. The labels use the same font as do the inclination values;
use Change Inclination Font to choose another. Only the type-
face is altered, not the size or weight.
8. Change Inclination Font: Most of the map symbols will ac-
cept a numeric value, representing the dip or plunge of the
structure being plotted. By default, SpheriStat uses the Arial
typeface for these numbers on the map. You can change the
typeface by selecting this option. It opens Windows standard
Font Selection dialog box. Choose from among your installed
typefaces, as well as the type weight. SpheriStat ignores your
choice of type size; the number is automatically drawn to a
fixed proportion of the symbol size.
description of the Display|Setup map menu command.
10. Save As Default Options: Choosing this option will store
these choices in your project *.cfg file as the default options for
a new map window.
changes you made.

changes you made.
The display options are stored with the data, so that the map will
appear the same the next time you load the file and show the map
window.
Display|Setup Circular Diagram

A number of features of the circular diagram can be modified, in-

cluded or discarded. Select the Display|Setup circular diagram
menu command to show the dialog box containing the setup op-
tions.
Display|Setup Circular Diagram / 225

SpheriStat 3
Options:
1. Dimensions (actual): You choose the size of the printed circu-
lar diagram by entering the diameter in the edit box. The
drop-down listbox lets you use your choice of units: inches,
centimeters or points (1/72"). When you change units, the di-
ameter value changes to the corresponding value in the new
units.
2. Frequency Scaling: The radial coordinate in the circular dia-
gram is in units of % frequency and may be a linear or
non-linear scale. You can choose the upper limit of frequency
by adjusting the frequency scaling and the scale linearity by
setting the scale type.
a) Scale Type: Three scale types are offered: linear, equal
area and square root. The latter two are attempts to com-
pensate for the visual distortion caused by the radial histo-
gram plot. With a normal linear scale, higher histogram
bars appear disproportionately more prominent because we
tend to judge size by area, not by length. Thus, a linear
scale tends to overemphasize histogram peaks. By scaling
such that the higher frequency steps are radially smaller,
the area effect is de-emphasized. Equal area and square
root scaling are two ways to introduce a non-linear fre-
quency scale.
You select among these options by clicking on the down-
arrow on the right side of the scale type list box and click-
ing on the item of your choice.
b) Auto-Scale to Maximum or Scale to Fixed Frequency:
You may let SpheriStat set the upper limit of the frequency
scale by choosing auto-scale, or you can set your own
Maximum Frequency. Setting your own limit is often
necessary since SpheriStat plots the principal direction line
(resultant vector) using the same frequency scale as for the
histogram. Where the magnitude of the resultant is much
greater than the maximum peak, you will need to set a
higher frequency limit if you want the entire resultant line
visible in the plot.
3. Show: These options allow you to show or hide any or all of
the following display items.
a) Raw Data: SpheriStat plots the raw data as radial lines
from the center of the plot. The standard procedure is to
226 / Display|Setup Circular Diagram

draw all data with the same line length, equal to the full ra-
dius of the net. Normally SpheriStat includes only the re-
cords whose dip or plunge is within the range of angles
specified in the Analysis|Principal direction analysis or
Analysis|Density distribution dialog boxes.
You have two ways to show the raw data:
i) All option to plot all records, regardless of the dip or
plunge value.
ii) Variable Length: Here, the data lines are drawn such
that the line length scales with the dip or plunge of the
structure. The Schmidt equal area projection is used to
calculate the line length. The variable length plot adds
a measure of data reliability: the direction of a more
steeply plunging lineation or more shallowly dipping
plane is less reliable for analysis, and such data will
plot with shorter lines.
In the case of plane data, you have three choices of what
line to plot: the strike, dip or pole trend direction. You
choose between them by changing the Planar data option
in the Display|Setup data format dialog box. Choosing
Strike/Dip will plot the strike azimuth, Dip-Direction/Dip
will plot the dip direction and Pole Trend/Plunge will plot
the bearing of the planes pole. The first choice is more
useful where the planes are steeply dipping, while the lat-
ter two where they are shallowly dipping. The computed
histogram will change to reflect this choice.
b) Principal Direction: The principal direction, or resultant
vector, plots as a radial line (magenta on the screen)
through the graph center, terminated with an arrowhead.
For axial data, the line is symmetric with the plot center;
for polar data, the line extends only to one side of the cen-
ter. Click on the checkbox to show this item.
c) Histogram: You can show or hide the histogram by check-
ing or unchecking the box. SpheriStat offers three choices
of histogram displays: bars (pie-shaped wedges), peaks
and smoothed. The bars are commonly used. The peaks
plot draws a line joining the mid-point of each histogram
interval at the calculated frequency level; this type of plot
tends to minimize the visual overemphasis one may give to
prominent bars. The smoothed histogram is calculated us-

SpheriStat 3
ing a Gaussian smoothing function and computed at 2.5

angular intervals.
d) E 2.0 St. Dev.: E is the expected frequency for a uniform
distribution of this number of data. SpheriStat plots this
value as a solid circle (in cyan on a color screen). The 95%
confidence levels, calculated to be twice the standard devi-
ation of the distribution. SpheriStat plots these levels as
dashed circles (in cyan, again) above and below E, if they
occur in the frequency range selected. Often the negative
level plots below 0% frequency; in this case, the lower
confidence level is ignored.
e) Display Range: Because of symmetry or other reasons,
you may wish to display only a part of the circular dia-
gram. SpheriStat gives you several choices of display
range: 0-360 (full circle) and four half-circle plots with dif-
ferent azimuth ranges (0-180, 180-360, 270-90 and
90-270). Click on the down arrow beside the drop-down
listbox to show the choices.
f) Quadrant Lines: These are north-south and east-west
crosshair lines through the plot center. They are used as di-
rection references.
g) North Position: Check this box to include the N symbol
immediately above the circular diagram. The symbol uses
the same font as for the labels. Choose the font with the
Change Font button.
h) Grid: The grid is constructed of orthogonal sets of concen-
tric circles and radial lines, light gray on the screen. The
spacing between the circles is defined by the major and
minor frequency tick intervals and between the lines by the
major and minor azimuth tick intervals. The non-zero ma-
jor tick values produce continuous circles and lines;
non-zero minor tick values produce dashed circles and
lines. Remove the checkmark from either the azimuth or
frequency tick options to remove the corresponding grid
set.
If you choose a half-circle plot, SpheriStat draws the grid
only for that half of the diagram.
i) Plot Information: Checking this option causes SpheriStat
to add certain explanatory information around the circular
diagram, both on the screen and on the printout. This infor-
228 / Display|Setup Circular Diagram

mation includes: the type of data plotted (strike of planes,

dip direction of planes or trend of lineations), whether the
principal direction and histograms were calculated with
weighted data, the type of data (axial or polar), and the
number of data plotted on the net (not including the special
Group 0 records). Choose the font for this text with the
Font button.
j) Plot Labels: If you have added your own labels to the rose
plot, you can choose to show or hide these labels. The la-
bels use the same font as does other information in the
plot; use Font to choose another. Only the typeface is al-
tered, not the size or weight.
k) Group 0 Data: Use this option to show or hide the
group-zero marker data. Such data are not included in any
analysis, even if visible, and are available for your conve-
nience in presenting your results.
l) Azimuth Ticks: SpheriStat draws these ticks as short ra-
dial lines around the periphery of the circular diagram. The
major ticks are twice the length of the minor ticks. You
choose the angular spacing between the respective ticks by
entering an angle value in the entry box beside the corre-
sponding tick type. To disable either tick set, place a zero
in the entry box. To disable both, remove the checkmark
from the option.
If you choose a half-circle plot, SpheriStat draws the ticks
SpheriStat uses the tick spacing values to define the spac-
ing of the radial grid lines. When the grid option is se-
lected, the ticks are not drawn.
m) Frequency Ticks: SpheriStat draws these ticks as short
lines spaced along and perpendicular to the north-south
and east-west quadrant lines. The major ticks are twice the
length of the minor ticks. SpheriStat labels the major fre-
quency ticks with its frequency value, centered on the tick
and the quadrant line. You choose the tick spacing by en-
tering a frequency value in the entry box beside the corre-
sponding tick type. To disable either tick set, place a zero
in the entry box. To disable both, remove the checkmark
from the option.

SpheriStat 3
If you choose a half-circle plot, SpheriStat draws the ticks

SpheriStat uses the tick spacing values to define the spac-
ing of the concentric grid circles. When the grid option is
selected, the ticks are not drawn.
n) Ticks Over Histogram: Normally, SpheriStat draws the
tick marks and labels before drawing the histogram, so that
some of the ticks may be hidden. You can choose to re-
verse the drawing order by selecting this option.
4. Font: Select this button to open Windows standard Font Selec-
tion dialog box. Choose from among your installed typefaces,
as well as the type weight and size. SpheriStat uses this font for
the plot information, user-defined label text and north position
marker.
description of the Display|Setup circular diagram menu com-
mand.
6. Save As Default Options: Choosing this option will store your
choices in your project *.cfg file as the default options for a
new rose window.
changes you made.
changes you made.
The display options are stored with the data, so that the circular di-
agram will appear the same the next time you load the file and
show the rose window.
Display|Setup Data Format

The Display| Setup data format command allows you to change
the way the azimuth and inclination values are entered, interpreted
and displayed. Three measurement conventions are combined in
two sets of option buttons. To help you understand the choices,
SpheriStat shows an example of a planar and a linear measure-
ment, selected randomly when the dialog box opens.
230 / Display|Setup Data Format

Options:
1. Planar data: You must choose to represent your planar mea-
surements (bedding or foliations, say) shown in the editor as ei-
ther strike and dip, dip-direction and dip, or pole trend and
plunge. The first is a plane measurement, while the latter two
are a linear measurements (the line in the plane in the direction
of maximum dip and the line perpendicular to the plane, re-
spectively). All three representations are commonly used.
When you switch between these choices, only the plane exam-
ple will change.
Choosing among these options affects how SpheriStat inter-
prets your entires in the Azimuth and Inclination fields. It also
affects how planar data plot in the circular diagram. If you
choose strike/dip, SpheriStat plots strike azimuths; for
dip-direction/ dip, dip directions; and for poles, the bearing
(trend) of the pole. Changing the plane data convention then
will cause SpheriStat to recalculate the circular histogram and
principal direction, if either of these statistics were already cal-
culated.
Changing the planar data option does not affect how the net
plots existing data. When the values are first entered (either in
the editor or when the file is loaded or imported), SpheriStat
Display|Setup Data Format / 231

SpheriStat 3
calculates the structures orientation according to the current

data format options and stores it internally as direction cosines
(of the pole, for a plane, or the lineation). The net plot is based
on these direction cosines. Changing between strike/dip and
dip-direction/dip affects only the editors display of values, not
the plot itself.
2. Orientation: This group of options allows you to choose the
way in which the measurements appear. The choices are:
360 - RH Rule: The azimuth value is based on a 360 com-
pass circle. For planar measurements, the down-dip direc-
tion is clockwise from the strike direction. For linear
measurements, the azimuth is in the same direction as the
inclination (plunge).
360 - LH Rule: As above, the azimuth value is based on a
360 compass circle. For planar measurements, the
down-dip direction is counterclockwise from the strike di-
rection. For linear measurements, the azimuth is in the
same direction as the inclination (plunge).
Inclination-defined: This is a mix of 360 and quadrant rep-
resentations, and is sometimes called dip-defined. The
azimuth is based on a 360 compass circle, although there
is no convention for the direction of the azimuth. Rather,
the inclination (dip or plunge) defines the sense of the azi-
muth. Because of this, the inclination value must include a
direction (hence the need for the quadrant notation). This
direction is a compass point and is chosen from N, NE, E,
SE, S, SW, W, and NW.
Quadrant: This is a full quadrant notation, where both the az-
imuth and the inclination include a compass-point compo-
nent. You do not need to be concerned about the sense of
the azimuth direction, since the inclination direction fully
determines the sense. SpheriStat uses the convention that
the azimuth has an angle between 0 and 90 and is mea-
sured from North. If you measure the azimuth from South,
SpheriStat will convert the reading.
3. Add leading zeroes?: For any of the orientation conventions,
you can force the values to display leading zeroes, such that the
azimuth will show three digits and the inclination will show
two.
232 / Display|Setup Data Format

4. Show Original Input Direction Values: Choose this option if

you do not want SpheriStat to convert your attitude entries in
the editor and printouts. SpheriStat will display (and print) the
values of azimuth and inclination as you have entered them.
This option allows you to verify your entries against your field
notes or other listing. With this option on, the other choices
have no effect on the display. The example measurements will
change, however, as you select from the other choices. See Dis-
play|Show original direction values for more details.
4. Show User Structure Codes: Choose this option to force the
editor to use your own equivalent structure codes in place of
SpheriStats default codes. The equivalent codes are those
names defined in the current symbol file; see Configuration
Files, Preferences and Initialization Files and Help|Preferences
for more details.
description of the Display|Setup data format menu command.
6. Save: Selecting this option will store your choices in your pro-
ject *.cfg file as the default options for a new data set.
7. Ok: This option will enable your choices.
8. Cancel: This option will abort the changes.
Display|Change Font (Edit)

Quick Access: none
Use the Display|Change font command to change the appearance
of the editor display.
Windows standard font selection dialog box opens. You can
choose from any of the available typefaces, styles and sizes in-
stalled in your copy of Windows.
Since the editor does not have horizontal scrolling, you will not
want to use a type size that is too large. Choose the characteristics
that gives you the clearest and most easy-to-read display.
Display|Show User Structure Codes (Edit)

Quick Access: [SHIFT+CTRL+F3]
When you select the Display|Show user structure codes option
(and the popup menu shows a checkmark before the command),
Display|Change Font (Edit) / 233

SpheriStat 3
the editor will display your own custom structure codes in place of
SpheriStats codes.
This option allows you to compare easily the entries with your
field notes or other record of measurements. This option is also in
effect when you print a listing of your data or save the data as a
text file.
You can also change this option in the Display|Setup data format
dialog box.
Display|Show Original Direction Values

(Edit)
Quick Access: [SHIFT+F3]
When you select the Display|Show original direction values op-
tion (and the popup menu shows a checkmark before the com-
mand), the editor will display the azimuth and inclination values as
you had entered them.
This option allows you to compare easily the entries with your
field notes or other record of measurements. It is also in effect
when you print a listing of your data or save the data as a text file.
You can also change this option in the Display|Setup data format
dialog box.
A note of warning: using this option may lead to some confusion
if you change the orientation convention during data entry or edit-
ing. SpheriStat uses the current conventions for interpreting the
new entries and, when the entries are validated, will store and dis-
play the current entry text. This situation may result in a mixture of
two or more orientation conventions in the same display. Turning
off the Display|Show original direction values option will display
all the records only in the currently selected format.
Display|Show Stereoscopic View (Net)

Quick Access: [CTRL+D]
This menu option is available when you are showing
non-group-zero data in a net window. Selecting the item will cause
the display to show the data plotted twice, once in each of red and
cyan. The menu option is a toggle, so selecting it again returns the
display to its previous form. A check mark appears beside the
menu item when the stereoscopic view is enabled and the Dis-
play|Hide labels menu command is disabled.
234 / Display|Show Original Direction Values (Edit)

Using colored glasses with red (left) and blue (right) lenses, you
can then see your data in full three dimensions. Points (lineations
and poles to planes), great circles and small circles appear sus-
pended in space on the surface of an invisible sphere. For axial
(non-directed) data, only the lower hemisphere appears, while for
polar (directed or vector) data, both upper and lower hemispheres
are used. In the case of point data, the size of the plotted point var-
ies with the distance to the viewer, so closer points are larger than
distant ones. Lines, on the other hand, show no variation in thick-
ness with distance.
SpheriStat plots only the actual data records and does not include
the marker records, user-defined labels or other plot decorations.
However, the position of the north point does appear as reference,
marked by an N symbol.
You may need to practice to visually combine the two images into
one three-dimensional image. The view is somewhat hampered by
the fact that the red image is not completely eliminated by the red
lens, leaving a faint double image. To help you create the 3D im-
age and to allow for personal differences in inter-eye spacing,
SpheriStat allows you to vary the projection eye separation. Press
the left and right arrow keys to move the two images closer or
further apart, respectively. The wider the eye separation, the
greater is the depth perception, but your eyes and brain have a
more difficult job to combine the images. You can also move
closer or further away from the apparent sphere by pressing the up
or down arrow keys, respectively.
This projection is for visual use only and may help newcomers to
understand better the relationship between the geometric feature
and its stereographic projection. The plots cannot be printed or ex-
ported in this form.
Display|Scale Symbols By Weight (Map)

Quick Access: none
This menu option is a quick way to switch between drawing the
map symbols with the size specified in the Weight field of each
data record and drawing them in the standard size set in the Dis-
play|Setup net dialog box. The menu item shows a check mark
when the symbols are scaled by the weight. SpheriStat assumes
that the weight value is in the users map units.
Display|Scale Symbols By Weight (Map) / 235

SpheriStat 3
Display|Show/Hide Labels (Net, Map,

Rose)
Quick Access: none
When you have added your own labels to any of the three plots,
you can use this menu command to easily hide or display the la-
bels. For example, you may wish to hide the labels temporarily to
export the drawing to the clipboard for pasting into another appli-
cation. When the labels are hidden, the Label tool is disabled so
you cannot modify existing labels or add new ones. Reselect the
menu command to switch back to the previous choice. This menu
option is a quick way of accessing the corresponding option in the
plots setup dialog box.
Display|Show Structure Codes/Symbols

Quick Access: [CTRL+F3]
SpheriStat provides a pop-up
and resizable window showing
the full selection of structural
symbols available. These sym-
bols are used both for calculat-
ing the structure attitude from
the azimuth and inclination
values and for representing the
data on the map. You choose
which symbol set to use in the
Help|Preferences dialog box.
Each symbol has a visual
shape, a structure type (either
Plane, Line or Cone), a nu-
meric code and a user-defined
string code, which is located
under the symbol graphic.
The window is divided into rectangular regions, one for each sym-
bol, and resizes itself so an integral number of regions appear in
each direction. You are free to change the number of regions that
appear in each direction. Vertical scroll bars allow you to see the
symbols not immediately visible.
You can hide the symbol window by choosing the Display|Hide
structure codes & symbols menu option, or by using the Close
236 / Display|Show/Hide Labels (Net, Map, Rose)

option in the windows system menu. You can close the window
by clicking in the red Close box (with the cross inside) in the upper
right corner of the window.
You can also shrink the window to show only the caption bar by
double-clicking on its caption bar. Repeating the action restores the
window to its previous size and shape.
The window always stays on top of the data display windows in
SpheriStat so it is always available and visible, even when mini-
mized.
You can change your user-defined structure codes directly in this
window. To open an in-place editor, either left-double-click or
right-click on the user code you wish to change. The user code
then becomes editable and a blinking caret appears before the
code. Make the desired changes. Pressing either the [TAB] or
[ENTER] keys will set the change and move the in-place editor to
the next structure code in sequence. Use the [SHIFT-TAB] or
[SHIFT-ENTER] keys to move in the reverse sequence. Alterna-
tively, double-click or right-click on any other user code to move
the in-place editor. The in-place editor will be deactivated when
the Structure Code window is not active. If you change any user
code, SpheriStat will ask if you wish to save the changes when you
end your session.
The user-defined structure codes can also be assigned in the sym-
bol equivalence file (see Configuration Files). Use the Help|Pref-
erences menu command to choose which symbol equivalence file
to use. The Preferences dialog also allows you to modify this file
and choose whether to apply the user-defined codes to the current
structure symbol set. When the session ends, SpheriStat will ask
you if you wish to make the code changes permanent by saving the
symbol file with the new codes.
To change your user-defined symbols, use the Symbol Editor avail-
able separately from Pangaea Scientific. You have the freedom to
create as many symbols as you wish and use whatever codes you
wish, except for the codes below 100. These values are reserved
for the default symbol set available to all SpheriStat users. Another
user cannot load your data file if you use custom codes, unles that
user has a copy of your symbol set. However, you can choose to
publish your data, which appends a copy of your symbol defini-
tions to the data; those symbols are then loaded when that data file
is loaded and are displayed in the Structure Codes/Symbols win-
dow.
Display|Show Structure Codes/Symbols / 237

SpheriStat 3
Display|Show Net (Group) Symbols

Quick Access: [ALT+F3]
SpheriStat provides a pop-up and
resizable window showing the full
selection of net symbols available.
These symbols are used for plotting
both lineations and poles to planes.
Each symbol has a visual shape and
a group code.
The window is divided into rectan-
gular regions, one for each symbol,
and resizes itself so an integral number of regions appear in each
direction. You are free to change the number of regions that appear
in each direction. Vertical scroll bars allow you to see the symbols
not immediately visible.
You can hide the symbol window by choosing the Display|Hide
net (group) symbols menu option, or by using the Close option in
the windows system menu. You can close the window by clicking
in the red Close box (with the cross inside) in the upper right cor-
ner of the window.
You can also shrink the window to show only the caption bar by
double-clicking on its caption bar. Repeating the action restores the
window to its previous size and shape.
The window always stays on top of the data display windows in
SpheriStat so it is always available and visible, even when mini-
mized.
238 / Display|Show Net (Group) Symbols

17
Tools Menu Commands
Tools|Pointer (Edit, Net, Map, Rose)
Quick Access: Click on the button in the vertical toolbar.
The pointer tool is the default tool and is used for activating win-
dows. In each type of display window, the pointer tool has addi-
tional specialized uses.
In the editor, you use it to select data records by clicking in the
left-most index column. Hold down the [SHIFT] key to select all
records between two successively selected records. Hold down the
[CTRL] key to add other non-contiguous records.
In the net, you can measure the smallest angle between two direc-
tions by clicking on the first direction and dragging the mouse to
the second. The angle appears in the status line at the bottom of the
main window. As well, SpheriStat plots a dashed great circle seg-
ment joining the two directions. When you use only one hemi-
sphere, whether upper and lower, the start and end directions are
restricted to the same hemisphere. When both hemispheres are pro-
jected at the same time, you can choose which hemisphere the
sampled direction lies. The lower hemisphere is preferentially
used; hold down the [SHIFT] key while clicking or dragging to
sample the upper hemisphere. The status line shows a negative dip
or plunge value when the upper hemisphere is accessed. You can
measure angles between directions in two different hemispheres by
choosing one direction with the [SHIFT] key and the other without
it. SpheriStat calculates the smallest angle between the two direc-
tions and projects the great circle segment using both hemispheres.
In the map, you can measure the spatial distance between two
points by clicking on the first location and dragging the mouse to
the second location. The straight-line distance, in user map units,
appears in the status line at the bottom of the main window. As
well, SpheriStat draws a dashed straight line joining the two loca-
tions.
In the circular diagram, you can measure the difference in bear-
ing between two directions by clicking on the first direction and
Tools|Pointer (Edit, Net, Map, Rose) / 239

SpheriStat 3
dragging the mouse to the second. The horizontal angle appears in

the status line at the bottom of the main window. As well,
SpheriStat plots a dashed arc joining the two bearings. The arc is
attached to the drag cursor and moves radially as the mouse cursor
moves, but the bearing of the starting direction remains the same.
In the net, map and circular diagram windows, you can also use
the pointer tool to move any user-defined labels; click within the
label frame and drag the label to its new position. A gray rectangle
moves with the moving cursor.
Tools|Rectangle Selector (Net, Map)

When either the net or map windows is active, the rectangle selec-
tor appears in the vertical toolbar. You use the tool to select records
in the net or map.
Activate the tool by choosing the Tools|Rectangle selector menu
option or clicking on the tool button. When you then pass the
mouse cursor over the active net or map window, the cursor
changes to .
To select data, click and drag a red dashed rectangular selection
region (sometimes called a marquee) around the group of symbols
you wish to include. When you release the mouse button,
SpheriStat redraws the included symbols in dark red and switches
the cursor and tool button to the pointer ( ). If you have elected
to hide the raw data in the net window, you cannot select any re-
cords in this way.
You can make multiple selections by using the [SHIFT] or
[CTRL] keys. The effect of using these keys depends upon when
you press down. The decision to retain or remove previous selec-
tions is made when the mouse button is pressed. If you hold down
either key at this time, any previous selections are retained; other-
wise they are removed. When the mouse button is released,
SpheriStat checks for the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] key and, if neither
is pressed, will switch the cursor tool back to the pointer; other-
wise, the rectangle selector tool is retained. In the latter case, if you
have finished selecting data and wish to return to the pointer tool,
click on the button or select the Tool|Pointer menu command.
240 / Tools|Rectangle Selector (Net, Map)

Tools Menu Commands
Tools|Freehand Selector (Net, Map)

When either the net or map windows is active, the freehand selec-
tor appears in the vertical toolbar. You use the tool to select records
in the net or map.
Activate the tool by choosing the Tools|Freehand selector menu
option or clicking on the tool button. When you then pass the
mouse cursor over the active net or map window, the cursor
changes to .
To select data, click and drag a red dashed polygonal selection re-
gion around the group of symbols you wish to include. When you
release the mouse button, SpheriStat redraws the included symbols
in dark red and switches the cursor and tool button to the pointer
( ). If you have elected to hide the raw data in the net window,
you cannot select any records in this way.
wise, the freehand selector tool is retained. In the latter case, if you
Tools|Angle Selector (Rose)

When the rose window is active, the angle selector appears in the
vertical toolbar. You use the tool to select records in the circular di-
agram.
Activate the tool by choosing the Tools|Angle selector menu op-
tion or clicking on the tool button. When you then pass the mouse
cursor over the active net or map window, the cursor changes to
.
Tools|Freehand Selector (Net, Map) / 241

SpheriStat 3
To select data, click and drag a red dashed wedge selection region
(whose apex is at the plot origin) in the range of azimuths you wish
to include. For axial data, two wedges, symmetrical about the ori-
gin, are drawn; for polar data, only one wedge is drawn. When you
release the mouse button, SpheriStat redraws the included data
lines in dark red and switches the cursor and tool button to the
pointer ( ). If you have elected to hide the raw data in the rose
window, you cannot select any records in this way.
wise, the angle selector tool is retained. In the latter case, if you
Tools|Map Symbol Mover (Map)

When a map window is active, the map symbol mover tool appears
in the vertical toolbar. It purpose is to allow you to move symbols
around on the map to minimize overlap between neighboring sym-
bols. SpheriStat does not change the station coordinates when you
do this, but retains a record of the coordinate shift.
Select the Tools|Map symbol mover menu option or click on the
tool button to change the mouse cursor to . You cannot use this
tool if there are no symbols on the map to move.
When you click this cursor near a map symbol, the symbol is
momentarily erased. While holding down on the mouse button,
drag the cursor to a new location. The symbol will reappear and
moves with the cursor. When you release the mouse button, the
symbol is redrawn at the new location. At the same time, the map
coordinates for that data record are redrawn in green in the corre-
sponding edit window, if open. SpheriStat does not return to the
pointer tool when you release the mouse button, allowing you to
242 / Tools|Map Symbol Mover (Map)

Tools Menu Commands
continue moving symbols. Select the Tools|Pointer menu option

or click on the tool to turn off the map symbol mover tool.
Tools|Label (Net, Map, Rose)

The label tool is used to add, delete or modify user-defined labels
on the net, map and circular diagram. The labels are a single line of
text, optionally enclosed in a frame rectangle with a reference line
joining the label to a particular point in the plot. As described be-
low, many of the drawn features of the label are optional and cus-
tomizable. When you select the label tool, the mouse cursor
changes to ( ).
You can use the tool in two ways:
a) If you want to add a new label, click on a point away from
other user-defined labels. To add a reference line as well, drag
the mouse cursor at least a few screen pixels between the start-
ing reference position and the actual position of the label, be-
fore releasing the left mouse button.
b) To edit or delete an existing label, position the label cursor
over the label frame (the cursor changes to ) and click the
right mouse button. In both cases, a dialog box opens giving
you the label options. If you clicked over an existing label, the
properties of that label will be displayed; otherwise the proper-
ties of the last accessed label or default values will be shown.
Options:
1. Label text: The text consists of a single line of text in the type-
face chosen for the diagram. Use the appropriate Display|
Setup dialog box to change the typeface.
2. Size: You can independently set the size of the label text, speci-
fied in printers points (1/72").
3. Style: This option is the font weight. You can choose between
Normal, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic. For some typefaces, not
all of these options are available; in this case, Windows will
use a close match.
4. Colors: You can set the color of the label text, lines (reference
line and frame border) and frame background. The current
choices appear in the small filled rectangle beside each name.
Tools|Label (Net, Map, Rose) / 243

SpheriStat 3
To choose a different
color, select the ap-
propriate button. Win-
dows standard color
selection dialog box
opens; after making
your choice, click on
Ok to enable it or
Cancel to ignore it.
5. Pen width: You can
choose the line width
for the labels refer-
ence line and frame
border. The width is
in printers points
(1/72").
6. Include frame be-
hind label: You can
chose to include the
background frame, or
not. The text is cen-
tered within the
frame. The reference line is drawn only to the frame border, as
set by the frame margin, regardless of whether the frame is
drawn.
7. Frame margin: If you choose to include the frame, you can
specify the size of the frame by entering the margin amount be-
tween the label text and the frame outline. The margin is given
as a percent of the text height.
8. Hide frame border: If you include the frame but hide the bor-
der, only the colored background is drawn, obscuring the draw-
ing behind it.
9. Include reference line: If you dragged the mouse to add a ref-
erence line while creating the label, you can choose to hide the
line later. Turning this option off restores the reference line.
10. Save as default options: When this option is selected, your la-
bel settings (except the label title) will become the default set-
tings for future labels created in this project.
11. Ok: Select this button to create the new label or modify the ex-
isting label with the options chosen.
244 / Tools|Label (Net, Map, Rose)

Tools Menu Commands
12. Cancel: This button aborts the label creation or modification.

13. Delete: Choose this option to remove an existing label from the
diagram. If you are in the process of creating a new label, se-
lecting this option is the same as selecting Cancel.
14. Help?: Selecting this button opens SpheriStats help file and
shows the information available on the label tool.
Once a label is created and visible on the screen, you can move it
around using the pick tool ( ). While moving the label, a gray
rectangle moves with the mouse cursor showing the frame of the
selected label.
Tools|Label (Net, Map, Rose) / 245

18
Window Menu Commands
Window|Editor
This option opens the editor showing the data set displayed in the
currently active window. If your data had never before appeared in
the editor, the default setup parameters will be used. You can mod-
ify them as you wish by selecting the Display|Setup editor menu
command. To save the new setup as your default, choose the Save
button option in the setup dialog box.
If you hold down the [CTRL] key while accessing this menu com-
mand using one of the above methods, SpheriStat will create a new
data set and open an editor. If you had selected any records in the
previously active data set, they will be copied into the new set and
will appear in the new window. This method gives you a quick
way of making a subset of you full data set for specialized analysis
or display.
Window|Net
This option opens the net window showing the data set displayed
in the currently active window. If your data had never before ap-
peared in the net window, the default setup parameters will be
used. You can modify them as you wish by selecting the Dis-
play|Setup net menu command. To save the new setup as your de-
fault, choose the Save button option in the setup dialog box.
data set and open a net window. If you had selected any records in
the previously active data set, they will be copied into the new set
and will appear in the new window. This method gives you a quick
or display.
246 / Window|Editor
Window|Map
This option opens the map window showing the data set displayed
peared in the map window, the default setup parameters will be
play|Setup map menu command. To save the new setup as your
default, choose the Save button option in the setup dialog box.
data set and open a map window. If you had selected any records in
or display.
Window|Rose
This option opens the rose window showing the data set displayed
peared in the rose window, the default setup parameters will be
play|Setup circular diagram menu command. To save the new
setup as your default, choose the Save button option in the setup
dialog box.
data set and open a rose window. If you had selected any records in
or display.
Window|Cascade
When you choose the Window|Cascade menu command, all of
SpheriStats open display windows will be redrawn to the same
size and arranged such that the windows are offset with the title
Window|Map / 247
SpheriStat 3
bars showing. If any of your windows are minimized and appear as

icons only, space will be left so that the bottom row of icons is vis-
ible. This is Windows standard cascade action.
Window|Tile All
When you choose the Window|Tile all menu command, all of
SpheriStats open display windows will be redrawn so that all win-
dows are visible and touching each other in SpheriStats workspace
area. If any of your windows are minimized and appear as icons
only, space will be left so that the bottom row of icons is visible.
Only the non-minimized windows will be tiled. This is Windows
standard tiling action.
Window|Tile Same
Quick Access: none
When you choose the Window|Tile same menu command, the
open display windows containing the same data set as the currently
active display window will be tiled. The editor, if open, will be
drawn to the full width and half the height of SpheriStats desktop
area, while the other three windows (net, map and rose) are drawn
with equal size and filling SpheriStats remaining workspace area.
The currently active window will always appear in the upper left
position on the workspace. Minimized windows, appearing as
icons and containing the active data set, will be restored before til-
ing. Any windows not containing this same data set will be hidden,
as will all iconized windows. This menu option gives you a conve-
nient way of limiting your view to only one data set.
Window|Arrange Icons
Quick Access: none
Select the Window|Arrange icons menu command to clean up
SpheriStats workspace. This is a standard Windows action that
repositions any icons (minimized display windows) so that they are
equally spaced along the bottom of the workspace area. This is
useful if you have moved them for some reason and want them lo-
cated where they are easily found.
248 / Window|Tile All

Window|Close All
Quick Access: none
This menu option closes all open display windows and changes the
menu and toolbars to the minimal state. The menu contains only
three items, File, Display and Help. The toolbar on the left side of
SpheriStats workspace is removed. The horizontal toolbar con-
tains only the Help, Open saved file, Open new edit, Open new
net, Open new map and Open new circular diagram tools.
Window|Close Same
Quick Access: none
When you have two or more display windows open showing the
same data set, you can close them all by activating one of these
windows and choosing the Window|Close same menu command.
The display windows containing other data sets are unaffected.
Window|Close All / 249

19
Help Menu Commands
Help|Contents
Quick Access: [F1]
Select the Help|Contents menu command to open SpheriStats
Help file and show the Contents page.
Help|Help On Help
Quick Access: none
Selecting the Help|Help on help menu command will open
Microsoft Windows Help file and give you information on the var-
ious ways you can access the Help file.
Help|About SpheriStat
Quick Access: [CTRL+F10]
Aside from the copyright, version and registration notice and a
spinning map symbol, the About box gives you information about
the status of SpheriStat and your computer system.
SpheriStat Status
1. The total number of re-
cords in the most-recently
accessed data set. This num-
ber does not include the null
record at the end of the data
set, but does include all
group-zero marker records.
2. The number of data re-
cords in the most-recently
accessed data set. This num-
ber includes only analyzable
data.
3. The number of records that
have been selected. Selected
250 / Help|Contents
Help Menu Commands
records show a darkened #-column in the edit window and are

highlighted in dark red in the plot windows.
4. The number of symbols actually appearing on the map.
SpheriStat plots only the data that lie within the defined map
bounds. Depending on how you set the map bounds, many data
records may not appear. This display show you how many data
items are actually visible on the map.
Computer Status
1. The number of free kilobytes available in Windows mem-
ory. Depending upon your configuration, this number may re-
fer only to RAM memory (in Windows Standard Mode) or may
include virtual memory on your disk drive (in Windows En-
hanced Mode).
Consult your Windows manual for further information on sys-
tem memory and how to configure and change it.
Keep a watch on system memory when you are working with
large data sets, particularly when you have several large appli-
cations running concurrently. SpheriStat will try to warn you
when memory resources are too low to perform certain actions,
such as call up a dialog box or add more data to an existing set.
In this case, close any unneeded applications.
2. The number of free kilobytes available on the currently se-
lected disk drive and the total available kilobytes on that
drive. These numbers are important to monitor when you are
concerned about having enough space for saving files.
Help|Preferences
Quick Access: [F10]
In addition to the various setup options for the display windows,
SpheriStat offers you a number of other ways in which you can
customize your copy of the application. The Help|Preferences dia-
log box gives you access to these options. This information is
stored in your projects SS2_***.INI file, located in the Config di-
rectory, and does not apply to any other project.
Options:
1. Load ASCII Data File Extension Choices: An ASCII text
data file may have almost any extension characters, limited by
only by the imagination and good taste of the users. You can
Help|Preferences / 251
SpheriStat 3
specialize the display of

ASCII files in the
File|Open and File|Save
as dialog boxes by speci-
fying the desired file ex-
tensions.
For example, if your data
files are created from a
spreadsheet program, they
may have the extension
.prn. You may also wish
to make other file types
available, say .txt and
.dat files. In this case, en-
ter the character string:
*.prn;*.txt;*.dat. Include
the wildcard (asterisk)
character (*) before the
dot and separate each ex-
tension choice by a semi-
colon (;) character. Do not
use any spaces in the line.
You can include all file extensions by using the wildcard char-
acter before and after the dot: *.*. In this case, you need not in-
clude any other extension choices.
2. Symbol Equivalences Path & File Name: SpheriStat uses a
symbol equivalence file to translate between your choice of
structural codes and SpheriStats internal codes during file
importing. You specify the name (including the full path) of the
projects symbol equivalence file in this edit box. Thus each
project can maintain its own set of structure codes.
Select the Edit Symbol File button to open an edit window
containing the symbol equivalence file. You can make any
changes you wish and Save the new file. Since you cannot
change the file name here, make a copy of the file before modi-
fying it. If you do not want to save the changes, select the Can-
cel button.
See Configuration Files for more details on symbol equiva-
lence files.
3. Symbol Files: SpheriStat provides a Symbol Editor that allows
you to add your own custom symbols to the symbol library.
252 / Help|Preferences
Help Menu Commands
You can create as many different symbol sets as you wish. In

the case of map symbols, all symbol sets must include the stan-
dard SpheriStat symbols. Enter the full path and file name for
both the map and net symbol libraries here. Since your prefer-
ences are stored in the Project SS3_***.INI file, you can main-
tain different symbol sets in different projects.
4. Display Option: When you load a new data set, SpheriStat
uses an edit window by default to display the data. You can
change this default behavior by selecting a different display
type from the drop-down list. SpheriStat stores the choice in
your projects SS3_***.INI file.
5. Timed Backup: To minimize the loss of valuable data or cus-
tomization time, SpheriStat offers periodic backups of all al-
tered but not-yet-saved data sets. You can change the time
interval between automatic backups by entering a time, in min-
utes, in the small edit box. SpheriStat uses only integral mea-
sures, so a decimal fraction is truncated. If you enter a value
less than 1, SpheriStat uses 1 minute, the minimum time al-
lowed.
6. Tool Button Options:
a. Include Print Dialog: You can choose to include or not in-
clude the standard Windows print dialog each time you
click on the Print tool button. If it is not included,
SpheriStat will use the current printer and its settings. In
that case, if you need to change these settings or the num-
ber of copies, you can use the File|Print... menu command
instead.
7. Ok: Selecting Ok stores the project-specific preferences in your
projects SS3_***.INI file and the rest in the general
SSWIN.INI configuration file. SpheriStat also reconfigures the
symbol equivalence table and symbol display windows, if nec-
essary.
8. Cancel: To abort any changes, select the Cancel button.
Help|Preferences / 253
SpheriStat 3
254 / Help|Preferences
Appendix
Map and Net Symbols
Glossary of Mouse and Keyboard

Terms
Problems? Suggestions?
Default Map Symbols
Default Map Symbols / 257

SpheriStat 3
Stick-Figure Map Symbols

The stick-figure symbols are either a standard strike-dip symbol
(for planar data) or an arrow (for linear data) drawn centered on the
station. For planar measurements, the length of the side tick is pro-
portional to (90-dip); for linear measurements, the length of the
shaft and size of the arrowhead are proportional to (90-plunge).
No dip or plunge values are drawn. The orientation of the main
stroke shows you the trajectories of the strike or trend. All planar
symbols use the same size, but the linear symbols may become
smaller where the plunge differs significantly from zero. Where the
dip or plunge is horizontal, vertical or negative, special symbols
are used, as shown below.
Special symbols:
Dipping plane: Plunging lineation:
Horizontal plane: Horizontal lineation:
Negative-dip plane: Negative lineation:
Vertical lineation: Lineation (no inclin.):
Station point:
Default Net Symbols
258 / Stick-Figure Map Symbols

Glossary of Mouse and Keyboard Terms

Mouse Actions
SpheriStat follows the standard Windows conventions for using the
mouse.
point: Move the mouse until the cursor (arrow, I-beam, or other
symbol) is positioned where you wish. The active point on the
cursor depends on the cursor symbol. For the arrow, it is the
tip; for most of the others, it is its midpoint.
click: With the cursor pointing where you want it to, press and re-
lease the appropriate mouse button without moving the cursor.
In most cases, use the left button (indicated as left click).
Where the right button is required, the manual will specify
right click.
double-click: rapidly click the mouse button twice.
drag: while holding the mouse button down, move the cursor to a
new location. At that point, release the button.
Keyboard Notation
The manual uses the following notation when referring to certain
keys:
[]: These brackets will enclose the name or designation for a key.
For example, [F8] refers to the function key F8, while
[ENTER] refers to the ENTER or RETURN key.
[+]: As above, but the + sign indicates that two keys are
pressed simultaneously. For example, [CTRL+DOWN] means
that you hold down the CTRL key while pressing the DOWN
arrow key.
UP: UP arrow key
DOWN: DOWN arrow key
LEFT: LEFT arrow key
RIGHT: RIGHT arrow key
Glossary of Mouse and Keyboard Terms / 259

SpheriStat 3
If you encounter any problems using this software, or want to sug-
gest ways we can modify or enhance this program or its documen-
tation so that it works better for you, please write to us at:
Pangaea Scientific
R.R.#5, Brockville, Ontario
CANADA K6V 5T5
or call or fax us at (613) 342-1513.
You can also send us e-mail at pangaea@pangaeasci.com.
The latest news about this and other software can be found on our
WWW pages at http://www.pangaeasci.com. Our entire catalog is
on-line, along with ordering procedures and other information.
If you have problems, please give us the following information

the name of the licensed user, and
a detailed description of the problem encountered.
Depending upon the nature of the problem, we may also need to
know some details about your equipment and software configura-
tion.
260 / Problems? Suggestions?

Index
associate 6
A
auto-backup 251
alpha-beta analysis 72, 174
analysis
B
alpha-beta analysis 72, 174
backup, automatic 251
apparent dip 62, 167
Beran/Gine test 91, 95
beta analysis 68
Bingham distribution 87
borehole core 72, 174
beta analysis 68
circular histogram 97, 102,
Boolean search 51, 156
183
borehole core analysis 72, 174
cluster analysis 93, 202
cone intersection 65, 169
C
density distribution 174 cfg files 18
eigenvector analysis 85, 192 changing
Fisher analysis 90, 197 column order 111
great-circle girdle 69, 171 column width 112
histogram 100, 183 font
intersection lineation 60, 164 circular diagram 225
lineation from rake 59, 65, 69, editor 111, 210, 233
163 inclination 220
plane from lineations 61, 165 net 215
point density distribution 73, plot layout
176
circular diagram 117, 225
principal direction analysis 83,
net 115, 215
192
map 116, 220
small-circle girdle 66, 170
printer 107, 136
spatial averaging 94, 206
project code 139
subtract density peak 79, 188
symbol equivalences 139, 236,
Terzaghi bias correction 70,
251
173
symbol set 251
uniformity tests 90
circular diagram
angle, measuring
add labels 34
on circular diagram 33, 239
circular histogram 97
on net 28, 239
loading 132
apparent dip 62
saving 133
ASCII file 126
customizing 117, 225
Index / 261
SpheriStat 3
measuring angle 33, 239 D

overview 17 data format 11, 37, 113, 230
principal direction 32, 102, data set
199 adding records 39
rotate 151 entering records 39
select records 33, 55 loading 47
window 17, 32 new 37
circular histogram 97 saving 46
loading, saving 132, 133 starting 37
class alignment 98 data subset
class interval 97 creating 45
click 258 decimal character 13
clipboard 106 delete 41
formats 43 delimiter 127
close column 112 display
cluster analysis 93 setup circular diagram 225
column order 111 setup data format 230
column width 112 setup editor 212
components 10 setup map 220
cone (see small circle) setup net 215
confidence cone 86, 90 show/hide labels 236
configuration files 18 show net (group) symbols 238
contours (see point density dis- show original direction values
tribution) 234
copy 41 show structure codes and sym-
counting function 76 bols 236
counting methods (models) 76 show user structure codes 233
counts (net) (see point density stereoscopic view 234
distribution) display font 113, 212, 233
customizing display windows 9, 15, 22
circular (rose) diagram 117, distance, measuring on map 31,
225 239
editor 110, 212 double-click 259
map 116, 220 drag 259
net 115, 215 drag and drop 7
saving setups 118, 214, 220, DXF file 133
224, 230, 233, 244
cut 41 E
cylindricity index 90 edit
assign group 143
assign symbol color 144
262 / Index
Index
assign weight 144 print 135

copy record 141 save 130
copy text 143 save as 129
cut record 141 setup printer page 136
cut text 143 types 124
delete record 142 Fisher analysis 90
paste record 142 Fisher density distribution 82
paste text 143 fixed-circle counting 76
remove coordinate shift 154
rotate data 145 G
circular diagram 1510 Gaussian counting 77
net 146 Gaussian smoothing 98
undo text edit 143 Gine test 194, 196, 198, 208
editor 22 group
add records 39 edit|assign group 143
customize 110, 212 symbols 27, 238, 259
cut, copy, paste, delete 41
field edit window (FEW) 40 H
overview 15 help
window 15, 22 about SpheriStat 250
eigenvector analysis 85 contents 250
eigenvectors 84 help on help 250
elliptical cones 87 preferences 251
expected count 77 histogram
exporting 105 calculation 100
loading 132
F saving 133
features 3 smoothing 100
field edit window (FEW) 22, 26, statistics 99, 101
40
cut, copy, paste text 143 I
moving 41 import setup 126
undo text edit 143 ini files 17
file installation 6
count (contour) 132 intersection lineation 60
export 133
histogram 132 K
import setup 126 Kamb counting 77
initialization 118 keyboard 259
new 123 in editor 23
open 124 kurtosis 77
Index / 263
SpheriStat 3
L N
label net
adding, changing, deleting 34 add labels 29, 34
tool 243 hemisphere 14
linears 63, 168 measuring angle 28, 239
lineation from rake 59, 65, 69, overview 14
163 projection 26
loading rotate 146
counts (contours) 131 selecting records 29, 51, 53
data file 47, 124 symbols 27, 259
histogram 132 window 14, 26
symbol equivalences 251 non-uniform averages 96
symbols 251
P
M paste 41
main window 9 plane
map from lineations 61, 165
add labels 32, 233 from points 69, 172
customize 116, 220 great circle 26, 69, 171
measuring distance 31, 239 intersection 60, 164
moving symbols 31, 242 plot on net 26
sizing 30 pole 26, 38
symbols 29, 235, 236, 257 point 259
remove coordinate shift 154 point density distribution
rotate 56, 150 calculating 73
window 15, 29 loading 131
marker symbols 27, 38 saving 132
Mardia test 91, 95 precision 90
measuring preferences 118, 251
angle on net 26, 239 principal directions 83
angle on circular diagram 33, printing
239 data listing 107, 135
distance on map 31, 239 net, map, circular diagram 107
metafile 107, 133 preview 102, 135
placeable 134 printer
modified Flinn diagram 87 choose 107, 136
mouse scaling printout 137
definitions 259 set up 136
in map window 31 project code
in net window 26 change 139
in rose window 33 create 8
264 / Index
Index
new 8 search criteria 52

searching 50
R selecting 50
range of angle 98 by Boolean search 51
Rayleigh test 91 by text key 50
recent files (pick) list 140 characters 26
record randomly 53
edit|copy record 141 records 24
edit|cut record 141 stations 51
edit|delete record 142 with mouse 54
edit|paste record 142 setup printer 136
record structure 11 spatial averaging 94
records spherical variance 90
adding 39 standard deviation 78
entering 39 Starkey counting 76
inserting 40 starting SpheriStat 7
resultant vector 84, 90 start-up dialog box 8
rose diagram (see circular dia- stations
gram) averaging 94, 206
rotate counting 76, 176
circular diagram 57, 151 find 156
map 56, 150 stereonet map 95
net 56, 146 subtracting peak 79
subtraction method 82
S symbol equivalence file 18, 252
save saving 139
counts (contours) 132 symbol map 95
data set 47, 129 system requirements 6
histogram 133
symbol equivalences 139 T
scaling printout 137 Terzaghi bias correction 70, 173
Schmidt counting 76 text
search edit|copy text 143
clear selections 162 edit|cut text 143
find next 155 edit|paste text 143
find stations 156 edit|undo text edit 143
find text 155 search|find next 155
random selection 161 search|find text 155
restore selections 162 toolbars 10
select all records 161 tools 11
select records 156 angle selector 241
Index / 265
SpheriStat 3
freehand selector 241

label 243
map symbol mover 242
pointer 239
rectangle selector 240
triangular fabric diagram 89
U
undo text edit 42
uniformity tests 90
uninstall SpheriStat 7
V
Vollmer fabric indices 89
W
weight
as cone angle 28, 65
edit|assign weight 144
scale symbol by 207, 235, 258
weighting function 77
window
arrange icons 248
cascade 247
close all 249
close same 249
editor 246
map 247
net 246
rose 247
tile all 248
tile same 248
wmf file 107, 134
Woodcock K & C value 88
Woodcock/Naylor test 91
266 / Index

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for Windows

(95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7)

R.R.#5, Brockville, Ontario

Copyright 1990-2010 Pangaea Scientific

All rights reserved. No part of this document or of the on-line help

Unselecting Data Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Adding Records to an Existing Data Set . . . . . . . . . . 39

Calculating Apparent Dips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Statistical Analysis of Circular Orientation Data . . . 100

Reference Menu Commands

Edit|Rotate Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Analysis|Principal Direction Analysis (Net) . . . . . 192

18. Window Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

SpheriStat is an easy-to-use utility for entering structural field

a flexible Boolean search procedure for selecting data. Or

user-defined map coordinate system with proportional axis

choice of annotated or stick-figure map symbols.

New Features in Version 3

New Features in Version 3 / 5

Start-Up Dialog Box

menu command (or by clicking on the Open File tool button )

Open Editor tool button ). A blank edit window opens set up

8 / Start-Up Dialog Box

Open SpheriStats Help file

Open a saved file

Save the currently active file

Print the currently active display window

Preview print the currently active display window

Copy the current plot to the clipboard

Open an Editor window

Open a Net window

Open a Map window

Open a Circular Diagram window

Open the Data Format dialog box

Open the Setup Editor dialog box

Open the Setup Net dialog box

Open the Setup Map dialog box

Open the Setup Circular Diagram dialog box

Open the Density Distribution dialog box for the

Lower Hemisphere tool (for net window, only when

Upper Hemisphere tool (for net window, only when

Both Hemispheres tool (for net window, only when data

Pointer tool (pointer in net, map and circular diagram

Rectangle Selector tool (in map and net windows)

Freehand Selector tool (in map and net windows only)

Symbol Mover tool (in map window only)

Angle Selector tool (in circular diagram window only)

Label tool (in net, map and circular diagram windows)

any additional information (rock type, associated structures,

Structure and Group Codes

or plunge) defines the sense of the azimuth. Because of this, the

When the map window is active, SpheriStats menu shows options

Circular Diagram (Rose) Window

Circular Diagram (Rose) Window / 17

In addition to mapping one symbol to several of SpheriStats

Moving Around the Edit Screen

Selecting Data Records in the Editor

a) Click the left button in the first column (#-column) of

Unselecting Data Records

Selecting Within the Field Edit Window

Small circles (cones) are plotted by using the structure code 78 or

Using the Mouse in the Net Window

the orientations are interpreted, whether as strike/dip (plane) or