The structural mapping in exposed bedrock areas: methods, practice and exploration

Structural mapping is not only an important part of basic geological mapping but also the source and foundation of structural geology. The major objectives of structural geology mapping lie in finding out the spatial distribution, geometric characteristics and the kinematic properties of the geological units. Furthermore, the structural framework and the evolution can be established in mapping areas so that researchers can have a better understanding of structures'relationships with magma activities, metamorphic events, and mineralization. The primary task of structure field mapping is to define mappable units and measure various structural elements in outcrops. The details of mapping depends on the mapping scale:the larger the scale, the more the mappable structural elements. Attention should be paid to the observation and description of medium-small structures. Mappable elements need to be measured and depicted in detail. There are three methods used in the field mapping, namely crosscutting, tracking and checking. In general, the tracking method plays a more important role as the mapping scale becomes larger. Depending upon the actual conditions, these methods can be flexibly selected or modified. Various kinds of satellite images are useful throughout the field mapping.