A method for generating virtual soil profiles with complex, multi-layer stratigraphy

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for generating multi-layer, unconditional soil profiles with complex stratigraphy, which simulates the effects of natural erosion and sedimentation processes. The stratigraphy can have varying degrees of randomness and can include features such as lenses, as well as sloped and undulating layers. The method generates the soil comprising the layers using local average subdivision (LAS), and a random noise component that is added to the layer boundaries. The layers are created by generating coordinates of key points in the simulated ground profile, which are then interpolated with a customised, 2D, linear interpolation algorithm. The resulting simulations facilitate more accurate probabilistic modelling of geotechnical engineering systems because they provide more realistic geologies, such as those usually encountered in the ground. Fortran code implementing this framework is included as supplementary material.