Rock Mass Characterization: A Focus on Geometrical Features of Discontinuities

Dear Colleagues,

Discontinuities are an intrinsic characteristic of rock masses, and they appear at every scale of a technical survey. The International Society for Rock Mechanics has proposed quantitative descriptors of discontinuities (ISRM, 1978). Discontinuity geometry is mainly characterized by location, orientation, spacing, and persistence. Since discontinuities have essential effects on rock mass behavior, it is crucial to estimate their mean geometry. 

The automatization of the non-contact survey of discontinuity orientation is a recurrent topic in the research community. On the other hand, spacing and persistence are still the most challenging characteristics to be determined. The natural variability of discontinuity spacing in a rock mass leads to difficulties in collecting enough data to properly describe its statistical distribution. Moreover, direct measurements of true discontinuity persistence are quite impossible to obtain. In this regard, discontinuity trace assumes an essential role, due to the fact that a rock discontinuity, which is usually assumed to be planar, appears as a trace on a rock exposure (e.g., natural outcroppings, tunnel walls), and its measurements give information regarding discontinuity size. However, non-contact survey methods for spacing surveys, and trace mapping on a representation of the rock mass, such as an image or a digital model, do exist.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect all research developments related to non-contact survey methods devoted to rock mass characterization, with a special focus on geometrical features of discontinuities, combining multidisciplinary approaches coming from rock mechanics, geology, remote sensing, and numerical simulations, to provide a comprehensive update of the state-of-the-art findings in this field.

Dr. Gessica Umili
Dr. Lauri Uotinen
Prof. Dr. Nick Barton
Guest Editors

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• discontinuity trace
• discontinuity orientation
• discontinuity persistence
• discontinuity spacing
• trace mapping
• rock mass
• non-contact survey