News

A New Insight into the Stability of Precariously Balanced Rocks
Balázs Ludmány, Ignacio Pérez-Rey, Gábor Domokos, Mauro Muñiz-Menéndez, Leandro R. Alejano, András Á. Sipos

Abstract: Recently it became increasingly evident that the statistical distributions of size and shape descriptors of sedimentary particles reveal crucial information on their evolution and may even carry the fingerprints of their provenance as fragments. However, to unlock this trove of information, measurement of traditional geophysical shape descriptors (mostly detectable on 2D projections) is not sufficient; fully spherical 3D imaging and mathematical algorithms suitable to extract new types of inherently 3D shape descriptors are necessary. Available 3D imaging technologies force users to choose either speed or full sphericity. Only partial morphological information can be extracted in the absence of the latter (e.g., LIDAR imaging). In the case of fully spherical imaging, speed was proved to be prohibitive for obtaining meaningful statistical samples, and inherently 3D shape descriptors were not extracted. Here we present a new method by complementing a commercial, portable 3D scanner with simple hardware to quickly obtain fully spherical 3D datasets from large collections of sedimentary particles. We also present software for the automated extraction of 3D shapes and automated measurement of inherently 3D-shape properties. This technique allows for examining large samples without the need for transportation or storage of the samples, and it may also facilitate the collaboration of geographically distant research groups. We validated our software on a large sample of pebbles by comparing previously hand-measured parameters with the results of automated shape analysis. We also tested our hardware and software tools on a large pebble sample in Kawakawa Bay, New Zealand.

Fully spherical 3D datasets on sedimentary particles: Fast measurement and evaluation
Eszter Fehér, Balázs Havasi-Tóth, Balázs Ludmány

Abstract: Recently it became increasingly evident that the statistical distributions of size and shape descriptors of sedimentary particles reveal crucial information on their evolution and may even carry the fingerprints of their provenance as fragments. However, to unlock this trove of information, measurement of traditional geophysical shape descriptors (mostly detectable on 2D projections) is not sufficient; fully spherical 3D imaging and mathematical algorithms suitable to extract new types of inherently 3D shape descriptors are necessary. Available 3D imaging technologies force users to choose either speed or full sphericity. Only partial morphological information can be extracted in the absence of the latter (e.g., LIDAR imaging). In the case of fully spherical imaging, speed was proved to be prohibitive for obtaining meaningful statistical samples, and inherently 3D shape descriptors were not extracted. Here we present a new method by complementing a commercial, portable 3D scanner with simple hardware to quickly obtain fully spherical 3D datasets from large collections of sedimentary particles. We also present software for the automated extraction of 3D shapes and automated measurement of inherently 3D-shape properties. This technique allows for examining large samples without the need for transportation or storage of the samples, and it may also facilitate the collaboration of geographically distant research groups. We validated our software on a large sample of pebbles by comparing previously hand-measured parameters with the results of automated shape analysis. We also tested our hardware and software tools on a large pebble sample in Kawakawa Bay, New Zealand.

A discrete time evolution model for fracture networks
Gábor Domokos, Krisztina Regős

Abstract: We examine geological crack patterns using the mean field theory of convex mosaics. We assign the pair (n̅^∗, v̅^∗) of average corner degrees to each crack pattern and we define two local, random evolutionary steps R₀ and R₁, corresponding to secondary fracture and rearrangement of cracks, respectively. Random sequences of these steps result in trajectories on the (n̅^∗, v̅^∗) plane. We prove the existence of limit points for several types of trajectories. Also, we prove that cell density ρ̅=n̅^∗/v̅^∗ increases monotonically under any admissible trajectory.

On k-diametral point configurations in Minkowski spaces
Károly Bezdek, Zsolt Lángi

Abstract: The structure of k-diametral point configurations in Minkowski d-space is shown to be closely related to the properties of k-antipodal point configurations in ℝ^d. In particular, the maximum size of k-diametral point configurations of Minkowski d-spaces is obtained for given k≥2 and d≥2 generalizing Petty’s results on equilateral sets in Minkowski spaces. Furthermore, bounds are derived for the maximum size of k-diametral point configurations in given Minkowski d-space (resp., Euclidean d-space). Some of these results have analogues for point sets, which are discussed as well. In the proofs convexity methods are combined with volumetric estimates and combinatorial properties of diameter graphs.