Creating Boreholes & Cross-Sections in Grapher & Surfer

Updated

While Golden Software does not offer a dedicated borehole logging package, Surfer and Grapher provide flexible, manual workarounds for visualizing subsurface data. While these programs are not a dedicated logging suite, they do offer a professional alternative for users needing report-ready 2D logs and advanced 3D subsurface modeling without the complexity of a full-scale logging package. Learn how to transform your data into clear technical displays in Grapher or transition into Surfer for complex 3D visualizations, such as lithology and contamination plumes.

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Software Version Requirement

Please be advised that certain features in this workflow use the new Template Experience which requires Grapher 26 or newer installed. Learn more

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Topics covered in this article:

Subsurface Visualization in Grapher

Example Mining and Environmental Templates in the Golden Gallery

Creating 2D Borehole Logs in Grapher

Generate Logs for Multiple Wells

Customizing Lithology Fills and Colors

Advanced Logs and Cross-Sections (with Optional Scripts)

More Visualization Options

3D Visualization and Analysis in Surfer

Create the 3D Model and Surfaces

Model Contamination Plumes (Isosurfaces)

Profiles / Cross Sections

Share results with your stakeholders

Exporting an Interactive 3D PDF

Professional Borehole Logging Alternatives

Additional Resources

Subsurface Visualization in Grapher

Grapher can be used for 2D technical displays of borehole data, such as depth logs and tadpole plots. These are created using the Line/Scatter Plot and Class Scatter Plot types.

Example Mining and Environmental Templates in the Golden Gallery

The Grapher template workflow utilizes a powerful feature in Grapher (introduced in version 26) to streamline log creation. You can access our Golden Gallery from Grapher by clicking Home | Templates | Online Templates. We offer a variety of specialized templates to help you get started quickly, ensuring your logs are professional and industry-specific.

First determine what template you want to use, review the selection listed below or go to the Golden Gallery for the full curated list. Then consult the specific template details page to ensure your data files and formats match the template's exact requirements, in some cases that includes adding specific static columns needed for plot positioning and better label alignment. Please note that all sheets must use the same units of depth (eg. meters) and align along a common vertical scale to ensure accurate visualization.

Since these templates already include the necessary plot types for a standard borehole log, you can ensure the quick, consistent, and professional generation of your report-ready documents using a simple data input dialogue.

Environmental Template
Presents a full environmental borehole log, integrating lithology, descriptive soil layers, analytical measurements, and a gamma ray geophysical log - all aligned by depth.
Tadpole Plot (Dipmeter Plot)
Visualizes the dip and dip direction of planar features, such as bedding, foliation, or fractures, along a borehole or stratigraphic column.
Feature Classed Tadpole Plot
Visualizes the orientation of planar geologic features such as bedding, fractures, and mineral veins, using a tadpole plot, where circular markers represent dip angle and tails show dip azimuth.
Drillhole logs
Shows the measurement of a substance taken at collection intervals in a well log format.
Mining Logs
Display to help understand the subsurface geology and elemental resources by showing collected information from multiple drill holes including copper, muonium, and gold. 

 

Your Image

Golden Nugget : To ensure lithology description labels align neatly to the middle of each interval layer, add a Center Depth column to your data using the formula: Center Depth = (From + To) / 2.

 

Creating 2D Borehole Logs in Grapher

The Grapher template workflow utilizes a powerful feature in Grapher (introduced in version 26) to streamline log creation. This feature allows you to instantly map prepared data into a complex, pre-built log structures, eliminating the need to design plots from scratch. Since these templates already include the necessary plot types for a standard borehole log, you can ensure the quick, consistent, and professional generation of your report-ready documents using a simple data input dialogue.

Generate Logs for Multiple Wells

By combining templates with Grapher’s Data Filter feature, you can quickly switch the active well ID for all plots in your log to generate reports for your entire project. This powerful control is crucial for production work and ensures  a consistent look across all your well graphs.

To target a unique well, you'll need to enter an expression filter in the Data Filter window (e.g., [Column A] == "MW-3A (deep)"). You must apply this filter to each data-driven plot listed in the Object Manager to ensure every plot in the plot window updates to the desired well/hole ID.

Your Image

Golden Nugget : A data filter can be applied to one or more plots of the same type (e.g., all bar charts in the same plot window). Filters are built in the Data Filter dialogue, which supports multiple inclusion and/or exclusion filters, along with Boolean operators and built-in mathematical functions . This feature is available in all plots that use data files as input (except for Radar and Stiff plots).

Customizing Lithology Fills and Colors

To define your lithology patterns (e.g., cross-hatching for sand, bricks for clay), you have a few options for applying color and fill patterns described below.  The method you choose will depend on whether you need standardized patterns or simple color coding.

  1. Using the Data Filter (For Specific Patterns) | This method provides the greatest flexibility to apply specific industry-standard fill patterns to individual lithology types.
    1. Duplicate Plots: Use the Duplicate command to create a copy of your existing log plot, including all its properties, in the plot window.
    2. Filter by Lithology: Use the Data Filter feature to set a plot to display only records matching a specific lithology type (e.g., filter to show only "GW" for Gravel).
    3. Define Fill: Manually define the color fill or pattern for that specific lithology on the duplicated plot.
    4. Repeat: Repeat the duplication and filtering process for each unique lithology type in your data.
  2. Using the Color Table (For Standardized Patterns) | The Color Table is a built-in feature that allows you to manually define both the fill patterns and colors for your log.
    1. Feature: All of your colors and fill patterns are managed within the same window, which is ideal for review and updating.
    2. Drawback: The Color Table is order-dependent and requires you to lay out the fill patterns and colors in the exact order they appear in each plot's data, which can take time to set up properly and update for each plot.
  3. Using a Color Variable (For Quick Color Coding) | Using a color variable allows you to define a fill color for each lithology directly from your data log.
    1. Feature: Speed and Flexibility: Colors are assigned from a designated worksheet column or row (which can be automated using worksheet equations), making it highly effective if you don't require specific lithology patterns. Colors can be specified in the worksheet by many different methods, see the Color variable section of the Fill Properties for more information.
    2. Drawback: Using a Color Variable allows you to define your fill color only; no patterns (like cross-hatching or bricks) can be used.

 

Advanced Logs and Cross-Sections (with Optional Scripts)   [Top]

For more advanced logging needs, Grapher offers the power of scripting to automate the creation of specialized diagrams. These scripts significantly reduce manual setup, allowing you to generate complex plots like Well Construction Diagrams quickly and efficiently.

Golden Software's Scripter is a program for developing and running scripts. A script is a text file containing a series of instructions carried out when the script is run. Instructions are written in a Visual BASIC-like programming language. Scripter offers many features to help you write, edit, run, and debug scripts. Its features include language syntax coloring, a list of the procedures defined in the script, an object browser for examining procedures available in external objects, a visual dialog editor, break points, single-step execution (including options to step over and to step out of procedures), a watch window for displaying the values of script variables, and more.

Well Construction Logs

Recreating the complex, multi-layered look of a well construction diagram is now simplified through automation. A dedicated script processes your structural data to automatically generate the diagram, saving significant time while easily incorporating complex details like casing, screens, and grout.

well_construction_example.png
Well construction example

Well Construction Log instructions

Download script and example file

Download the attached script and data file (listed below) that our Grapher team created that allows you to duplicate a standard well construction diagram

  1. Example Well data file [Example_Well_Construction_Data.xlsx]
    1. Definitions for the columns are as follows (from the script):
      Set fromCol = 1                          'starting depth values
      Set toCol = 2                               'ending depth values
      Set widthCol = 3                         'variable widths of construction sections
      Set offsetCol = 4                         'units in similar range as widths to define where construction sections are placed
      Set itemCol = 5                           'names to describe construction sections
  2. Well construction diagram Script for Grapher [Create_Well_Construction_Log.BAS]

Instructions

  1. Open the XLSX file and input your own data, keeping the headers as they are.
  2. Run the script and load the XLSX file.

Updates

The layers are separated into different layers based on Item Column.

  1. Select a Layer in the Object Manager.
  2. In the Project Manager, select the Fill tab.
  3. Set the desired color and fill for that item

More Visualization Options

Our team is continuously developing more Grapher templates to help users quickly produce report-ready graphs and logs. Keep an eye on our Golden Gallery for the latest additions! We already have various logging templates ready for you to try out in Grapher 26. If you would like to request a template please Contact Us and let our team know what you are interested in creating, we can work with you to help your team get the right visualization for your data.

Cross-Section Lithology Visualization

While Surfer is Golden Software’s primary tool for geological cross-sections, Grapher can still be used to create a vertical log display of multiple adjacent wells. By arranging individual well logs side-by-side, you can easily visualize changes in lithology across a given transect. Integrating these two programs you can create the geological surfaces in Surfer,  then export a Profile to define the soil layer contacts. Then Copy and Paste this profile into the background of your Grapher well data cross-section to create a fully integrated, report-ready graphic.

Tips and tricks

  • For lithology logs you can add a new column to your data that uses a Color Variable, then use that in the Fill Property to define a specific color for each lithology layer

Subsurface Visualization in Surfer   [Top]

Using the same interval or drillhole data, you will now build a powerful, interactive 3D model, building on Grapher’s capabilities for analysis and stakeholder communication. This portion of the workflow utilizes Surfer's advanced Drillhole Map feature to visualize complex subsurface geology and contamination in three dimensions.

Create the 3D Model and Surfaces

This process creates the foundation of your 3D model by importing your well locations and layered data. Surfer then uses its new Create Contacts feature to automatically interpolate and generate 3D surfaces representing the boundaries between your lithology layers.

Contact_Surfaces.png
Contact Surfaces example

3D Model and Surface step-by-step instructions

  1. In Surfer, click Home | New Map | Drill Hole. 
  2. In the Drillhole Data Import window, next to the Collars field click the [Browse] button and load your Collars file. 
  3. In the Drillhole Data Import window, next to the Intervals / Points field click the [Add…] button and load your data file. 
  4. In the Drillhole Data Import window, click Next. 
  5. In the Table Type: Collars dialog in the Collars Table Fields section make sure everything is mapped correctly.
  6. Click Next. 
  7. In the Table Type: Intervals/Points dialog, select the Radio button for the data type you have. 
  8. In the Source Fields section click the + in the Add column to add your USCS value and description columns. 
  9. In the Intervals Table Fields section make sure everything is mapped correctly. 
  10. Click Finish.
  11. In the Contents window, select your Drillhole layer. 
  12. In the Properties window, select the Coordinate System tab. 
  13. Check the Coordinate system field to make sure the coordinate system for the layers is set to what your raw data came in. 
    1. Click the [Set] button to set your data’s coordinate system is needed. 
  14. In the Contents window, select your Map. 
  15. In the Properties window, select the Coordinate System tab, and check (or set) your coordinate system for how you want it displayed. 
  16. In the Contents window, select your Map. 
  17. In the Properties window, select the View tab, and click the [3D View] button to view the map in 3D. 
  18. In the Contents window, click the Drill Hole Layer. 
  19. In the ribbon go to 3D View | Drill Contacts | Create command to create contact picks from drillhole data. 
  20. In the Create Contacts window define your contact points, see the Create Contacts help page for details on setting these definitions. 
    1. To use your Lithology codes to define surfaces, set the Method to Upper/Lower. 
    2. Make sure the Interval Table and the column containing your Lithology Code (e.g., USCS) are selected. 
  21. In the Create Contacts window, make sure the Create Surface checkbox is checked next to the OK button.
  22. Click OK. 
  • Result: Surfer interpolates the lithology layers between the wells, automatically generating a set of 3D surfaces.

Model Contamination Plumes (Isosurfaces)

To expand your analysis, you can model your continuous point data (e.g., contamination concentration) as a 3D plume. This involves importing the point data, creating a 3D grid (voxel), and then generating Isosurfaces to visualize contamination levels.

Isosurface.png
Isosurface example

 

Step-by-step Model Contamination Plume instructions

  1. In the Contents window, select your Drillhole layer. 
  2. In the Properties window, select the General tab. 
  3. In the View data field click the [View] button to open the Drillhole Manager window. 
  4. In the Drill Hole Manager window, click Import and add your Point data (Hole ID, Depth, Concentration Value).
    1. In the Drillhole Data Import window, next to the Intervals / Points field click the [Add…] button and load your point data file 
    2. Click Next. 
    3. Select the Point (Depth) Data radio button. 
    4. In the Source Fields section click the + in the Add column to add the columns with your data readings. 
    5. In the Points Table Fields section make sure everything is mapped correctly. 
    6. Click Finish. 
    7. Close the Drill Hole Manager window. 
  5. In the 3D View, in the Contents window select the Drill Hole Layer. 
  6. In the ribbon click Grids | New Grid | Grid Data. 
  7. In the Grid Data window, select the Drillhole XYZC radio button and make sure all the options and variables are correct. 
    1. Gridding Tips: 
      1. Adjust the gridding method (e.g., Kriging or Inverse Distance) with high Smooth and Power values, for example 12, and apply Anisotropy to extend the search in the horizontal (X and Y) direction (for example X and Y approximately 3 times the Z length). This models the typically long and skinny or ‘flat pancake’ nature of contamination flow in soil layers. 
    2. Additional Gridding resources 
      1. Choose the right gridding method in Surfer 
      2. Surfer Help > Introduction to Gridding Methods 
      3. Summary of gridding methods available in Surfer 
  8. Once the grid (Voxel) is created, select the Volume render in the Contents window. 
  9. In the ribbon click 3D View | Tools | Add to 3D Grid | Isosurface. 
  10. In the Contents window, select the new Isosurface. 
  11. In the Properties window, select the General tab and set the Isovalue to your desired threshold value. 
  12. Set the other desired visual settings. 
  13. Repeat steps 8-12 for each desired isosurface 
    1. Use multiple Isosufaces, Color Maps, and transparency for a "peeled onion" effect) to clearly visualize how the contamination plume interacts with the lithology surfaces. 
  14. Analysis: The Property Manager for each isosurface provides a calculated Volume greater than and less than the selected isovalue.
    1. Please note that Surfer takes the direct volume of your X, Y, and Z units from your input data for the 3D grid volume calculation. 
      1. For example, a grid file created from Easting(m), Northing(m), and Elevation(ft) will result in volume units of m2*ft. 
      2. You may need to use the New Projected Coordinates or Transform feature to update your grid file to make sure your Easting, Northing, and Elevation use the same units.

 

Profiles / Cross Sections

Surfer can provide a highly accurate visual representation of your soil layers based on the 3D surfaces you create. You can then use the Profile command to quickly slice through your data along a custom line, creating visuals that can simulate profile (cross-section) images from dedicated borehole logging packages.

Profile-Example.png
Profile Example

 

Step-by-step Profiles / Cross Sections instructions

  1. Save each Surface in the 3D View as a Grid.
    1. In the Contents window, in the Drillhole Surfaces section, select a specific surface. 
    2. In the Properties window, select the General tab.
    3. In the Save grid field click the [Save grid] button. 
  2. To save all surfaces created in the 3D View as grids.
    1. In the Contents window, in the Drillhole Surfaces section, select the Surfaces group. 
    2. In the Properties window, select the General tab. 
    3. In the Save all grids field click the [Save all grids] button. 
  3. Go back to your 2D plot tab in the Plot window. 
  4. Add the surface(s) to your map. 
    1. In the Contents window, select your map.
    2. In the ribbon, click Home | Add to Map | Layer | Contour. 
    3. Select the surface(s) file(s) that you want to add and click Open. 
    4. Re-order or turn off the added layers in the Contents window so your map displays as desired. 
  5. Display the profile / cross-section of the layers 
    1. In the Contents window, select your map. 
    2. In the ribbon, click Map Tools | Add to Map | Profile.
    3. Hover over your map in the Plot window and your mouse curser should be a crosshair.
    4. Click to draw your desired profile/cross section, double-clicking to define the end of the profile. 
  6. Profile Visualization Tips 
    1. Manually add wells locations to your profile 
      1. Use the Map Tools | Map Tools | Measure command to measure distances along your profile line.
      2. Use Home | Insert | Polyline command to manually draw the well representations at the correct points in your profile. 
    2. Share the contour map, or export the line geometry to a CAD or different GIS software 
      1. Use the Map Tools | Layer Tools | Export Contours command 
    3. Consider exporting your profile as an image then importing the image into Surfer using 3D View | Tools | Import Image 
      1. Keep an eye out on an upcoming Surfer version for new features related to this.

Exporting an Interactive 3D PDF for stakeholders   [Top]

Your subsurface model holds critical information, and sharing it effectively is the final step in the workflow. For non-software users and project stakeholders, the 3D PDF is the absolute best way to share your final model, offering an interactive, secure, and highly portable view of your data.

The 3D PDF format ensures that anyone with a free PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat Reader) can view and manipulate the model. Stakeholders can rotate, zoom, and turn layers on/off (drill holes, lithology surfaces, plume isosurfaces) without needing Surfer installed.

  1. Open the 3D View
  2. In the ribbon click 3D View | Output | Export 3D
 

Additional Surfer Resources

  1. Export models from Surfer's 3D View
  2. Create Interactive 3D Site Models with Surfer (webinar)
  3. From Interpolation to Presentation: Surfer's 3D Modeling Workshop (webinar)

 

Professional Borehole Logging Alternatives   [Top]

If your project requirements exceed the manual capabilities of Surfer or Grapher, specifically regarding complex database management, automated environmental reporting, or sophisticated strip-logs, consider exploring full-featured industry alternatives.

The following solutions specialize in borehole data management and logging: (In alphabetical order)

  • Aldoa: Provides advanced subsurface data visualization and management.

  • LOGitEASY: Focuses on environmental and geotechnical log drafting.

  • LogPlot: Standard for environmental and geotechnical logging.

  • Pebble Geo: Offers a modern, streamlined interface for geotechnical and geo-environmental logging with robust data validation.

  • RSLog: A cloud-based solution for geotechnical borehole logs.

  • TabLogs: Specialized for rapid on-site data collection and log generation.

 

Additional Resources   [Top]

  1. Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
    1. Wikipedia - Unified Soil Classification System
    2. ASTM International | Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)
       

 

 

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