Comparison of rock discontinuity mean trace length and density estimation methods using discontinuity data from an outcrop in Wenchuan area, China

The equations that exist in the literature to estimate corrected mean trace length and corrected two-dimensional density of a rock discontinuity set using area sampling technique are critically reviewed. The discontinuity traces appearing in an outcrop in Yingxiu area in China are used along with rectangular windows to calculate the corrected mean trace length and two-dimensional density using Kulatilake and Wu’s equations. Similarly, circular windows are used along with Mauldon’s and Zhang and Einstein’s equation to calculate the mean trace length and Mauldon’s equation to calculate the two-dimensional density for the same discontinuity sets using the same outcrop discontinuity trace data. For both parameters, the predictions based on the rectangular window methods were found to be more accurate than that based on the circular window methods.