StrainModeler: A Mathematica™-based program for 3D analysis of finite and progressive strain

• A program to analyze 3D progressive and finite strain is developed.
• The strain of any straight segment or plane is analyzed in a 3D context.
• A variety of graphic outputs allow visualization of the strain.
• An application example is devoted to the deformation of a plane by simple shear.
• The strain in recumbent folds and in a regional shear zone is analyzed.

StrainModeler is a program constructed in the Mathematica™ environment that performs 3D progressive strain calculations for lines and planes undergoing any sequence of homogeneous deformations. The main inputs to the system define the initial line or plane to be deformed and the deformation sequence to be applied, including combinations of simple shear, pure shear and volume change. For the deformation of lines, the output of the program is the change of attitude of the initial line, which can be represented by graphics or plotted in an equal-area projection. For the deformation of planes, the program has several outputs: (i) change of attitude of the initial plane; (ii) magnitudes and ratio of the semi-axes of the strain ellipse on the deformed plane; (iii) orientation of the major and minor axes of the strain ellipse on the deformed plane; (iv) orientations of the axial planes of the folds formed on the deformed plane, and (v) area change on the deformed plane. The variation of any of these parameters can be shown against a linear parameter only linked to the number of steps involved in the deformation, as a kind of “time” line, or it can be shown against the variation of a parameter of the strain ellipsoid (e. g.: major axis/minor axis ratio). A sequence of directions can be also visualized as a curve in an equal-area plot. Three applications of the program are presented. In the first, the deformation by simple shear of a plane with any orientation is analyzed. In the second, we explore the formation of recumbent folds in layers with different initial orientations for simple shear and pure shear deformations. In the third, we use StrainModeler to analyze the deformation of a set of folds located in a ductile shear zone in the Variscan Belt of NW Spain.