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Fractals and Their Application in Geology

The document discusses the concept of fractals, introduced by Benoit Mandelbrot, which are geometric figures exhibiting self-similarity and irregularity. It outlines various applications of fractals in fields such as biology, geology, and finance, highlighting their utility in modeling natural objects and analyzing complex systems. Specific geological applications include studying surface roughness, fault systems, ore deposits, river networks, and seismic analysis.

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11 views12 pages

Fractals and Their Application in Geology

The document discusses the concept of fractals, introduced by Benoit Mandelbrot, which are geometric figures exhibiting self-similarity and irregularity. It outlines various applications of fractals in fields such as biology, geology, and finance, highlighting their utility in modeling natural objects and analyzing complex systems. Specific geological applications include studying surface roughness, fault systems, ore deposits, river networks, and seismic analysis.

Uploaded by

m.alifdc12345
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Fractals and Their Application in Geology

Presented to: Mr. Innayat Ullah


Presented by: Khafsa Hameed
Reg No:3040
BS ZOOLOGY (1st Semester)
Introduction:
› For centuries, mathematicians rejected complex figures, leaving
them under a single description “formless”. For centuries
geometry was unable to describe trees, landscapes, clouds and
coastlines. However in late 1970s a revolution of our world
perception was brought by the work of Benoit Mandelbrot who
introduced FRACTALS.
› Fractals are geometric figures like circles, squares, triangles
but having special properties that they are associated
with irregular geometric object. And the individual
parts are similar to the whole.
› They have property of self similarity which means that various
copies of an object can be found in the original object at
smaller size.
› The creation of most fractal involve applying some simple rule to
a set of geometric shapes or numbers and than repeating the
process.
Example of Fractals:
› A cauliflower is a perfect example of fractal where each element is a perfect
recreation of the whole. If we take a look at single floret it is a mini cauliflower with
its own little florets all arranged in spirals around a centre.

› Another example of fractals is found in peacocks wing.


› Trees, ferns, clouds, mountains are shaped like fractals. Other examples include
snowflakes, river networks and system of blood vessels etc.
› Coastlines may also be considered as fractals in nature.
› The shells of different organisms like snails etc. is also considered as example of
fractals.
Application of Fractals:
› Fractals have variety of applications. They can be used to model plants, blood vessels
etc. fractal geometry models natural objects more closely than does other geometries.

› Engineers have began designing and constructing fractals in order to solve practical
engineering problems. Fractals are used in computer graphics and even in computer
graphics and even in composing music.

› These are also being used in applications ranging from image compression to finance.
We are still only beginning to realize the full importance and usefulness of fractal
geometry
Application in Biology:
› Fractals are used in many biological applications, including:
› Morphology: Fractals can be used to model the shape of organisms, such as trees, and organs, like
vertebrate lungs.
› Allometry: The fractal nature of the circulatory system can be used to deduce allometric power
laws.
› Ecology: Fractals can be used to model the shapes of habitats and colonies, which can be caused
by processes like diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) or percolation.
› Epidemiology: Percolation can be used to describe some features of epidemics, which can lead to
fractal behaviour.
› Medicine: Fractals can be used to detect cancer and other diseases because healthy blood vessel
cells grow in an orderly fractal pattern, while cancerous cells grow abnormally.
› Physiology: Fractals can be used to model the bronchial tree, which is generated by an iterative
process that produces a dichotomously branching network.
› DNA: DNA is organized as a fractal globule, which prevents it from knotting and keeps DNA
regions on a chromosome close together in 3D.
› Heartbeat regulation: Fractal scaling analysis can be used to study the dynamics of heartbeat
Fractals in Geology:
› Analysing surface roughness:
Fractal geometry can be used to quantify the roughness of surfaces like rock
fractures or coastlines, providing insights into their physical properties and
potential interactions with fluids.
› Studying fault systems:
Fractal analysis can help characterize the distribution and connectivity of
faults, aiding in earthquake hazard assessment by identifying potential fault
networks.
› Ore deposit exploration:
Identifying fractal patterns in mineral distribution can help locate potential
ore bodies and understand their spatial variability.
› River network analysis:
Fractal geometry can be used to analyse the branching patterns of river
systems, providing insights into drainage basin dynamics and erosion process.
› Geomorphological studies:
Studying the fractal characteristics of landforms like mountains and canyons
can help understand their evolution and the underlying geological processes.
› Seismic analysis:
Fractal analysis of earthquake data can help identify patterns in earthquake
frequency and magnitude distribution, aiding in seismic hazard assessment.
Fractals in Finance:
› Finance played a crucial role in the development of fractals.
› These are used in finance to make predictions as to the risk involved for
particular stock.
Important aspects of fractal analysis in geology:
› Scale invariance:
Fractal geometry allows for the analysis of geological features across
multiple scales, which is crucial for understanding complex geological
systems.
› Fractal dimension:
By calculating the fractal dimension of a geological feature, researchers can
quantify its complexity and compare it to other features.
› Box-counting method:
A common method for calculating fractal dimension, where a feature is
covered with boxes of different sizes, and the scaling relationship between
box size and the number of boxes needed is analyzed.

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