A block diagram is a sketch of a relief model—in particular, a representation of a landscape in a perspective projection. Lobeck (1958), perfecting the art of block diagram construction, defined these illustrations as plane figures that represent an imaginary rectangular block of the Earth's crust in what appears as a three-dimensional perspective. The top of the block gives a bird's-eye view of the ground surface, and the side gives the underlying geologic structure. These three-dimensional landscape models, when suitably cut and placed, enable examination of the surface and two of the lateral faces. Different types of block diagrams have been developed (Monkhouse and Wilkinson, 1971), but most are based on the simple isometric diagram that is prepared from a series of profiles. The need for these pseudo-three-dimensional diagrams is, according to Lawrence (1971), often encountered in the interpretation of landforms. They also provide useful summaries of field conditions for a...
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References
Lawrence, G. R. P., 1971, Cartographic Methods. London: Methuen, 153p.
Lobeck, A. K., 1958, Block Diagrams and Other Graphic Methods Used in Geology and Geography. Amherst, Mass.: Emerson-Trussell Book Company, 206p.
Monkhouse, R. J. and Wilkinson, H. R., 1971, Maps and Diagrams. London: Methuen, 330p.
Robinson, A. H., 1960, Elements of Cartography. New York: Wiley, 343p.
Schou, A., 1962, The Construction and Drawing of Block Diagrams. London: Nelson, 33p.
Speck, N. H., R. L. Wright, G. K. Rutherford, K. Fitzgerald, F. Thomas, J. M. Arnold, J. J. Basinski, E. A. Fitzpatrick, M. Lazarides, and R. A. Perry, 1964. General Report on the Lands of the West Kimberley Area, W.A., CSIRO (Australia) Land Research Series No. 9, Melbourne, Victoria, 219p.
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© 1988 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
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Finkl, C.W. (1988). Block diagram . In: General Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_10
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