Glossary

Term   Definition
Batter Refers to the slope of a wall. For example, an excavator digs to a 'batter angle' to achieve a dig wall to the design batter angle.
Bench

When a high wall becomes too high for safety, a bench is used to act as a buffer for falling rocks. This is where a digging machine (e.g. excavator or dragline) sites while digging material below this level.
Crest The line along the top of a wall.
Toe The line along the base of a wall.
Wall Steeply angled slope between a crest and a toe.
Breakline A line with a series of vertices that defines points of inflection in the topographic surface of the earth (i.e. places where there are sharp changes in the direction of slope on the earth's surface).
Chainage Chainage (running distance) is the distance along a curved or straight survey line from a fixed commencing point, similar to mileage. Alternatively: A length as measured by a surveyor's chain or tape.
Database Database is another name for the working file for data in Maptek software. All data is contained within the Database file and is not accessible from Windows. More
Dip, Dip Angle, Dip Direction

The Dip Angle gives the steepest angle of descent of a tilted bed or feature relative to a horizontal plane, and is given by the number (0°-90°). The Dip Direction (0°-360°) is the horizontal direction the dip is pointing when measured clockwise from North. The Strike Direction is always 90° less than the Dip Direction. The Strike Angle is also measured clockwise from North and, as already stated, equals the Dip Direction -  90°.

The basis for this orientation system is the American Right Hand Rule: 1) Place your right hand palm down along the steepest grade. 2) Place fingers pointing downwards - that is the Dip Direction. 3) Extend thumb out to the left of the fingers - the thumb points in the Strike Direction. 4) Measure Dip Direction and Strike Direction clockwise from North. See also the Query dip and strike function.

Typical Dip and Strike indication shown by software. Example depicting the Dip and Strike along with elements showing the full derivation including Right Hand Rule.
Edges Straight lines that join the vertices of a facet form the edges.
Facet A simple plane represented by a filled polygon with co-planar vertices. It is used as a basic building block to build 3D surfaces in software. Generally, surfaces are made up of a collection of facets joined together to approximate the shape of a real object, or to create a custom or a virtual object. Two common facet types include triangles and quadrilaterals.
Sphere constructed of quadrilateral facets. Sphere constructed of triangular facets.

Red dots = Vertices.
Yellow lines = Edges.
Facet network See Surface.    
Frustum The part of a solid, such as a cone or pyramid, between two parallel planes cutting the solid, especially the section between the base and a plane parallel to the base.
Geodesy The study of the shape of the Earth and the determination of the exact position of geographical points (latitude, longitude and elevation). Geodetic - and activity relating to geodesy. Geodesist - a person undertaking geodettic work.
Great circle A great circle of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the centre point of the sphere.
Plunge See Trend.
Project A project file stores data and results of analyses which can be opened in a project session. The project file (also termed a database file) uses the extension .maptekdb and can't be accessed by other programs.
Rill See Windrow.
Rose diagram A circular histogram plot that displays directional data and the frequency of each class.
Stereonet A stereonet (or stereogram or hemispherical projection) is a way of representing 3-dimensional directions on a 2-dimensional surface. The net is a projection from the point onto the equator.
Strike The strike line of a bed, fault, or other planar feature is a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane. On a geologic map, this is represented with a short straight line segment oriented parallel to the strike line. Refer to Dip.
Surface

In software - a collection of joined facets generally used to represent a 3D object.

Trend
Trend and plunge refer to the characteristics of a linear geological feature and are related to the dip and strike of a slope. The trend is the angle to the line of the feature, measured from the North direction. The plunge is the vertical angle dropping from a horizontal line to the feature line where it sits along the slope. Note that the plunge is generally less than the dip of the slope. When the feature runs perpendicular to the strike of the slope, the plunge will be equal to the dip of the slope.
Triangulation A surface consisting only of triangle-shaped facets.
Vertices Vertices are the points that define the corners of a facet. (Singular: Vertex)
Windrow Loose material that has been pushed to an edge, generally used to prevent vehicles from driving off high walls or outside of designated roads, as well as for establishing boundaries.