A simple application of stereographic projection in the measurement of stratigraphic thickness

A simple method for calculating the true stratigraphic thickness of beds measured indirectly using tape and compass along sloping transects oblique to the bedding strike is described. This method minimizes the need for complex trigonometric formulae that otherwise need to be adapted to different arrangements of bedding dip direction and traverse slope direction. The method is equally useful in calculating the true thickness of stratigraphic units penetrated in boreholes, and data collected from road cuttings oblique to the strike of beds. •Easier method for calculating true thickness of stratigraphic units from traverse measurements.•Novel application of stereographic projection in stratigraphic studies.•Applications to estimation of thicknesses of units obliquely penetrated by boreholes.