Computers & Geosciences 51 (2013) 34–48

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Computers & Geosciences

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CGDK: An extensible CorelDRAW VBA program for geological drafting

Jun-Ting Qiu a,b,n, Wan-Jiao Song b, Cheng-Xin Jiang b, Han Wu c, Raymond M. Dong d

a China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, Chinab School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, Chinac Geological Lab Center, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, Chinad University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:

Received 20 October 2011

Received in revised form

12 July 2012

Accepted 13 July 2012Available online 5 August 2012

Keywords:

VBA

CorelDRAW

Excel

Software

CGDK

Geological drafting

04/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. A

x.doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2012.07.020

esponding author. Tel.: þ861 590 102 2978;

ail address: midimyself@126.com (J.-T. Qiu).

a b s t r a c t

Corel Geological Drafting Kit (CGDK), a program written in VBA, has been designed to assist geologists

and geochemists with their drafting work. It obtains geological data from a running Excel application

directly, and uses the data to plot geochemical diagrams and to construct stratigraphic columns. The

software also contains functions for creating stereographic projections and rose diagrams, which can be

used for spatial analysis, on a calibrated geological map. The user-friendly program has been tested to

work with CorelDRAW 13–14–15 and Excel 2003–2007.

& 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

CorelDRAWTM Graphic Suite is a graphic software packageproduced by the Canadian Corel Corporation that provides power-ful tools for drawing geological maps, geological profiles, crosssections, and stratigraphic columns. Although CorelDRAW is oneof the most widely used graphic applications in geology, it hasseveral shortcomings. For example, when constructing a strati-graphic column, the user must draw, reposition, resize, and fillshapes manually, which is both time consuming and inaccurate.Additionally, because CorelDRAW does not provide features forplotting diagrams, users must plot diagrams in Microsoft ExcelTM

or some other statistical software first before copying and pastingthe diagrams to CorelDRAW for modification. Although the abovemethod is widely used, the diagrams moved from Excel toCorelDRAW usually contain many redundant or duplicativeshapes and lines, which must be removed before adding com-ments and explanations to the diagram.

In order to improve the efficiency and convenience of geolo-gical drafting, this paper presents an extensible CorelDRAW VBAprogram, Corel Geological Drafting Kit (CGDK) for geologists andgeochemists. The main functions of CGDK include calibratinggeological maps, creating stereographic projections and rosediagrams, constructing stratigraphic columns and plotting geo-chemical diagrams. The details of CGDK and several examples ofthe program are presented in this paper.

ll rights reserved.

fax: þ861 082 326 956.

2. Features of CGDK

2.1. Installation

An executable file named ‘‘setup.exe’’ is provided for softwareinstallation (Fig. 1a). By double-clicking on this file, users start aninstallation procedure in which initially an environment test isperformed automatically to check whether the computer can runthe software.

CGDK requires CorelDRAW 13 or later and Excel 2003 or 2007to be installed on users’ computer. If these requirements are met,the test will pass and a green text message will appear in thelower-left corner of the ‘‘Deploy’’ window (Fig. 1b). Also, the‘‘Install’’ button will become clickable.

After clicking on the ‘‘Install’’ button (Fig. 1b), the programbegins to deploy the software files. A few seconds later, a messagebox will pop up to inform the user of successful deployment(Fig. 1c) and a toolbar with 12 buttons named ‘‘Corel GeologicalDrafting Kit’’ will be added in the active CorelDRAW workspace(Fig. 1d). The whole procedure will be completed after restartingthe operating CorelDRAW application.

2.2. Acquiring data from a running Excel application

CGDK supports data acquisition from a running Excel applica-tion. The acquisition procedure can be performed by first clickingon the ‘‘Data input’’ button (Fig. 2a) to open or activate anExcel file, then specifying a data range in an Excel spreadsheet(Fig. 2b), and finally adding this range to CGDK by clicking on the

Fig. 1. CGDK installation. (a) Setup.exe. (b) Deploy window. (c) Message box that informs users of successful installation. (d) CGDK toolbar. Buttons displayed in CGDK

toolbar (from left to right) are ‘‘Calibrate map’’, ‘‘Show GPS’’, ‘‘Plot on map’’, ‘‘Move to’’, ‘‘Draw projection’’, ‘‘Common tool’’, ‘‘Stratigraphic column’’, ‘‘Template designer’’,

‘‘Geochemical diagram’’, ‘‘Series editor’’, ‘‘Template manager’’, and ‘‘About’’.

Fig. 2. Acquiring Data from Excel. (a) The ‘‘Data input’’ button, which is shown as an Excel icon (left) is coupled with a ‘‘Data delete’’ button (right). (b) An Excel

spreadsheet. (c) Confirmation box. (d) The address of the data range is displayed in the textbox, indicating that the data have been added successfully. (e) The address of

the data range is cleared by the program, indicating the data have been removed.

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Fig. 3. Saving and loading a template. (a) CGDK toolbar with the ‘‘Template manager’’ button highlighted. (b) The ‘‘Template manager’’ window. (c) A selection area which

contains all the template elements. (d) The ‘‘Save template’’ window, in which users enter the name and description for a template. (e) Select a template from the template

list. (f) Place the template on CorelDRAW page.

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‘‘OK’’ button located in upper-left corner of the screen (Fig. 2c).Once a range is added, its address will be automatically displayedin the textbox on the left side of the ‘‘Data input’’ button,indicating that the data have been added successfully (Fig. 2d).

The ‘‘Data input’’ button is always coupled with a ‘‘Datadelete’’ button on its right side. By clicking on the ‘‘Data delete’’button, a selected range will be removed from CGDK and theaddress of the selected range will be cleared by the program(Fig. 2e).

2.3. Features designed for geochemistry

Geochemical diagrams are basic and convenient geochemicalanalysis tools, helping geochemists classify rock types (e.g., LeMaitre, 1976; Herron, 1988; Frost et al., 2001; Frost and Frost,2008), study crustal evolution (e.g., Taylor and McLennan, 1995;Rollinson, 2008), distinguish between different tectonic settings(e.g., Pearce and Cann, 1971, 1973; Pearce and Gale, 1977; Wood,1980; Brown et al., 1984; Pearce et al., 1984), and interpret theprovenance of sediments (e.g., Belousova et al., 2002). Particularlyvaluable is the ability to plot data onto an existing diagram or

template (e.g., MacDonald and Katsura, 1964; Kuno, 1966; Irvineand Baragar, 1971), so users can compare their work withprevious works and interpret their own data based on a largernumber of statistical results.

CGDK offers three main categories of templates: X–Y scatterplots, triangular plots, and ‘‘spider’’ plots. Each category containsa series of templates, such as the total alkalis-silica (TAS) diagram,Alkalis-FeOn-MgO (AFM) diagram, and the primitive mantlenormalized diagram. A ‘‘Template manager’’ tool is available fortemplate management. References for the templates offered byCGDK are listed in Appendix A1.

Besides the templates offered by CGDK, new templates can beeasily developed using the ‘‘Template designer’’ tool, whichprovides a series of features for the establishment of a templatecoordinate system, and for the creation of template elements.

2.3.1. Saving and loading a template

A diagram template is a group of CorelDRAW standard shapes,which are easy to modify but difficult to manage. The manage-ment difficulty arises in distinguishing a specific template from

Fig. 4. Plotting a geochemical diagram. (a) CGDK toolbar with the ‘‘Geochemical diagram’’ button highlighted. (b) The ‘‘Plot geochemistry diagram’’ window, in which users

input the data series for plotting a diagram.

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another. CGDK solves this problem by offering a ‘‘Templatemanager’’ tool, which divides the templates into different groupsby category and purpose. A name list is available for users tobrowse, and an information box is offered to display templatedescriptions.

The ‘‘Template manager’’ window can be opened by clickingon the ‘‘Template manager’’ button in the CGDK toolbar (Fig. 3a).A template group can then be selected from the drop-down list atthe top of the ‘‘Template manager’’ window (Fig. 3b). If users needto save a template, they must specify a rectangle selection area onthe CorelDRAW page that contains all the template elements(Fig. 3c) and click on the ‘‘Save’’ button (Fig. 3b) to show the ‘‘Savetemplate’’ window (Fig. 3d) where the template name and thedescription can be added. After inputting the name and thedescription, users must click on the ‘‘Save’’ button in the ‘‘Savetemplate’’ window to finish the procedure (Fig. 3d).

Users can also load a template by selecting one from the listbox and clicking on the ‘‘Load’’ button (Fig. 3e). After theoperation, the mouse cursor changes into a cross, indicating thatthe program is ready for users to locate the template. By leftclicking on a CorelDRAW page, users can place the template onthe page (Fig. 3f).

2.3.2. Plotting a geochemical diagram with a template

Once a diagram template has been placed on a CorelDRAWpage, the first step in creating a plot is to click on the ‘‘Geochem-ical diagram’’ button in the CGDK toolbar (Fig. 4a) to open the‘‘Plot geochemistry diagram’’ window (Fig. 4b). The ‘‘Plot geo-chemistry diagram’’ window, whose components change witheach template category, has the ability to distinguish betweendifferent categories of templates.

After opening the ‘‘Plot geochemistry diagram’’ window, a dataacquisition procedure is required. The method of adding data hasbeen described in Section 2.2, while the examples of data seriesused to create different categories of diagrams are displayed inFig. 5. Triangular diagrams need three series of data for the Top,Left, and Right axes (Fig. 5a), X–Y scatter diagrams require twoseries of data for the X and Y axes (Fig. 5b), and spider diagramsneed only one data series for the Y axes. For spider diagrams,users must specify whether the Y values are arranged in columns(Fig. 5c) or in rows (Fig. 5d) by selecting the corresponding optionbutton in the ‘‘Plot geochemistry diagram’’ window.

After inputting the entire data series for a sample, users mustclick on the ‘‘Add’’ button to add the current sample series intoCGDK series list (Fig. 4b). Usually, several series of samples maybe added, so it is recommended to enter a name for identificationbefore adding the series to the list. Finally, users click on the‘‘Plot’’ (Fig. 4b) button to create a geochemical diagram. Theresults are shown in Fig. 5e.

2.3.3. Customizing a sample series

In a default situation, the data points in one sample series arerepresented by rectangles and organized in a CorelDRAW shapegroup object (Fig. 6a). The filling color, border width, line style,and text font of these data points can be easily modified by usingthe tools offered by CorelDRAW. Additionally, CGDK provides a‘‘Series editor’’ tool to automatically replace rectangles withcustom symbols. By clicking on the ‘‘Series editor’’ button(Fig. 6b) in the CGDK toolbar, users can open the ‘‘Series editor’’window (Fig. 6c). Before replacing data, users must set a customsymbol by selecting one (Fig. 6d) and clicking on the ‘‘Set symbol’’button located in the ‘‘Series editor’’ window (Fig. 6c). To perform

Fig. 5. Examples of geochemical diagrams plotted by CGDK. (a) Data series for plotting a triangular diagram. (b) Data series for plotting an X–Y scatter diagram. (c) and

(d) Data series for plotting a spider diagram. (e) The outputs of geochemical diagrams.

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the replacement, users must select a sample series desired to bereplaced (Fig. 6e) and click on the ‘‘Replace’’ button (Fig. 6c).The result is shown in Fig. 6f.

2.3.4. Creating a new template

Although several templates are available for geochemicalanalysis, new ones can be supplemented to handle additionalgeochemical problems.

Usually, a geochemical diagram contains a frame that definesdiagram size, a coordinate system, and graphic elements, such asaxes, classification lines, data points, and labels. The frame andlabels can be created by using the tools provided by CorelDRAW,whereas other elements, including the coordinate system, axes,classification lines, and data points must be created with ‘‘Tem-plate designer’’ tool.

The ‘‘Template designer’’ window consists of three pages: (1)Coordinate, (2) Axis, and (3) Marks. Users can switch betweendifferent pages by clicking on the buttons at the top of the‘‘Template designer’’ window. Once a frame is selected, a calibra-tion procedure can be performed by clicking on the ‘‘Coordinate’’button and defining the boundary values. The triangular templaterequires no boundary value, the X–Y scatter diagram requires fourvalues for the left, right, top, and bottom boundaries, and thespider diagram requires two values for the top and bottomboundaries as well as a series of data obtained from Excel forthe normalizing values. After calibration, axes can be added by

clicking on the ‘‘Axis’’ button and defining the axis interval valuesin the textbox where commas are employed to separate thevalues. The classification lines and data marks can be defined inthe ‘‘Marks’’ page. The method of creating classification lines andmarks is similar to that of creating axis.

The following example shows how to create a TAS (Le Maitreet al., 1989) template with the ‘‘Template designer’’ tool. First,click on the ‘‘Template designer’’ button (Fig. 7a) to open the‘‘Template designer’’ window and choose a diagram type (Fig. 7b)from the drop-down list at the top of the ‘‘Template designer’’window. Here, the second option ‘‘Scatter diagram’’ should beselected since TAS is an X–Y scatter diagram. Then, create atemplate frame by drawing a rectangle on a CorelDRAW page(Fig. 7c), build up the coordinate system for the frame by definingthe left, right, top, and bottom values in the textboxes in the‘‘Template designer’’ window (Fig. 7b), and click on the ‘‘Estab-lish’’ button (Fig. 7b). Next, click on the ‘‘Axis’’ button (Fig. 7d),enter interval values in X-axis and Y-axis textboxes using commasto separate each number, and click on the ‘‘Draw axis’’ button(Fig. 7d). Finally, click on the ‘‘Marks’’ button, input the coordi-nates of each turning node of a classification line, and click on the‘‘Draw curve’’ button (Fig. 7e). Fig. 7f shows the relevant informa-tion that has been added for the creation of the classification linesin a TAS diagram. Users can also employ the tools offered byCorelDRAW to add labels to the template (Fig. 7g).

In addition, CGDK provides alternative ways to create a diagramtemplate. For example, it allows users to develop templates with bmp

Fig. 6. Customizing a series. (a) Use tools offered by CorelDRAW to customize data points. (b) CGDK toolbar with the ‘‘Series editor’’ button highlighted. (c) The ‘‘Series

editor’’ window. (d) Select a legend symbol. (e) Select the sample series desired to be replaced. (f) The rectangles are replaced with stars.

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(Bitmap) pictures. The following example shows how to use a bmpformat diagram to create a 10,000nGa/Al vs. Nb template:

First, copy a.bmp image from an article (e.g., Wong et al., 2009)and paste it to CorelDRAW (Fig. 8a). To calibrate the template,first draw a frame whose left, right, top, and bottom bordersoverlap with the original grid lines (Fig. 8a). Next, open the‘‘Template designer’’ window, choose a diagram type, input theleft, right, top, and bottom values according to the overlappedgrid lines, and click on the ‘‘Establish’’ button (Fig. 8b). Finally,hide the frame and use ‘‘Template manager’’ to save the template(Fig. 8c).

The method of creating a template with a.bmp image is lesstime consuming than the former method since an existentdiagram is used as a background as opposed to having to createthe graphic elements, but depends on the availability of a high-resolution.bmp image. In order to check the accuracy of plottingon the template created by this method, the geochemical data ofBaijuhuajian granite (Wong et al., 2009) has been re-plotted onthis template. The new plotted data points represented by starsoverlap the original data points marked by rectangles. Fig. 8d

displays the results and indicates that the calibration of thetemplate is accurate.

2.4. Features designed for stratigraphy

Stratigraphic columns are widely used for stratigraphic unitdivision and comparison (e.g., Vogel et al., 1998; Michelsen andClausen, 2002; Vilas et al., 2003). They can also be used to reflectthe changing deposition environment (e.g., Weissheimer de Borbaet al., 2004). In some cases, elements of a stratigraphic columncan be drawn by rectangles and filled with specified patterns andsymbols that represent different rock types. The height of arectangle normally represents thickness of a rock layer (Miall,1984; Tucker, 1988), while the width normally represents theaverage grain size of the layer (Krumbein and Sloss, 1963).

In modern stratigraphic studies, other types of columns anddiagrams, such as magnetostratigraphic columns, magnetostrati-graphic diagrams, chronostratigraphic columns, element concen-tration diagrams, and temperature change diagrams are also

Fig. 7. Creating a template. (a) The ‘‘Template designer’’ button in CGDK toolbar. (b) The ‘‘Template designer’’ window. (c) Draw a rectangle. (d) Create axis intervals.

(e) Create the classification lines. (f) Relevant information that has been added on the TAS template (g) Use text tools provided by CorelDRAW to add labels to the template.

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provided along with stratigraphic columns (e.g., Cirilli et al., 2009;Glen et al., 2009).

2.4.1. Drawing a stratigraphic column

During the process of creating a stratigraphic column, CGDKfirst reads the thickness and grain size data and creates rectangleswith different heights and widths before trying to fill eachrectangle based on its lithology. A rectangle whose lithology isnot registered will automatically be unfilled by the program. Thelithology registration can be done in the ‘‘Lithology’’ windowwhere there are two list boxes. The right list box displays all thelithologies that have been registered in the previous work, whilethe left list box displays the lithologies of the rectangles that aregoing to be filled. Registered lithologies in the left list box aremarked so they can be distinguished from the unregisteredlithologies. To perform a registration, choose an unregisteredlithology from the left list box, select a legend shape filled withthe desired colors or patterns from the CorelDRAW page, and clickon the ‘‘Set’’ button. The registered lithology will be stored byCGDK for future use.

The following example shows the instructions for creating astratigraphic column:

First, click on the ‘‘Stratigraphic column’’ button in the CGDKtoolbar (Fig. 9a) to show the ‘‘Draw stratigraphic columns’’

window (Fig. 9b). Then, get the thickness, grain size and lithologydata from an Excel file (Fig. 9b). Next, click on the ‘‘Set lithology’’button (Fig. 9b) to show the ‘‘Lithology’’ window (Fig. 9c). Choosean unregistered lithology from the left list box (Fig. 9c), select alegend shape from the CorelDRAW page (Fig. 9d), and click on the‘‘Set’’ button (Fig. 9c). After all legends have been registered, clickon the ‘‘OK’’ button (Fig. 9c). Next, draw a rectangle whose heightrepresents the total thickness of all layers and whose widthstands for the maximum grain size of all layers (Fig. 9e). Finally,click on the ‘‘Draw’’ button (Fig. 9b) to build the stratigraphiccolumn (Fig. 9e).

2.4.2. Drawing other columns

Besides stratigraphic columns, CGDK provides three othercategories of columns, including the polyline, smooth line, andmagnetostratigraphic columns. Users can choose a column typefrom the drop-down list at the top of ‘‘Draw stratigraphiccolumns’’ window (Fig. 10a).

The polyline (Fig. 10b) and the smooth line (Fig. 10c) columnsneed two data series for ‘‘Thicknesses’’ and ‘‘X values’’, where the‘‘X’’ may represent grain size, element concentration, or anotherfeature of a layer. For example, if ‘‘X’’ stands for grain size, thecolumns can be used to reflect the sea level change during periodsof deposition formation (Nørgaard-Pedersen et al., 2006).

Fig. 8. Developing a template with a BMP picture. (a) Copy a BMP picture from an article and draw a rectangle. (b) Input the coordinate information of the template.

(c) Hide the rectangle and save the template with ‘‘Template manager’’. (d) The geochemical data of Baijuhuajian granite are re-plotted on the template and are

represented by red stars that overlap the original data points, indicating an accurate calibration of the template.

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The magnetostratigraphic column (Fig. 10d) requires two dataseries for the thicknesses and polarities. The method of creating amagnetostratigraphic column is similar to that of building astratigraphic column as described in Section 2.4.1.

2.4.3. Drawing diagrams

In Sections 2.3.2 and 2.3.4 we introduced the methods forcreating templates and plotting geochemical diagrams, and thesemethods can also be used to create diagrams for stratigraphicanalysis. The following example shows how to create a TOC (TotalOrganic Carbon) vs. depth diagram.

First, duplicate the rectangle that has been used for creating astratigraphic column (Fig. 11a). Then, open the ‘‘Templatedesigner’’ window, choose ‘‘Scatter diagram’’ from the drop-downlist, input the left, right, bottom and, top values, and click on the‘‘Establish’’ button (Fig. 11b).

Next, open the ‘‘Plot geochemical diagram’’ window (Fig. 11c),enter the X and Y values (Fig. 11c and d), click on the ‘‘Add’’button, select the ‘‘Draw connecting curve’’ checkbox, and click onthe ‘‘Plot’’ button to draw the diagram (Fig. 11a).

In some studies (e.g., Brault et al., 2004; Mazumder and Sarkar,2004), rose diagrams are used to indicate paleocurrent directions.A series of rose diagrams along with a stratigraphic column reflectchanges of paleocurrent directions through time (Fig. 11e), whichis significant for basin analysis. The rose diagram can be createdby CGDK, and the methodology will be described in Section 2.5.2.

2.5. Features designed for field geology

2.5.1. Convenient tools for filling shapes and areas

A geological map is used to show geological features of anarea. Rock types and stratigraphic units are shown in differentcolors, patterns and symbols to indicate where they are exposedin the area.

CorelDRAW provides several widely used tools, such as buretteand paint barrel to copy and assign filling and outline styles from alegend to a specified shape or area. In some cases, however, usersmust flip between burette and paint barrel frequently, which isboth tedious and inconvenient. CGDK provides a smart filling toolto solve this problem. The tool can memorize the filling and outlinestyles of a legend when left clicking on the legend with the ‘‘Shift’’key pressed, and can assign the remembered styles to a specifiedshape or area when clicking on the area with the ‘‘Shift’’ keyreleased. The following example shows the procedure:

First, click on the ‘‘Common tool’’ button to open the ‘‘Commontools’’ window (Fig. 12a) where there are two options (‘‘Fill’’ and‘‘Outline’’). With the first option (‘‘Fill’’) selected, the program fillsthe specified area with the memorized fill style, and with thesecond option (‘‘Outline’’) selected, the program assigns the out-line style to the specified shape. Then, click on the ‘‘Smart fill’’button (Fig. 12b). Next, click on a legend shape with the ‘‘Shift’’key pressed (Fig. 12c). Finally, click on an area with the ‘‘Shift’’ keyreleased to assign the memorized style to the area (Fig. 12d).Continue clicking on the areas desired to be filled (Fig. 12e) beforepressing ‘‘ESC’’ key to end the procedure.

Not only can the ‘‘Smart filling’’ tool be used to fill shapes, butit can also be used to modify geological boundaries, such as faultsand unconformities (Fig. 12f).

2.5.2. Creating stereographic projections and rose diagrams

Stereographic projections and rose diagrams are importanttools for structural analysis. The stereographic diagrams of joints,faults, folds, and cleavages along with a geological map help theuser determine the stress field of an area (e.g., Whitaker andEngelder, 2005). Rose diagrams of bedding orientations andpebbles reflect paleocurrent directions (e.g., Franks et al., 1959)and can thus be used to interpret the evolution of basins andorogenic belts (e.g., Maejima et al., 2004).

Fig. 9. Drawing a stratigraphic column. (a) The ‘‘Stratigraphic column’’ button in CGDK toolbar. (b) The ‘‘Draw stratigraphic columns’’ window. (c) The ‘‘Lithology’’ window.

(d) Select a legend shape for a lithology. The registered lithology will be stored for future use. (e) The stratigraphic column that is created by CGDK. A legend list is also

created along with the stratigraphic column.

1 http://home.hiwaay.net/�taylorc/toolbox/geography/geoutm.html.

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To create a stereographic projection or rose diagram withCGDK, users need to follow the steps below:

Click on the ‘‘Draw projection’’ button (Fig. 13a) to open the‘‘Projection & diagram’’ window, obtain azimuth and dip datafrom an Excel file (Fig. 13b), and draw a circle (Fig. 13c). If astereographic projection is to be created, users must specify thetype of structure (planar or linear) (Fig. 13b), whereas if a rosediagram is to be created, users must define the type (strike,azimuth or dip) of rose diagram by selecting the correspondingoption in the ‘‘Projection and diagram’’ window (Fig. 13b). Finally,click on the ‘‘Projection’’ or ‘‘Rose diagram’’ button to create astereographic projection or rose diagram (Fig. 13b). The resultsare shown in Fig. 13d.

2.5.3. Calibrating a UTM geological map

The coordinate system in CorelDRAW is orthogonal with theorigin located in the lower-left corner of the CorelDRAW page.Positions in this coordinate system are measured in document unit,rather than latitude and longitude. Although linear interpolation

may be used to convert latitudes and longitudes into X and Y

coordinates, this method works only on small-sized maps withlarge scales at low latitudes.

Because the earth is three-dimensional, several map projec-tions (e.g., Mercator, Gauss–Kruger, Universal Transverse Merca-tor (UTM), and Lambert), and many datum planes (e.g., WGS84,NAD83, GRS 80, WGS72) have been used to represent its surfaceon plane maps. As long as we know the map projection informa-tion, the datum plane and several calibration points with latitudesand longitudes, we can use these datasets to calibrate the mapand exploit the datasets to represent other positions on the samemap. A UTM conversion file1 has been revised and used to developa feature of CGDK that allows users to calibrate a UTM WGS84map with two calibration points.

By clicking on the ‘‘Calibrate map’’ button in the CGDK toolbar,users start a calibration procedure during which users are prompted

Fig. 10. Other available columns provided by CGDK. (a) Polyline column.

(b) Smooth line column. (c) Magnetostratigraphic column.

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to specify two points with different longitudes and latitudes and givetheir geographic coordinates (Fig. 14a). The two calibration pointsmust be in the same UTM zone so that the zone number and centralmeridian can be determined by CGDK. The map will be calibratedafter the point specification and will be available for plotting data andrepresenting other positions.

If users want to obtain the latitude and longitude of anarbitrary point on the map, they can click on the ‘‘Show GPS’’button and move the mouse cursor to the point. The latitude andlongitude will be displayed in the floating window next to themouse cursor (Fig. 14b). By clicking on the ‘‘Show GPS’’ buttonagain, users can close the floating window.

The method of plotting data on a calibrated map is similar tothat of plotting data on geochemical diagrams. First, click on the‘‘Plot on map’’ button, click on a legend symbol, and click on the‘‘Set symbol’’ button. Next, obtain latitudes and longitudes froman Excel file, and click on the ‘‘Plot’’ button (Fig. 14c).

In order to evaluate the accuracy of the calibration, the geographiccoordinates of some guideline intersections have been plotted on acalibrated 1:250,000 geological map from USGS2. The result displayed

2 http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of01-262/PULL-MAP.PDF.

in Fig. 15 shows that the data points are consistent with theguidelines intersections, indicating a good calibration.

3. Advantages of CGDK

3.1. Data acquisition

Other software packages have been developed to plot geo-chemical diagrams, such as Newpet (Clarke, 1993), Igpet (Carr,1995), and MinPet (Richard, 1997). However, these programsaccess only plot functionalities without linking to a spreadsheet.Users must convert an Excel file into an external file with aspecific format before and after data processing.

By providing an interface for importation directly from Excel toCorelDRAW, CGDK aims to integrate the data storage and manip-ulation advantages of Excel with the powerful vector drawing andediting features of CorelDRAW. This interface has three benefits: (1)the program can obtain data without format conversion and avoidimporting useless data, (2) users may select data flexibly (forexample, by row, by column, or even from different rows andcolumns in different sheets), and (3) CGDK obtains data from arunning Excel application, which means all the features provided byExcel, such as autofill, data sort, and macros can be used during thedata acquisition process.

3.2. Plotting geochemical diagrams with graphic-based templates

Microsoft Excel is widely used by geochemists for data storageand analysis, but only manual data organization and basic X–Y plotsare available for data interpretation (Wang et al., 2008). Althoughseveral previous macro programs have been written for plottingtriangular and spider plots in Excel (e.g., Christie and Langmuir,1994; Sidder, 1994; Marshall, 1996), these programs do not meetpresent geochemists’ needs because they are not capable of addingnew diagram types for current geochemical analysis.

GeoPlot (Zhou and Li, 2006) and GCDPlot (Wang et al., 2008)are the latest macro programs with powerful functions forplotting triangular and discrimination diagrams, the capabilityof adding new diagram types, and the friendly user interface.However, the two programs provide data-based templates whoseelements, including lines of various classifications, data points,and labels are exactly defined in VBA macros or configurationfiles, meaning these templates are difficult to update or share.Additionally, the appearances of these templates rarely meetpublication requirements, so users must modify them prior topublication. The modifications must be repeated every time a newdiagram is created.

CGDK introduces the concept of a graphic-based template.In contrast to an abstract data-based template, the graphic-basedtemplate is concrete and can be easily modified and updated.The template is a standard CorelDRAW shape group object,which can be stored and shared conveniently. When plottingdata on a template that has been optimized to meet publica-tion requirements, users can focus on customizing data pointsand adding comments and explanations rather than modifyingthe whole diagram. Additionally, a graphic-based template can beused with flexibility to create diagrams for other geolo-gical analysis, such as TOC vs. depth diagram for stratigraphicanalysis.

3.3. Creating stratigraphic columns along with other columns and

diagrams

Since the construction of a stratigraphic column is usually verytime consuming, a series of applications have been provided such

Fig. 11. Constructing diagrams with stratigraphic column. (a) Duplicate a rectangle. (b) Establish coordinate system for the rectangle. (c) Input the X and Y values. Note: ‘‘Draw

connecting curve’’ option must be selected. (d) Data used to create the diagram. Note: Depth is Y axis, while TOC is the X axis. (e) Rose diagrams with a stratigraphic column.

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as PRIZM3, DBSond4, LogView5 and Winbohr6 to solve thisproblem. However, these software packages are mostly designedfor hydrocarbon exploration companies and many of the func-tions are not useful for many geologists.

StratDraw (Hoelzel, 2004) is a simple freeware for buildingstratigraphic columns. It is written in VBA and runs on the widelydistributed application CorelDRAW. Although it draws strati-graphic columns accurately, it has three shortcomings: (1) thedata input is cumbersome because users must convert an Exceldata sheet into a TXT file, (2) it fills stratigraphic columns withcolors not patterns (Hoelzel, 2004), and (3) the color selectionis based on grain size, not on lithology, which makes it hardfor geologists to distinguish between different rock typesaccurately.

CGDK can read data from and Excel file without data conver-sion. It fills stratigraphic columns with different colors, symbolsand patterns automatically based on lithologies. Other columnsand curves, such as magnetostratigraphic columns, magnetostra-tigraphic curves, chronostratigraphic columns, and element con-centration curves are also available to help geologists understandthe history of sedimentary evolution in different dimensions.

4. Conclusion and significance

Stereographic projections, rose diagrams, stratigraphic col-umns, and geochemical diagrams are important tools for geolo-gists and geochemists to interpret the rock characteristics,

3 http://www.geographix.com/products/default.htm.4 http://www.geoandsoft.com/english/dbsex02.htm.5 http://www.rockware.com.6 http://www.idat.de/jsfr/index_dj.html.

structures and sedimentary strata, and to further understandthe geological evolution of a region. However, drawing thesegraphics can often be time consuming. CGDK partly implementsthe automation of geological drafting in CorelDRAW, which canvisualize a large amount of data in a short period of time. Thegraphics created by CGDK can be fully edited in CorelDRAW.

CGDK is written in VBA and runs on CorelDRAW 13 or later,which means that VBA can be used not only in Microsoft Office,but can also be implemented in other graphic applications. WithVBA, the program can easily facilitate data transportationbetween two different programs without data conversion orimportation as required by most other available programs.

Besides plotting geochemical diagrams on existing templates,CGDK also supports the creation of new templates that can be easilyupdated, modified, shared, and managed. This feature has notbeen present in other programs. Additionally, CGDK offers afeature to fill stratigraphic columns with colors, symbols orpatterns automatically to distinguish different lithologies. Someother columns and diagrams, such as magnetostratigraphiccolumns and element concentration diagrams for stratigraphicresearch are available as well.

CorelDRAW is not a GIS program, so it does not supportgeographic coordinates. CGDK makes up for this shortcoming byproviding features for map calibration and coordinate transfor-mation so users can easily find the latitude and longitude of apoint. Although this feature presently works only on UTM WGS84maps, the development of the VBA classes for other projectionconversions is now being undertaken. These classes will beavailable in the next version of CGDK.

CGDK is a freeware designed for geochemists and geologists.The software as well as several examples and outputs can bedownloaded from our Windows Live group page (https://groups.live.com/tmgr).

Fig. 13. Creating projections and rose diagrams. (a) The ‘‘Draw projection’’ button. (b) The ‘‘Projection & diagram’’ window, in which users enter the azimuth and dip data

and chose a diagram type. (c) Draw a circle. (d) Different stereographic projections and rose diagrams created by CGDK.

Fig. 12. Filling areas and modifying geological boundaries. (a) The ‘‘Common tool’’ button. (b) The ‘‘Common tools’’ window. Selecting the ‘‘Fill’’ option will command the

program to fill a specified area, while clicking the ‘‘Outline’’ option will assign an outline style to a specified area. (c) Obtain the filling and border style by clicking on the

legend with the ‘‘Shift’’ key held down. (d) Assign the filling style to the specified area by clicking on the area with the ‘‘Shift’’ key released. (e) Continue clicking on other

areas to fill them. Users can fill more than one area before pressing the ‘‘ESC’’ key. (f) Modify a fault by copying and assigning the style of the legend.

J-T Qiu et al. / Computers & Geosciences 51 (2013) 34–48 45

Fig. 14. Calibrating a UTM WGS84 map. (a) Calibrate a map by giving two calibration points. (b) Show GPS coordinate. (c) Plot data on map. Note: users must set a legend

before plotting data on the map.

Fig. 15. Result from calibration check. The data points are consistent with the intersections of the guidelines, indicating a good calibration.

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Table A1Templates offered by CGDK for trial.

Template group Template type Template name Purpose Reference

Rock classification X–Y scatter TAS diagram for volcanic rocks Classify volcanic rocks Le Maitre et al., 1989

Rock classification X–Y scatter TAS diagram for intrusive rocks Classify intrusive rocks Middlemost, 1994

Rock classification X–Y scatter Na2O–K2O diagram Classify ultrapotassic, shoshonitic and

calc-alkaline rocks

Le Maitre et al., 1989

Rock classification X–Y scatter SiO2–K2O diagram Classify calc-alkaline and tholeiite rocks Le Maitre et al., 1989;

Rickwood, 1989

Rock classification Triangular AFM diagram Classify calc-alkaline and tholeiite rocks Irvine and Baragar, 1971

Rock classification X–Y scatter A/NK—A/CNK Diagram Classify metaluminous and peraluminous rocks Maniar and Piccoli, 1989

Rock classification Triangular An–Ab–Or diagram Classify granitic rocks Barker, 1979

Rock classification X–Y scatter (Nb/Y)—(Zr/Ti) diagram Classify volcanic rocks Winchester and Floyd, 1977

Tectonic environment X–Y scatter (YbþTa)-Rb diagram Identify tectonic environment Pearce et al., 1984

Tectonic environment X–Y scatter Y–Nb diagram Identify tectonic environment Pearce et al., 1984

Tectonic environment X–Y scatter Yb–Ta diagram Identify tectonic environment Pearce et al., 1984

Tectonic environment X–Y scatter (YþNb)-Rb diagram Identify tectonic environment Pearce et al., 1984

Tectonic environment Triangular (Ti/100)-Zr-(Y�3) diagram Identify tectonic environment Pearce and Cann, 1973

Petrogenesis X–Y scatter (10,000�Al/Ga)-Nb Distinguish A-type, I and S-type granites Whalen et al., 1987

Petrogenesis X–Y scatter (10,000�Al/Ga)-Zr Distinguish A-type, I and S-type granites Whalen et al.,1987

Petrogenesis X–Y scatter K2O–Na2O diagram Distinguish A-type, I-type and S-type granites Collins et al., 1982

Petrogenesis X–Y scatter (Y/Nb)–(Ce–Nb) diagram Subdivision of A-type granitoids Eby, 1992

Petrogenesis X–Y scatter 206Pb/204Pb–207Pb/204Pb Identify the source of magma Zartman and Doe, 1981

Normalized diagram Spider Rare earth element spider diagram REE comparison research Boynton, 1984

Normalized diagram Spider Primitive mantle normalized spider diagram Trace element comparison

research

Sun and McDonough, 1989

J-T Qiu et al. / Computers & Geosciences 51 (2013) 34–48 47

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Jef Caers for his editorial review, twoanonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions,Yuelong Chen, Shangguo Su, Danping Yan, Wei Gan, Liang Qiu,Longlong Zhao, Bo Zhang, Ping Li and Yixi Zhang for testing oursoftware, and C. Michael Lesher (mlesher@laurentian.ca) forcorrecting and improving our English.

Appendix A. Templates offered by CGDK for trial

See Table A1

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25, 956–983.Pearce, J.A., Harris, N.B.W., Tindle, A.G., 1984. Nature and origin ofA-type granites with particular reference to southeastern Australia. Contribu-tions to Mineralogy and Petrology 80, 189–200.

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