Geological Legends and Cross-sections in QGIS

This one-day course for QGIS users will be focussed on creating professional-looking geological legends and cross-sections using the QGIS software platform. The course is new to 2025 and follows on from previous ones compiled by the author. Participants must already have proficiency in QGIS, such as having attended a previous course.

1. Creating basic legends in QGIS is a relatively easy task, but QGIS offers powerful additional capabilities that allow standard geological conventions to be followed and will lift their appearance to a standard akin to published maps such as New Zealand’s QMAP (the national 1:250 000 scale geological mapping series).  In addition, by building the legend using these capabilities, they will largely automate the process to adjust to subsequent projects, saving considerable time!
   
   The tools and workflows required to achieve this will be demonstrated, allowing each person to create their own legend in a manner of their choosing using the supplied QMAP dataset or an alternative dataset they wish to bring along. Participants are encouraged to bring along existing company templates for QGIS Print Layouts if they exist.

2. Cross-sections are an essential method for building a geological model to demonstrate an understanding of geotechnical ground conditions. Many companies make use of 3D software to automate this task, but not all have these tools. Furthermore, not all projects require this automation and depending on the geological complexity, achieving a reliable model using 3D software may not be guaranteed without a lot of additional effort.  One of the key advantages of constructing sections “manually” allows a competent practitioner to use their geological intuition to good effect. Within QGIS there are powerful tools that can be used to create sections relatively efficiently with the additional advantage of replicating the map styling (colour, patterns and labels) and in a single software environment.
   
   The course will examine the available tools for section construction and provide workflows for the various data types including CPT traces. Participants will use these methods to construct their own sections with supplied data or by bringing their own.

About the course presenter

Colin Mazengarb

The course will be led by Colin Mazengarb, an advanced user of GIS software over his career as a regional geologist and engineering-geologist, in both New Zealand and Australia. Colin developed the original GIS for Geotechs course presented in Australia and New Zealand.

Online Course Requirements

Attendees for this course will require a relatively modern mid-range computer with a current operating system installed, 2 monitors, webcam and headset. A reliable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth for video conferencing is essential along with a quiet office environment free from distractions. Detailed setup instructions will be provided upon registration.

Registration

Members are required to log in to access the AGS member price, which is not transferable.

More information about logging in to this website can be found here.

Payment via credit card is available and processed by Stripe. The Australian Geomechanics Society will not store or have access to your credit card information, and Stripe adhere to strict security and PCI compliance for processing online transactions.

Upon purchase, an email and a tax invoice will be sent to the buyer. Attendees will also receive an email with their tickets attached, as well as a link to download the tickets if they are misplaced.

Information about discounts and refunds can be found here.