Digital Multi-Image Analysis: Application to the Quantification of Rock Microfractography

The microfissuration of a rock sample is analyzed using a multi-image formed of micrographs which were obtained under fluorescence and polarizing microscopy of the same sample area. Image analysis methods are applied to obtain descriptions of each type of picture, one showing the microfissure network and the other the texture of the rock. Descriptions in the form of tables of coordinates are used to quantify the features contained in the pictures. Finally, it is shown that relationships between these descriptions can result in the integration of the available information, providing more knowledge about microfissuration in the sample, including characterization and quantification of microcrack types according to their position with respect to the texture of the rock.