We have just released new versions of Touchstone, T>Map, and T>Analyze.  New features are summarized below.

Touchstone v. 8.4

• Simulation of chemical compaction: This new option in the Compaction model simulates the change in intergranular volume that occurs in response to the dissolution of mass at grain contacts.  Our tests on datasets indicate improved compaction simulation results that range from subtle to substantial when using this model option compared to previous Touchstone versions.
• Parameter uncertainty analysis: This new option for Prediction runs makes it possible to consider how uncertainties in model parameter values impact predictions.  Using this option requires conducting a Parameter sensitivity analysis in an Optimization run that is then copied to a Prediction run.
• Prediction Run Mixer: The Prediction Run Mixer utility has been enhanced for analyzing parameter uncertainty results. Additionally, the utility now can load any number of datasets directly from multiple Touchstone projects.  (Previous versions required exporting data to Excel as an intermediate step and considered a maximum of six datasets.)  A new, interactive tornado plot provides insights into the main sources of variability in simulation results.
• Paragenesis Class Analysis: This new utility makes it possible to see the range in timing associated with paragenesis class definitions given the burial histories associated with a selected run.  It also provides useful information about whether there will be a problem if paragenesis class constraints are not met for one or more of the run burial histories.
• Paragenesis Plots: This new utility provides a unique and powerful means to view the paragenetic evolution of a given sample in a normal or optimization run or a burial history in a prediction run.  These plots have the option to show how rates of porosity loss change through the burial history while also showing an overlay of temperature, effective stress, depth, or intergranular porosity through time.
• Matrix compaction: The compaction model now provides an option to reconstruct matrix abundance at deposition and to simulate matrix compaction during forward simulations.
• Quantitative porosity loss calculations: Touchstone run results now include calculations of the magnitude of loss of depositional intergranular porosity due to compaction (COPL), cementation (CEPL), and intergranular matrix (MAPL) in addition to the fraction of this porosity loss that results from compaction (ICOMPACT).  These calculations are extensions developed by Geocosm of those defined by Ehrenberg (1989, 1995), Lundegard (1992), and Wang et al. (2012).
• Sample Table search tool: It is now possible to search for text strings that are found in column headers in the Sample table.
• Improved mass balance calculations: Changes have been made to the Illite kinetics and VRF alteration models that result in improved simulation performance.  The timing of formation associated with these kinetic models is unaffected by these changes but the amounts of reactants that form will differ from previous Touchstone versions.  The user interface and simulation configuration options remain unchanged from previous releases.
• Unit selection: In previous Touchstone versions the units for various measures (temperature, grain size, etc.) shown in tables and plots were obtained from the user’s local preference configuration and were not tied directly to the project file.  Starting from version 8.4, however, these unit selections are stored in the project file.  There are several advantages associated with this change.  For example, you may now have multiple Touchstone instances open that use different unit selections.  Also, plot ranges that you have defined with a certain display unit in mind now will work as expected when a different user with different default unit preferences views them.
• Burial History Interpolator: This new utility allows you to generate an interpolated burial history and can be useful when you would like to use (1) higher or lower time resolutions compared to the source burial history or (2) uniform time durations between timesteps.

T>Map

• Improved visualization within the T>Map main application
  • In same map view see run results, mapstacks, supplementary maps, polygons, and wells.
  • Create and modify polygons.
• Map calculator
  • Calculations involving as many as 3 maps.
  • Works with run results and supplementary maps.
  • Multiple mathematical operations may be applied in the calculator.
• Animator utility
  • View mixture of results where polygons linked to different TCFs overlap.
  • More controls over the display of wells and pseudo wells including the ability to define symbol sizes and colors independently for each entry, toggle display of well lines in 3D plots, and truncate well lines at surfaces in 3D plots. Label font characteristics can be set independently for each well or pseudo well and display of labels can be toggled on or off for any subset of wells.
  • More controls over the display of polygons including the ability to use different line styles (solid, dashed, dotted, etc.), thicknesses, and colors. In 3D plots polygons now may be rendered on a flat horizontal plane or draped over surfaces.  Polygon labels can be turned on or off independently for each polygon.
  • Several new color bars are available. The new viridis, magma, fusion, inferno, and turbo color maps join the parula option available previously as examples of perceptually uniform color maps where the relative change in color with value is equal for all portions of the color bar.  With the exception of turbo, the new color maps also are colorblind friendly and reproduce well when viewed in grayscale.   The new rainbow1 color bar is equivalent to the rainbow2 option from previous versions but has dark red rather than white at the upper end of the range.  This option removes the ambiguity of whether white regions represent areas with no data or are places where values reach or exceed the upper color bar range.
  • It is now possible to invert the color sequence for color bars.
  • Contour text labels now are rotated so that they parallel contour lines. A new horizontal offset option makes it possible to shift the labels to be above or to the right of the associated contour line.
  • It is now possible to display a North arrow on maps and 3D surface plots.
• Polygon digitizer utility
  • This new utility allows you to create and edit polygons while viewing colormaps and contours of supplementary maps, well locations, and, optionally, images that have been registered to map coordinates. Registered images are especially useful when creating polygons to represent different gross depositional environments and provenance areas.  The facility also provides a means to create a polygon that envelopes selected well locations.
• Improved well export from runs: in previous T>Map versions this export facility often failed.  We have developed a new approach in v. 3.5 that leads to much better performance.

T>Analyze

• Multiple mosaic sheets:  organize plots using multiple mosaic sheets and move plots from one mosaic sheet to another.
• T>Map support:  view maps of run results, mapstacks, and supplementary maps together with well and prospect locations and polygons.
• New plot types: import Touchstone statistics time plot as well as histograms, scatterplots, burial history plots, QFR plots, ternary plots, and calibration plots.
• Plot data from any source:  create a table from scratch or import an Excel spreadsheet and use it for histograms, scatterplots, line plots, and ternary plots.  Data from tables may be overlain as layers on plots from Touchstone.
• Improved stability