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Strike-slip Faults
Sense of slip:
Left-Lateral
Right-Lateral
Classification of Faults
High angle Dip-slip
Faults (>50o dip)
Hanging Wall
Foot Wall
Sense of slip:
Normal (extension)
Reverse (shortening)
Classification of Faults
Low angle Dip-slip
Faults (<50o dip)
Hanging Wall
Foot Wall
Sense of slip:
Detachment
(Extension)
Thrust (shortening)
Classification of Faults
Oblique slip
Sense of slip:
Normal/left slip
Normal/right slip
(Not shown)
Reverse/left slip
Reverse/right slip
(not shown)
Classification of Faults
Rotational slip
Looking across fault:
Clockwise
Counter clockwise
Classification of Faults
Classification also described in terms of horizontal strain:
Shortening (contractional) faults
Extensional faults
Slip Direction
Determination of slip
Slip direction can frequently be determined from slickenlines
and fiber lineations.
Slip direction
Depending on
the type of
fault and its
dip relative
to layering,
faults either
omit strata,
duplicate
them, or
truncate
them.
Identification and Expression of Faults
Faults in the
subsurface can
be detected by
contouring
stratigraphic
boundaries from
drill hole data
(structural
contour maps
Identification and Expression of Faults
Subsurface faults can be detected by geophysical methods
such as seismic (below) as well as gravity and magnetic
methods.
Strain, Stress & Faults
Normal faults produce horizontal extension. And vertical
shortening (sag, rift, basin)
Strain & Faults
Reverse faults produce horizontal shortening. And vertical
extension (uplift)
Strain & Faults
Strike slip faults produce both horizontal shortening and
extension. No vertical strain (ideally). Look at the figure
below as a map, not a x-section.
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
Anderson’s Theory of
Faulting relies on the
Mohr-Coulomb failure
criterion:
(c – o)/ = Tan();
o and Tan(vary with the
rock type and are called
the cohesion and
internal friction.
It’s the ratio of shear stress
to normal stress on a
surface that determines
whether a fault will
occur.
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
Mohr-Coulomb
failure criterion:
(c – o)/ = Tan()
Is usually written as
c = o + Tan()
This plots as a
straight line on
the Mohr
diagram
is the angle of the
failure line and
Tan() is the
slope.
The Mohr circle
shows the
Stress & Faults
normal and Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
shearing
stresses on all
the surfaces in a
rock.
When the circle
becomes
tangent to the
failure line, then
one surface has
the right amount
of normal and
shearing stress
to fracture.
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
The orientation of
that fracture
surface relative
to 1 can be
determined from
the Mohr circle.
(Remember that
is the angle to
the surface
normal!)
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
There is a
relationship
between and
= 45 + /2
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
The Mohr fracture
criterion
predicts that
fault normals
will always
occur about 60o
to the maximum
compressive
stress 1
Or, the fault surface
will be about 30o
to 1
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
The Mohr fracture
criterion also
predicts that
there will be two
fault surfaces
about 30o on
either side of 1
These are called a
conjugate set
Stress & Faults
Anderson’s Theory of Faulting
Fault Arrays
Terms describing shortening fault arrays in
profile. Fault Arrays
Listric faults are usually thin skinned
(but not always)
Structures occur in fold-thrust belts
Flats & ramps
Imbricate fans
Fault Arrays
More terms describing shortening fault
arrays in profile.
Duplex & horses (multiple, closely spaced
ramps)
Roof Thrust & floor thrust
Strike slip systems in profile
Flower structures – master fault
Fault Arrays
branches upward forming a stem with
petals
Negative & positive flowers.
Faults,
Resources &
Earthquakes