Faulting
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faulting is when rocks break and move along a line. The rocks can move because of tension or compression. A break in rock that rocks move on is called a fault. The process of forming a fault is called faulting.
After faulting, the block of rock which has moved up is called the upthrow block, while the block of rock which has moved down is called the downthrow block.
The line that rocks move on is called a fault plane. When it is exposed, it often makes a cliff or steep slope called a fault-scarp.
The line of a fault which appears on land surface is known as a fault line. These lines are often allow molten rock to come onto the earth surface when there are volcanos nearby.
The angle between the fault plane and an imaginary horizontal plane is called the dip angle of the fault.
There are three types of fault. They are caused by different forces.
- Normal fault
- Reverse fault
- Tear/Transform/Wrench fault
Faulting makes two major land shapes - block mountains and rift valleys. Faults are planar rock fractures.
