Division of Camiguin

YUMBING NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Yumbing, Mambajao, Camiguin

SCIENCE 8
SECOND QUARTER
ACTIVITY SHEETS #1

Name: ____________________________________________________________ Section: ____________

WHAT IS A FAULT AND WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES
A fault is a fracture (break) or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other.
This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake - or may occur slowly, in the form of creep. Faults may range in length from a
few millimeters to thousands of kilometers. Most faults produce repeated displacements over geologic time.

During an earthquake, the rock on one side of the fault suddenly slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be horizontal or
vertical or some arbitrary angle in between.
WHAT CAUSES FAULTS? Faults are classified by how they move, and there are three main types of stress that cause movement along faults.
The stress occurs because, as mentioned before, the plates fit together really well, but also float around on the mantle and rub against each
other.

 Tensional stress is when slabs of rock are pulled apart. Imagine stretching a rope out all the way and then continuing to pull
on it from both ends.
 Compressional stress is when slabs of rock are pushed together. They are literally being compressed into one another. This
is like when two cars crash into each other - they're compressed into smaller, crumpled versions of what they were before.
 Shear stress is when slabs of rock slide past each other horizontally in opposite directions. The rocks are not smashed into
each other or pulled apart, but their edges slide along each other with a lot of friction.

Three types of fault:

 NORMAL FAULT - the block above the inclined fault moves down relative to the block below the fault. This fault motion is caused by
tensional forces and results in extension.
 REVERSE FAULT- the block above the inclined fault moves up relative to the block below the fault. This fault motion is caused by
compressional forces and results in shortening. A reverse fault is called a thrust fault if the dip of the fault plane is small
 STRIKE-SLIP FAULT movement is described as sinistral when the far side moves to the left, and dextral, when the far side moves to
the right.

ACTIVITY #1
Fill in the table with the needed data
DIAGRAM TYPES OF FAULT TYPES OF FORCE TYPES OF MOTION TYPES OF STRESS
(VERTICAL OR
HORIZONTAL)

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