1.

4 Earthquake Fault Sources

When two earth's masses move with respect to one another, elastic strain energy due to tectonic processes is stored and then
released through the rupture of the interface zone.  The distorted blocks snap back towards equilibrium and an earthquake
ground motion is produced. This process is referred to as ‘elastic rebound’. The resulting fracture in the Earth’s crust is termed
a ‘fault’. During the sudden rupture of the brittle crustal rock seismic waves are generated. These waves travel away from the
source of the earthquake along with the Earth’s outer layers. Their velocity depends on the characteristics of the material
through which they travel (Elnashai and Sarno, 2015 ).  

Faults - offsets of geological structure; may range in length from a few meters to many kilometers and are drawn on a
geological map as continuous or broken line

1.Movement of faults

Slow slip - produces no ground shaking

Sudden rupture - due to earthquake, most famous is the San Andreas fault Shallow focus earthquakes - much shorter and
shows much less offset.
Fault rupture - majority of earthquakes does not reach the surface
Geological mappings and geophysical work - show that faults seen at the
surface sometimes extend to depths of tens of kilometers in the Earth’s crust

Faults - offsets of
geological
structure; may
range in length
from a few meters
to many
kilometers and
are drawn on a
geological map as
continuous or
broken line

1.Movement of
faults

Slow slip -
produces no
ground
shaking
Sudden
rupture - due
to earthquake,
most famous
 is the San
Andreas fault
Shallow focus
earthquakes -
much shorter
and shows
much less
offset.
Fault rupture -
majority of
earthquakes
does not reach
the surface
Geological
mappings and
geophysical
work - show
that faults
seen at the
surface
sometimes
extend to
depths of tens
of kilometers
in the Earth’s
crust

2. Inactive faults

Most
plotted on
geological
maps are
now
inactive
faults
New
discovery
are also
discovered
from fresh
ground
breakage
during an
earthquake
Thus,
Delineated
by a line of
cracks

3. Active faults
 Primary
interest in
seismology
and
earthquake
engineering
Rock
displacement -
expected to
occur
Exists in a well
defined plate-
edge regions
of the earth
Sudden fault
displacement

4. Fault displacement
almost entirely horizontal – San Francisco earthquake along the San Andreas fault
Large vertical motion occurrence as shown in the figure