Faults

1. Can be very common in a particular area

2. Faults are typically not well exposed
3. Faults have a strike and a dip.
4. Faults can be curved
5. There are specific symbols in map view and cross
section for normal, reverse, & strike-slip
6. Since a fault is a surface, you can make a
structure contour map of a fault
 Faults vs. Fractures
• Fractures tend to be more planar, but both are
planar to curvi-planar
• Faults show offset, often have some width, and
are typically associated with fractures
• Fractures show no offset
Normal fault

Reverse fault

Strike-slip fault
(dextral)
 Normal faults
1. Hanging wall moves down with respect to
footwall
2. Typically dip about 60 degrees
3. Grabens are the blocks between two normal
faults that dip toward each other (at Earth’s
surface); Horsts are the blocks between two
normal faults that dip away from each other.
4. Half-grabens are like a series of domino blocks,
with all normal faults dipping the same way
5. Normal fault result in horizontal elongation
Ancient faults
Normal faults in the field
 Before

Note that the

lower picture is
longer sideways
After
because faulting
elongated in the
horizontal.
Active faults
Horst & Grabens

Paradox basin, UT
Half-grabens
Horst & graben or half-grabens?
Before After
Fault Scarps
 Reverse Faults
1. Hanging wall moves upward with respect to
footwall.
2. Called a “thrust” fault if it occurs at low dip angles
3. Associated with folds
4. Typically dip about 30 degrees, unless forming
along a sedimentary layer
5. Reverse faults result in horizontal shortening
Relation of reverse faults to folds
Before

fter

Note tht the lower figure hs

shortened horiontlly because of
the reverse fult
Cn you determine which is the footwll & which is the hnging wll?
 Strike-slip faults
1. Typically dip steeply or are vertical
2. Can curve dramatically (large-scale restraining
and releasing bends)
3. Can have a lot of offset (1000s of km)
4. Structure contour maps of stratigraphy affected
by a strike-slip faults typically don’t do much
It is difficult to notice strike-slip faults in the ancient systems,
unless there is large offset. Typically the geology on opposite
sides of the fault don’t line up.
ctive fults
Stream offset
Wallace Creek; San Andreas fault system
 Before

After