 INTRODUCTION

 DOMINAL CHARACTERS OF CLEAVED ROCKS

 TYPES OF CLEAVAGE
 RELATION OF CLEAVAGE TO MAJOR STUCTURES
 RELATION OF CLEAVAGE TO DEFORMATION
 SUMMARY
 Cleavage is the property of rocks whereby they
break along parallel surfaces of secondary
origin.
 The origin of cleavage has been a subject
of discussion for many years. A large part of
early discussions about cleavage centered on
two alternative hypotheses. According to one
of these, cleavage develops parallel to the XY-
plane of the strain ellipsoid. The other
hypothesis states that cleavage forms parallel
to a plane of shear strain.
 Cleavage is found to be an expression of systematic
variations in mineralogy and fabric.ck.
 The systematic variation in mineralogy and fabric in
cleaved rock give expression to the presence of what may be
called domainal structure, that is, a kind of structural
lamination composed of alteration cleavage domains and
microlithon domains. Cleavage domains are thin,
anastomashing to sub-parallel, mica-rich laminae within
which the fabric of the original host rock has been strongly
rearranged and/or partially removed. Microlithon domains,
or simply microlithons, are narrow lensoidal to trapezoidal
slices of rock within which the mineralogy and fabric of the
original host rock remain essentially preserved.
 Main subdivisions: Dennis and Powell recognized that it is
practical to subdivide cleavage in to two classes on the basis of
the scale at which domainal character of cleavage can be
recognized, where the distinction between cleavage domains and
microlithons can be made with the unaided eye, the cleavage can
be described as discontinuous cleavage, where the domainal
character of a cleavage rock is too fine to be resolved without the
aid of a petrographic or an electron microscope, the cleavage is
describe as continuous cleavage.
 Continuous cleavage: The main type of continuous cleavage are-
 Slaty cleavage.
 Phyllitic cleavage.
 Schistocity.
 The only real difference among them is grain size and the
scale of development of domainal structure.
1. Slaty cleavage:-

It is caused by the parallel arrangements of platy minerals

such as the micas or chlorites or by the parallel arrangement
of ellipsoidal grains of such minerals as quartz and feldspar.
The term slaty cleavage is used for less intensely
metamorphosed rocks, such as slate.
Schistocity is best developed in peltic sedimentary rocks and
certain volcanic rocks metamorphosed to medium or high grade.
Grain size is typically medium (1-10mm). The most obvious
outcrop of schistocity is the parallel, planar alignment of micas,
including muscovite, biotite, chlorite and sericite.
 Phyllitic structure is intermediate in grain size. In outcrop
phyllites display a soft, pearly luster. Phyllites tend to be fine-
grained and less then 1mm.
 Discontinuous cleavage: They are main two types:-
 Crenulation cleavage
 Spaced cleavage

 Crenulation cleavage:-
 It is very distinctive in that it cuts a host rock that possesses a
preexisting continuous cleavage, especially phyllitic structure or
schistocity. The pre-exiting continuous cleavage is typically
crenulated into micro folds, thus the name”crenulation cleavage”. It
is of two kinds-

 Discrete crenulation cleavage is a discontinuous cleavage in which

vary narrow cleavage domain sharply truncate the continuous
cleavage of microlithons, almost like faults.
 Zonal crenulation cleavage is marked by cuider cleavage domains
that coincide with tight, apprised limbs of micro folds in preexisting
continuous cleavage preserved within microlithons.
 Spaced cleavage:-

Spaced cleavage consists of an array of parallel to anastomoshing,

stylolitic to smooth, fracture like partings that are often
occupied by clayey and carbonaceous matter (Nickelson,
1972).Spaced cleavage is typically found in folded but
unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks, specially impure
limestone and marl.
 Fracture cleavage:

Fracture cleavage is essentially closed spaced jointing.

 Shear cleavage:

It is closely spaced fractures along which there has been some

displacement. It is essentially a fracture cleavage along which
there has been displacement.
 Slip cleavage:
In many metamorphic terranes the
schistocity may be crinckled in to
small folds with a wavelength of a
fraction of inch. One limb of these
. small folds becomes a zone of
weakness. Eventually the mica
flakes are rotated in to discrete
zones parallel to the axial planes of
the crinkles, and displacement may
take place along these zones. The
rock tends to break parallel to these
 zonesplane cleavage:
Axial

Cleavage or schistocity that is

essentially parallel to the axial
planes of the folds is called axial
plane cleavage.
 Bedding cleavage:

Cleavage or
schistocity that is
parallel to the
bedding is
commonly referred
to as bedding
cleavage or
bedding schistocity
in that it is caused
by parallel platy
minerals.
  Slaty cleavage is diagonal to the bedding, it is more or less parallel to
the axial planes of the folds. The following results can be concluded by
observing the cross-sections of folds which consist slaty cleavage-
1. If the cleavage is vertical, it follows that
the axial planes of the folds are vertical,
and all the beds are right-side-up (Fig.
1A).
2. If the cleavage dips in the same direction
as the bedding but more steeply (a. c
and e of Fig. 1), the beds are right-side-
up, and the synclinal axis is in the
direction in which the bed dips.
3. If the cleavage and bedding dip in
opposite directions (b of 1B), the beds
are right-side-up, and the synclinal axis is
in the direction in which the beds dip.
4. If the bedding is vertical, the synclinal axis
is in the opposite direction of that in
which the cleavage dips (d in Fig. 1C).
5. If the cleavage dips more gently than the bedding, the beds are overturned; moreover, the
synclinal axis is in the opposite direction of that in which the bedding and cleavage dips (f in 1D)
6. If the cleavage is horizontal, it follows that the axial planes are horizontal; in such a case the
cleavage-bedding relations cannot be used to tell which beds are right-side-up and which are
overturned.
By studying in three dimensions the cleavage-bedding relationship,
it is possible to determine the direction in which the folds
plunge.

•If the folds are plunge, the

strike of the cleavage is
diagonal to the strike of the
bedding (Fig. 2).

•If the folds are plunge, the strike of

the cleavage is diagonal to the strike
of the bedding.
 

Fracture cleavage is characteristically developed in incompetent beds that lie

between uncleaved competent beds through shearing phenomenon. The
cleavage is inclined to the bedding and the acute angle, between the bedding
and cleavage points in the direction in which the beds shear past one
another. In Fig. 4B the diagonal lining represents fracture cleavage. At
locality a relation of the fracture cleavage to the bedding shows that the bed
to the right has sheared upward relative to the bed to the left. Hence the
synclinal axis is to the right, and the beds are right-side-up. At locality b,
however, the bed to the left has sheared upward. Therefore the synclinal axis
in this case is to the left and the beds are overturned.
The trace of the bedding on the fracture cleavage may be used to determine
the direction and plunge of the axes of the folds.
• It is conceivable that the forces producing the cleavage may be later and
different from those causing the folding. In Fig. 5, the folds formed by simple
horizontal compression, H and H’ while the flow cleavage, which dips to the
left, was formed by a later couple, S and S. In such a case, use of the methods
outlined before would not necessarily give the correct solution. At b, one
would deduce that a synclinal axis lay to the right. But at a, one would deduce
that a synclinal axis lay to the left; that is, of course, incorrect.
•In some areas, specially those characterized by repeated
deformations, several stages of foldings may be recognized. For
example, in Fig. 6 the recumbent anticline F1 has been refolded
by anticline F2. Axial plane cleavage may be associated with
both stages of foldings. The planar surfaces are designated by
the letter S. thus the bedding is S0. the axial plane cleavage
associated with the recumbent anticline (F1) is designated S1; it
is parallel to the bedding on the limbs of the fold but crosses the
bedding on the nose of the fold. The axial plane cleavage
associated with F2 is designated S2; it may be a fracture
cleavage, a shear cleavage, or a crenulation cleavage.
 Inasmuch as their several kinds of cleavage and because
successive cleavage may be superimposed on one another, it
is obvious that considerable judgement is necessary in field
investigations. In some areas nature of the cleavage may be
readily apparent; in others, an intensive study may be
necessary.