EARTHQUAKE-

REVERSE FAULT
THE FAULTS IN OUR EARTH
A fault is a rupture or fracture in the earth's
crust, its outer layer. The Earth's crust moves
along these faults, which are everywhere, both
on land and on the crust under the oceans.
There are different types of faults, categorized
by how the earth on either side of the fault
moves.
A reverse fault is a type of dip-slip fault.
These are faults that move vertically. The
earth on either side of the fault moves up or
down relative to the other. In a reverse fault,
the earth on one side moves up and over the
other side.
REVERSE FAULT PARTS
In normal fault one side slides down.
Based on gravity the earth should move
down, so when one side of the does go up
instead of down it is called the reverse
fault, its is working against gravity.
The fault does not go straight up and down
. It is at an angle, which means one side of
the fault hangs over the other, that side is
called hanging wall. The other side is foot
wall
WHAT ARE REVERSE FAULTS?
Reverse faults, also called thrust faults,
slide one block of crust on top of
another. These faults are commonly
found in collisions zones, where tectonic
plates push up mountain ranges such as
the Himalayas and the Rocky
Mountains.
Thrust faults are described as low
angle reverse faults. Reverse faults are
steeply dipping (more near vertical),
thrust faults are closer to horizontal. 45°
is a commonly cited cut-off between the
two types of faults.
REVERSE FAULT
EARTHQUAKE-GUJRAT,2001
7.9 on the Richter scale.

8.46 AM January 26th 2001

20,800 dead

Epicenter: Near Bhuj in Gujarat, India

Geologic Setting

1. Indian Plate Sub ducting beneath Eurasian Plate

2. Continental Drift

3. Convergent Boundary
BHUJ EARTHQUAKE
Location
The earthquake’s epicentre was 20km from Bhuj.
A city with a population of 140,000 in 2001. The
city is in the region known as the Kutch region.
The effects of the earthquake were also felt on
the north side of the Pakistan border 
Specifics of 2001 Quake
Compression Stress between region’s faults
Depth: 16km
Probable Fault: Kachchh Mainland
Fault Type: Reverse Dip-Slip (Thrust Fault)
CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKE

The earthquake was caused at the

convergent plate boundary between the
Indian plate and the Eurasian plate
boundary. These pushed together and
caused the earthquake. However as Bhuj
is in an intraplate zone, the earthquake
was not expected, this is one of the
reasons so many buildings were
destroyed – because people did not build
to earthquake resistant standards in an
area earthquakes were not thought to
occur.
LOAD BEARING STRUCTURE
– The reasons for failure are given below:-
a) The masonry wall, mainly in mud
morter.
b) Absence of connecting band.
c) No through stone were provided.
d) Heavy mass concentration at roof level.
e) Buildings were close to each other.
f) Unsymmetric buildings, due to full
opening at its front resulting into torsional
moment on the buildings
FRAMED STRUCTURE
Considering earthquake forces as per
codes, correct analysis, design and
detailing of the frames are required to
make frame structure earthquake
resistant. It is seen that in the megacity
of Ahmedabad and Bhuj, major failures
are occured due to violation and or
ignorance of codal provisions.
Important reasons for the failure are
(1) Short column effect
(2) Flexible ground floor (Soft storey)
(3) Lack of proper detailing
(4) poor workmanship
(5) Ponding effect
(6) Appendage effect
CAUSES
In addition the Gujarat earthquake is an
excellent example of liquefaction,
causing buildings to ‘sink’ into the
ground which gains a consistency of a
liquid due to the frequency of the
earthquake.
RECOGNIZING REVERSE
FAULTS
Reverse fault displacements combine vertical
and compressional displacements. 
Reverse faults typically have a wide range of
dip angles. Reverse faults with low dips
exhibit a sinuous surface expression over hilly
to flat terrain.
Reverse fault scarps are often difficult to
locate precisely due to widespread landslides
which cover the fault trace.
Surface fracturing is characterized by folding
or distortion and displacements along
subsidiary faults and fractures within
the hanging wall in the given figure.
WAYS TO RECOGNIZE FAULTS
Effects on stratigraphic units break in
continuous stratigraphic section
Effects on topography
scarps offset ridges,
valleys,
 streams springs,
 sag ponds
nickpoints in streams
 EFFECTS
Disaster loss
1. Initial estimate Rs. 200 billion.
2. Came down to Rs. 144 billion.
3. No inventory of buildings
4. Non-engineered buildings
5. Land and buildings
6. Stocks and flows
7. Public good considerations
Human Impact: Tertiary effects
1. Affected 15.9 million people out of 37.8 in the region (in
areas such as Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar, Ganhidham, Rapar)
2. High demand for food, water, and medical care for
survivors
Environmental Impacts
80% of water and food sources were
destroyed.
Over a million structures were damaged, as a
result local resources were used on a very high
scale in order to repair and rebuild the region.
The area was once India’s most visited region
(by tourists) outside the central cities.
However after many of the old, historic
buildings were destroyed this element of the
economy was destroyed. As a result the money
no longer exists to maintain the environment
to the same standard.
After the earthquake, local residents
reported a mixture of water and
sediments fountaining from the Earth.
These effects, referred to as dewatering,
can result from intense ground shaking
by strong earthquakes in regions with
shallow water tables
DEWATERING in parts of the Rann of
Kutch (a large salt pan in northern
Gujarat), and in areas close to the
earthquake epicenter. 
DEWATERING
IMPACTS