FAULT ZONE

- is used by geologists to refer to the

complex system of fractures or
deformations in the fault.
Parts of a Fault
Fault plane
Fault scarp

Footwall Hanging wall

Parts of a Fault
Is a flat surface that may
Fault plane appear vertical or sloping. The
line it makes on Earth’s surface
is the fault trace/fault scarp.

Where the fault plane is sloping, the upper side is the HANGING WALL
and the lower side is the FOOTWALL.
Parts of a Fault
Fault plane
Fault scarp

Footwall Hanging wall

Where the fault plane is sloping, the upper side is the HANGING WALL
and the lower side is the FOOTWALL.
• Form when the hanging wall drops.
• The forces that create normal faults are pulling the sides of the adjacent
blocks apart.
• The horizontal movement along a normal fault occurs in such a way that it
extends the crust.
• Form when the hanging wall moves up.
• They form as a result of compression (pushing the sides of adjacent blocks
together).
• NORMAL and REVERSE FAULTS are called DIP-SLIP FAULTS because their
movement occurs along the dip direction.
• The dip direction for a normal fault is down, and the dip direction for a
reverse fault is up.
• Have walls that move sideways, such that the slip occurs along the strike,
not up or down the dip.
• The fault plane is usually vertical, so there is no hanging wall or footwall.
• Forces creating these faults are lateral or horizontal, carrying the sides of
the adjacent blocks past each other.