HOW DO

FAULTS
MOVE?
FIRST WE HAVE TO KNOW
WHAT ARE FAULTS.
Faults is/are a fracture or zone of
fractures between two blocks of
rock. Faults allow the blocks to
move relative to each other.
NOW HOW DO FAULTS MOVE?
A fault is created when the rocks of crust are
compressed or stretched due to the activities at
the Earth’s interior. Since rocks of crust are
brittle (Breakable). They break along areas
that are weak.
There are different ways on how faults move. Let us start with stress.
Not the stress we experience in life but Stress here is the force
applied to rocks. There are 3 Types of Stress:

Tensional Stress- Rocks are stretched away from each other.

Compressional Stress- Rocks are pushed toward each other

Shear Stress- Rocks are pushed toward each other but not in the same axis,
one towards left, the other towards the right or rocks in parallel but in opposite
direction.
FAULTS AND STRESS PICTURES
THERE ARE ALSO TYPES OF
FAULT:
Dip-Slip Fault
At dip-slip fault, the fracture is at an angle of 45° to
60° with the ground surface.

When hanging wall slides down the footwall, the fault is called a
normal dip-slip fault.

When hanging wall thrusts itself over the footwall, the fault is called
a reverse dip-slip fault.
TYPES OF FAULT
Strike-slip fault
At strike-slip fault, the fracture is at an angle of 90°
with the ground surface. The blocks of rock in
Strike-slip fault slide past each other.
If you were to stand on one block and look across
the fault plane, the opposite block appears to have
moved to the left then, it is a left lateral strike-
slip fault.

If you were to stand on one block and look across

the fault plane, the opposite block appears to have
moved to the right then, it is a right lateral strike-
slip fault.
TYPES OF FAULT
Oblique-slip Fault
When shearing and compression or tension combine, oblique-slip
fault may form.
 NOW THAT WE HAVE
FINISHED THE DISCUSSION
WE SHALL HAVE A TEST TO
SEE WHAT YOU HAVE
LEARNED