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24. Faults (I)


I Main Topics
A Why are faults important?
B Fault geometry
C Fault kinemaEcs
D Fault classicaEon
E IntroducEon to fault mechanics

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24. Faults (I)


Collapsed Cypress Structure, Oakland, California, aVer Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1989

hMp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Cypress_structure.jpeg
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24. Faults (I)


II Why are faults
important?
A Faults generate
earthquakes

hMp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sanandreas.jpg
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24. Faults (I)


II Why are faults important?
B Faults bound the tectonic plates of the Earth

hMp://geology.com/plate-tectonics.jpg
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24. Faults (I)


II Why are faults important?
C Faults create mountains

hMp://marlimillerphoto.com/SrA-17.html
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24. Faults (I)


StraEgraphy at PalleM Creek, California

II Why are faults


important?
D Faults deform the
Earths surface and
aect sedimentaEon

hMp://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/pp1515/chapter4/g4-19.jpg
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24. Faults (I)


II Why are faults
important? (cont.)
E Fluid transport in the
Earth's crust
1 Water
2 Magma
3 Hydrocarbons
4 Hydrothermal uids
[ore minerals])
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Fish Springs Fault, California

hMp://geology.csupomona.edu/docs/redcindersm.jpg

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24. Faults (I)


II Why are faults important?
F Faults are zones of weakness to account for in
engineering projects

Fault, Homestake Mine, South Dakota


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24. Faults (I)


III Fault geometry
1 Thin relaEve to their in-plane dimensions

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24. Faults (I)


III Fault geometry
2 Bounded in extent

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24. Faults (I)

III Fault geometry


3 Commonly grossly planar (at least locally)

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24. Faults (I)


IV Fault KinemaEcs
A RelaEve (not absolute)
displacement (slip) of
originally neighboring
points (or piercing points)
is essenEally parallel to
the fault
B Piercing points mark
intersecEon of a line with
a fault
C The slip vector connects
oset piercing points
D Slip is not the same as
"movement" or
"displacement"
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24. Faults (I)


IV Fault KinemaEcs
A RelaEve (not absolute)
displacement (slip) of
originally neighboring
points (or piercing points)
is essenEally parallel to the
fault
B Piercing points mark
intersecEon of a line with a
fault
C The slip vector connects
oset piercing points
D Slip is not the same as
"movement" or
"displacement"
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thulescienEc.com

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24. Faults (I)


V ClassicaEon of faults
Strike-slip
Right-lateral
A Geologic classicaEon
LeV-lateral
1 Based on
orientaEon of slip Dip-slip
Normal
vector relaEve to
Reverse (thrust)
the strike and dip
of a fault
Oblique (combinaEon of
strike-slip and dip-slip)

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24. Faults (I)


2 Strike-slip
a Slip vector is predominantly
horizontal (i.e., parallel or
anE-parallel to the line of
strike)
b Sense of slip
i Right lateral: in map
view across a fault, a
marker is oset to the
right
ii LeV lateral: in map view
across a fault, a marker
is oset to the leV

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24. Faults (I)


3 Dip-slip fault
a slip vector is parallel (or
anE-parallel) to dip
b Sense of slip
i Normal: hanging wall
moves down-dip
relaEve to footwall
ii Thrust fault: hanging
wall moves up-dip
relaEve to footwall
*Deeper (older) rocks
thrust over shallower
(younger) rocks*
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24. Faults (I)


B Slip vs. SeparaEon
1 Slip: True relaEve
displacement of
originally neighboring
points
2 SeparaEon: Apparent
relaEve displacement
of an oset feature as
seen in a map or a
cross-secEon
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24. Faults (I)


C The amount and
direcEon of slip can
change with Eme and/
or posiEon along a fault

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24. Faults (I)


VI IntroducEon to fault
mechanics (2D)
A Total stress eld =
ambient stress eld +
stress perturbaEon due
to fault slip
ijTotal = ij0 + ij
B Fault slip requires faults
strength (shear tracEon
fault withstands) to
decrease
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24. Faults (I)


VI IntroducEon to fault
mechanics (2D)
C General relaEons
1 Slip = u
2 At peak u
a u/x = 0
b exx = 0
3 u0 at fault ends,
but u/x, exx, and
xx probably high
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24. Faults (I)


Displacement
DisconEnuity

VI IntroducEon to fault mechanics


(cont.)
D Long strike-slip fault
1 Model is (c)
2 w = b(A-B)/2
3 xz =

rA

Gb y Gb y

2 rA2
2 rB2

rB

4 At x = 0
a rA = rB
b xz = 0
5 Can use displacement
disconEnuity in an elasEc
model of surface-breaking
strike-slip faults

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xz =
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Gb y Gb y

2 rA2
2 rB2
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