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Concept information

Preferred term

Fault  

Type

  • sosa:FeatureOfInterest

Belongs to group

Description

  • A fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture.
  • A fracture or fracture zone in the Earth along which the two sides have been displaced relative to one another parallel to the fracture. The accumulated displacement across a fault may range from a fraction of a meter to many tens or hundreds of kilometers. The type of fault is specified according to the orientation and sense of slip and the inclination (dip) of the fault plane (Aki and Richards, 1980; Yeats et al., 1997). If the block opposite an observer looking across the fault moves to the right, the slip style is termed right lateral (dextral), if the block moves to the left, the motion is termed left lateral (sinistral). Dip-slip faults are inclined fractures along which rock masses have mostly shifted vertically. If the rock mass above an inclined fault moves down (due to lateral extension) the fault is termed normal, whereas if the rock above the fault moves up (due to lateral compression), the fault is termed reverse (or thrust). Oblique-slip faults have significant components of both slip styles (i.e., strike slip and thrust or dip slip).
  • Fracture or fracture zone in the ground, along which the two rocky blocks move relative to each other.

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URI

https://service.poleterresolide.fr/voc/FOI/c_fbb472a4

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