Pic of the day #17 (Fault zone and Shear zone)

Sketches illustrating differences between faults, fault zones, and shear zones.
(a) Fault.
(b) Fault zone, with inset showing cataclastic deformation adjacent to the fault surface.
(c) Sketch illustrating the relation between a principal fault and fault splays.
(d) Anastomosing faults in a fault zone.
(e) A shear zone, showing rock continuity across the zone. The displacements are shown to intersect the ground surface, whereas the shear zone occurs at depth in the crust.

Pic courtesy: Earth Structure – An introduction to structural geology and tectonics

2 Comments

    1. Displacement in fault zones can involve formation and slip on many small, sub-parallel brittle faults, or slip on a principal fault from which many smaller faults diverge, such smaller faults are called splays.

      Reply

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