Kinds of Faults
A fault is created when enough stress builds up in a rock so that it breaks. A fault is a break in Earth's crust where slabs past each other. There are three types of faults-strike-slip fault, normal fault, and reverse fault.
The first type of fault is the strike-slip fault. It is created by shearing, when the rocks on either side of the fault slip past each other sideways. A strike-slip fault forms a transform boundary. In California the San Andreas fault is an example of this.
The second kind of fault is a normal fault. It is created by tension forces in Earth's crust. One block of rock lies above the fault while the other rock lies below the fault, which means it's at an angle. The rock that lies above the fault is called the hanging wall and the rock below the fault is called the footwall. When there is movement along a normal fault, the hanging wall slips downward. In New Mexico the Rio Grande rift valley is an example of this.
The last type of fault is the reverse fault. It is produced by compression forces. The reverse fault has the same structure as the normal fault, but the blocks move in opposite directions. Appalachian Mountains are made up of reverse faults more than any other type of faults.
These are the three types of faults.
Friction Along Faults
Friction is the force that slows down the movement of one surface as it moves along another surface. Friction exists because surfaces are not perfectly smooth. How rocks move along a fault depends on the amount that is used. Where friction is low ,the rocks on both sides move without much sticking. Where friction is moderate, the rocks the sides of the fault jams together. And when the friction is high, the rocks lock together witch can cause and earthquake. An example of high friction is the San Andreas fault. The Pacific and North American plate locks. Stress builds up until an earthquake happens witch releases the stress and the plates slide past each other.
A fault is created when enough stress builds up in a rock so that it breaks. A fault is a break in Earth's crust where slabs past each other. There are three types of faults-strike-slip fault, normal fault, and reverse fault.
The first type of fault is the strike-slip fault. It is created by shearing, when the rocks on either side of the fault slip past each other sideways. A strike-slip fault forms a transform boundary. In California the San Andreas fault is an example of this.
The second kind of fault is a normal fault. It is created by tension forces in Earth's crust. One block of rock lies above the fault while the other rock lies below the fault, which means it's at an angle. The rock that lies above the fault is called the hanging wall and the rock below the fault is called the footwall. When there is movement along a normal fault, the hanging wall slips downward. In New Mexico the Rio Grande rift valley is an example of this.
The last type of fault is the reverse fault. It is produced by compression forces. The reverse fault has the same structure as the normal fault, but the blocks move in opposite directions. Appalachian Mountains are made up of reverse faults more than any other type of faults.
These are the three types of faults.
Friction Along Faults
Friction is the force that slows down the movement of one surface as it moves along another surface. Friction exists because surfaces are not perfectly smooth. How rocks move along a fault depends on the amount that is used. Where friction is low ,the rocks on both sides move without much sticking. Where friction is moderate, the rocks the sides of the fault jams together. And when the friction is high, the rocks lock together witch can cause and earthquake. An example of high friction is the San Andreas fault. The Pacific and North American plate locks. Stress builds up until an earthquake happens witch releases the stress and the plates slide past each other.