Table of Contents
What type of fault does shearing create?
Transform faults
Transform faults move horizontally in response to shearing stresses. They are also called strike-slip faults because the movement is along strike.
Does shearing cause strike-slip faults?
Strike-slip faults are vertical (or nearly vertical) fractures where the blocks have mostly moved horizontally. The fault motion of a strike-slip fault is caused by shearing forces. If the block on the far side of the fault moves to the left, as shown in this animation, the fault is called left-lateral.
What happens during shearing?
Shearing can be described as the lateral movement of one rock surface against another. This motion alters the rocks, causing them to change shape as they slide against each other.
What kind of fault is caused by compression?
reverse fault
If the fault develops in a situation of compression, then it will be a reverse fault because the compression causes the hanging wall to be pushed up relative to the footwall.
What kind of faults are associated with shearing forces?
In terms of faulting, compressive stress produces reverse faults, tensional stress produces normal faults, and shear stress produces transform faults. *Terminology alert: Geoscientists refer to faults that are formed by shearing as transform faults in the ocean, and as strike-slip faults on continents.
Study of geological shear is related to the study of structural geology, rock microstructure or rock texture and fault mechanics. The process of shearing occurs within brittle, brittle-ductile, and ductile rocks. What type of fault occurs at convergent plate boundaries?
How does stress lead to tectonic plate boundaries?
This animation describes stress in Earth’s outer layer and how it leads to both faults and tectonic plate boundaries. In a normal fault, the block above the fault moves down relative to the block below the fault. This fault motion is caused by extensional forces and results in extension.
How are transform faults related to plate boundaries?
A transform fault is a type of strike-slip fault wherein the relative horizontal slip is accommodating the movement between two ocean ridges or other tectonic boundaries. They are connected on both ends to other faults. Faults, Plate Boundaries, & Stress—How are they related?