Fault Types And Hanging Wall

The hanging wall moves up and over the footwall.

Fault types and hanging wall.

You probably noticed that the blocks that move on either side of a reverse or normal fault slide up. Strike slip faults have a different type of movement than normal and reverse faults. Thrust faults are reverse faults that dip less than 45. Depending upon the inclination of the fault number of types of faults are recognized.

The hanging wall occurs above the fault plane and the footwall occurs below it. There are three or four primary fault types. A thrust fault moves the same way as a reverse fault but at an angle of 45 degrees or less source. Usgs in these faults which are also caused by compression the rock of the hanging wall is actually pushed up.

They bound many of the mountain ranges of the world and many of the rift valleys found along spreading margins. This type of faulting occurs in response to extension. It is a flat surface that may be vertical or sloping. The line it makes on the earth s surface is the fault trace.

The two sides of a non vertical fault are known as the hanging wall and footwall. Other articles where normal fault is discussed. Normal faults are common. Reverse dip slip faults result from horizontal compressional forces caused by a shortening or contraction of earth s crust.

The fault plane in a reverse fault is also nearly vertical but the hanging wall pushes up and the footwall pushes down. The fault plane is where the action is. The hanging wall slides down relative to the footwall. A dip slip fault in which the block above the fault has moved downward relative to the block below.

Hanging wall and footwall. A fault in which hanging wall hw has apparently come down with respect to the footwall fw is termed as normal fault. Where the fault plane is sloping as with normal and reverse faults. The hanging wall will slide upwards right.

It is the horizontal displacement between the hanging wall and footwall. When movement along a fault is the reverse of what you would expect with normal gravity we call them reverse faults. Occurs when the hanging wall moves down relative to the foot wall reverse fault. This sort of fault forms where a plate is being compressed.

Thrust faults with a very low angle of dip and a very large total displacement are called overthrusts or detachments. Where the crust is being compressed reverse faulting occurs in which the hanging wall block moves up and over the footwall block reverse slip on a gently inclined plane is referred to as thrust faulting. Where the crust is being pulled apart normal faulting occurs in which the overlying hanging wall block moves down with respect to the lower foot wall block. Normal dip slip faults are produced by vertical compression as earth s crust lengthens.

This terminology comes from mining.