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A fault line valley. A fault line, is a planar fracture in rock in which the rock on one side of the fracture has moved with respect to the rock on the other side.

Fault Line Valley

A fault line valley. A fault line, is a planar fracture in rock in which the rock on one side of the…

An illustration of a clean-cut fault.

Clean-cut Fault

An illustration of a clean-cut fault.

A reverse fault is the opposite of a normal fault — the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall. Reverse faults are indicative of shortening of the crust. The dip of a reverse fault is relatively steep, greater than 45°.

Reverse Fault

A reverse fault is the opposite of a normal fault — the hanging wall moves up relative to the…

An illustration of a trough fault.

Trough Fault

An illustration of a trough fault.

An illustration of undulating strata cut by a fault with alternate throw in opposite directions.

Diagram of Undulating Strata Cut by a Fault

An illustration of undulating strata cut by a fault with alternate throw in opposite directions.

An illustration of strata bent at a line of fault. In geology and related fields, a stratum (plural: strata) is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it from contiguous layers. Each layer is generally one of a number of parallel layers that lie one upon another, laid down by natural forces.

Strata with Fault Line

An illustration of strata bent at a line of fault. In geology and related fields, a stratum (plural:…

An illustration of the plan of a strike fault. The fault surface is usually near vertical and the footwall moves either left or right or laterally with very little vertical motion. Strike-slip faults with left-lateral motion are also known as sinistral faults. Those with right-lateral motion are also known as dextral faults. A special class of strike-slip faults is the transform faults which are a plate tectonics feature related to spreading centers such as mid-ocean ridges.

Plan of a Strike Fault

An illustration of the plan of a strike fault. The fault surface is usually near vertical and the footwall…