Is fault a discontinuity?
Faults are discontinuities on which identifiable shear displacement has taken place. They may be recognized by the relative displacement of a rock on the opposite sides of a fault plane. Joints are breaks of geological origin along which there has been no visible relative displacement.
What is a discontinuity in geology?
Geological discontinuity is normally recognised as a general term to describe any mechanical break (lacking significant tensile strength) within rock masses, including most joints, weak bedding planes, weakness zones and faults (ISRM, 1978).
What is the geographic definition of fault?
A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other. Earth scientists use the angle of the fault with respect to the surface (known as the dip) and the direction of slip along the fault to classify faults.
What is fault in geological structure?
fault, in geology, a planar or gently curved fracture in the rocks of Earth’s crust, where compressional or tensional forces cause relative displacement of the rocks on the opposite sides of the fracture. Faults may be vertical, horizontal, or inclined at any angle.
How do you describe discontinuity?
Point/removable discontinuity is when the two-sided limit exists, but isn’t equal to the function’s value. Jump discontinuity is when the two-sided limit doesn’t exist because the one-sided limits aren’t equal. Asymptotic/infinite discontinuity is when the two-sided limit doesn’t exist because it’s unbounded.
What is a fault geology quizlet?
A fault is a break in a rock in which movement has taken place. Normal Fault. When areas of the Earth are pulled apart (tension/tensile stress) a normal fault is formed.
What is discontinuity?
Definition of discontinuity 1 : lack of continuity or cohesion. 2 : gap sense 5. 3a : the property of being not mathematically continuous a point of discontinuity. b : an instance of being not mathematically continuous especially : a value of an independent variable at which a function is not continuous.
What is the purpose of a discontinuity in the earth’s layer?
Seismic discontinuities are the regions in the earth where seismic waves behave a lot different compared to the surrounding regions due to a marked change in physical or chemical properties. Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho): separates the crust from the mantle.
What is a fault example?
The definition of a fault is a weakness in the rock strata that can shift and create an earthquake. An example of fault is the San Andreas fault line in California. Fault means a mistake or a weakness. An example of fault is having a problem telling the truth.
What are the types of faults in geology?
There are four types of faulting — normal, reverse, strike-slip, and oblique. A normal fault is one in which the rocks above the fault plane, or hanging wall, move down relative to the rocks below the fault plane, or footwall. A reverse fault is one in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.
What type of discontinuity are there?
There are two types of discontinuities: removable and non-removable. Then there are two types of non-removable discontinuities: jump or infinite discontinuities. Removable discontinuities are also known as holes. Infinite discontinuities occur when a function has a vertical asymptote on one or both sides.
What type of discontinuity is a fault?
A fault is a discontinuity with wall-parallel displacement dominated by brittle deformation mechanisms. By discontinuity we are here primarily referring to layers, i.e. faults cut off rock layers and make them discontinuous. However, faults also represent mechanical and displacement discontinuities.
What is the definition of a fault in geology?
Fault in geology, a planar or gently curved fracture in rocks of the Earth’s crust, where compressional or tensional stresses cause relative displacement of the rocks on either side of the fracture. All these definitions are inadequate, as I hope to show below.
What are discontinuities in geology?
Discontinuities frequently form parallel to bedding planes, foliations or slaty cleavage, and they may be termed bedding joints, foliation joints or cleavage joints. Sedimentary rocks often contain two sets of joints approximately orthogonal to each other and to the bedding planes.
What is the result of abrupt changes in displacement across a fault?
The result is abrupt changes in the displacement field (arrows) across faults. A fault is a discontinuity in the velocity or displacement field associated with deformation. Faults differ from shear fractures because a simple shear fracture cannot expand in its own plane into a larger structure.