Processes
Faulting
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The fracture and displacement of rock along planar breaks, the faults, across which rock masses have measurably moved. The largest faults in Earth's crust result from plate tectonic forces, the biggest of them forming plate boundaries such as the megathrust faults of subduction zones and transform faults, and the energy released by rapid movement on active faults causes most earthquakes; other faults displace slowly, by aseismic creep.
Facts
TimescaleRapid movement in earthquakes; slow aseismic creep on other faults 1 Driving ForceLarge crustal faults result from plate tectonic forces, with the largest of them forming the boundaries between the plates themselves. 1 Resulting FeatureThe sudden release of energy from rapid movement on an active fault is the cause of most earthquakes. 1 SignificanceHow active a fault is matters directly for where buildings, tanks and pipelines are sited and for assessing seismic and tsunami hazard to people and infrastructure. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Folds may form from displacement on a non-planar fault or at the tip of a propagating fault.
Rift depressions are framed by normal faulting.
Seismic shaking generated along faults is the most common trigger of soil liquefaction.
Faulting is one of the primary deformation structures structural geology reconstructs the history of.
The largest faults include the megathrust faults of subduction zones.
A transform fault is a special case of a strike-slip fault that also forms a plate boundary.
Caused By
Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic forces.
In Discipline
Sources
1. Fault, Geology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements.
1. Fault, Geology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMechanisms of faulting (cause)Quote, Mechanisms of faulting (cause)
Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic forces, with the largest forming the boundaries between the plates.
1. Fault, Geology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMechanisms of faulting (energy release)Quote, Mechanisms of faulting (energy release)
Energy release associated with rapid movement on active faults is the cause of most earthquakes.
1. Fault, Geology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationImpacts on structures and peopleQuote, Impacts on structures and people
The level of a fault's activity can be critical for (1) locating buildings, tanks, and pipelines and (2) assessing the seismic shaking and tsunami hazard to infrastructure and people.
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