Faults and Faulting topics include: Fault terminology, faults classification, faulting effects, faulting recognition and faults considerations. A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust that allows blocks of rock to move relative to each other. Faults can be classified by the direction of movement along the fault.  Faults can be classified into four types: Normal faulting: Two plates move away from each other, causing one to slide down relative to the other. Reverse/thrust faulting: Plates are compressed, or pushed together, causing one plate to be pushed up onto another plate. Strike-slip... Show more

Faults and Faulting topics include: Fault terminology, faults classification, faulting effects, faulting recognition and faults considerations.

A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust that allows blocks of rock to move relative to each other. Faults can be classified by the direction of movement along the fault. 

Faults can be classified into four types:
Normal faulting: Two plates move away from each other, causing one to slide down relative to the other.
Reverse/thrust faulting: Plates are compressed, or pushed together, causing one plate to be pushed up onto another plate.
Strike-slip faulting: Two plates move horizontally past one another.
Oblique faulting: A fourth type of faulting. 

Faults can range in length from a few millimeters to thousands of kilometers. Movement can occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake, or may occur slowly, in the form of creep. 
Faults are caused by plate-tectonic forces. In the cooler parts of Earth, rocks are colder and brittle and respond to large stresses by fracturing. Earthquakes are the agents of brittle rock failure. 

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