Fault Types & Landforms Quiz
Normal/reverse/strike-slip; scarps, grabens (10 questions).
Fault Types & Landforms Quiz: Quick Study Notes
Faults are fractures in the Earth’s crust where rocks on either side have moved relative to each other. These movements, driven by tectonic forces, create distinct types of faults—normal, reverse, and strike-slip—each associated with specific landforms like scarps and grabens. Understanding these features is fundamental to comprehending the dynamic processes shaping our planet.
Key Fault Types & Associated Landforms
Formed by tensional forces; hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall.
Formed by compressional forces; hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.
Blocks slide horizontally past each other due to shear forces.
Scarps are fault-formed cliffs; Grabens are down-dropped blocks between normal faults.
Key Takeaways
- Faults are breaks in the Earth’s crust with relative movement.
- Tensional forces create normal faults, leading to features like grabens and horsts.
- Compressional forces lead to reverse (and thrust) faults, often building mountains.
- Shear forces produce strike-slip faults, with predominantly horizontal movement.
- A fault scarp is a visible cliff or slope on the Earth’s surface, formed by fault displacement.
- Grabens are elongated, down-dropped blocks bounded by parallel normal faults.
- Understanding fault types helps interpret tectonic activity and geological history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary difference between a normal and a reverse fault?
A normal fault occurs when the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall due to tensional forces, while a reverse fault occurs when the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall due to compressional forces.
How does a strike-slip fault differ from other fault types?
Unlike normal and reverse faults which involve vertical movement, a strike-slip fault involves blocks sliding horizontally past each other along the fault plane, primarily due to shear forces.
What is a fault scarp and how is it formed?
A fault scarp is a small step or cliff on the Earth’s surface formed when vertical movement along a fault plane brings blocks of different elevations into contact.
Explain the formation of a graben.
A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel normal faults. It forms when tensional forces pull the crust apart, causing a central block to subside while the flanking blocks remain relatively higher (or are uplifted, forming horsts).
Which type of plate boundary is typically associated with normal faults?
Normal faults are most commonly associated with divergent plate boundaries, where tectonic plates are moving away from each other, causing the crust to stretch and thin under tensional forces.
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