Scribd
Upload
478 views

Lesson 2.7 The Formation of Faults and Folds

The document discusses how the movement of tectonic plates leads to rock deformation and the formation of faults and folds. It explains that plates move at convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries, applying compressional, tensional, or shear stress. This stress causes rocks to fracture into faults or joints, or to bend into folds. Specifically, compressional stress at convergent boundaries forms reverse faults and anticlines, while tensional stress at divergent boundaries forms normal faults. Deeper rocks fold instead of fracturing due to higher pressure and temperature making them plastic.

Uploaded by

Jessa Sumayang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
478 views

Lesson 2.7 The Formation of Faults and Folds

The document discusses how the movement of tectonic plates leads to rock deformation and the formation of faults and folds. It explains that plates move at convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries, applying compressional, tensional, or shear stress. This stress causes rocks to fracture into faults or joints, or to bend into folds. Specifically, compressional stress at convergent boundaries forms reverse faults and anticlines, while tensional stress at divergent boundaries forms normal faults. Deeper rocks fold instead of fracturing due to higher pressure and temperature making them plastic.

Uploaded by

Jessa Sumayang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

Lesson 2.

7 The Formation of
Faults and Folds
WARLITO ZAMORA CANOY·TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

Earth Materials and Processes

Objective

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to explain how the movement of plates leads
to the formation of folds and faults.

 The Earth’s crust is divided into plates, known as tectonic plates, and these plates move
due to the convection currents in the Earth’s interior.

 Below is an illustration that depicts the locations and the movements of the plates. The
arrows indicate the direction of their movements.

Learn about it!

Plate Movements
 The movement of the plates depends on the boundaries between them. These boundaries
can be convergent, divergent, or transform.

 In a convergent boundary, the plates move or collide to each other. When the plates
move away from each other, they are in a divergent boundary. Finally, when plates
slide past each other, they are in a transform boundary.

 Plate movements cause rocks to be deformed due to compressional stress at convergent


boundaries, tensional stress at divergent boundaries, or shear stress at transform
boundaries. Due to these stresses, rocks experience changes in volume and shape. ·
Learn about it!
 Rock Deformation Compressional stress causes rocks to be squeezed to each other.

 Tensional stress pulls rocks apart and shear stress causes rocks to slide opposite each
other. When subjected to stress, rocks can deform by either breaking (fracture) or
bending (fold).

 Fracture Since the pressure and temperature are low at the Earth’s surface, rocks tend to
break or fracture when subjected to compressional and tensional stresses. This means
that the pressure exerted in the blocks of rocks exceeds the rock's internal strength.
Fractures can either be a fault or a joint.

 A fault is a break in the rock where there is considerable movement on the fracture
surface while a joint is a break where there is no considerable movement.

Types of Fault ·
There are two types of faults. They can either be dip-slip or strike-slip faults.

 Dip-slip Faults Dip-slip faults involve the vertical movement of the blocks of rock.
These movements are described based on the direction of the motion of the hanging wall
with respect to the footwall.

 A hanging wall is the block of rock that rests on the fault plane while a footwall is the
one below the fault plane. Dip-slip faults can either be a normal or a reverse fault. A
normal fault is caused by tensional stress it is characterized by the hanging wall moving
downward with respect to the footwall.

 A reverse fault, wherein the hanging wall moves upward, is formed by compressional
stress.

 Strike-slip Fault Strike-slip fault involves a horizontal movement of blocks of rock and
is caused by shear stress.

Learn about it!


 Fold Deep within the crust, where pressure and temperature are high, rocks are plastic-
like; thus, they do not break but they tend to bend or fold. When rocks in this area are
compressed, they become thicker. When rocks become thinner, they are pulled apart.

Types of Fold
 When blocks of rock are bent upwards, they form anticline structures.

 Synclines are formed when blocks of rock bend downwards. A slightly bent rock from
the parallel undeformed layers forms monoclines.

Explore
Using the resources from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, find
out if you live in an area where there is a fault.

Try it!
Make slabs out of clay – preferably use different colors to make layers. Apply
compressional, tensional, and shear stress on the slabs of clay. How do the layers move or
look like after applying each type of stress?

Key Points
 Compressional stress is associated with the convergent plate boundary that causes rocks
to be squeezed to each other.

 Tensional stress is associated with the divergent plate boundary that causes rocks to be
pulled apart.
 Shear stress is associated with the transform plate boundary that causes rocks to slide
opposite each other.

 Movement of plates leads to rock deformation such as fracture and fold due to stress.

 A fracture is a break in the rocks and can be classified as a fault or a joint depending on
the amount of movement. A fault can either be a dip-slip or a strike-slip fault.

 A fold is a bend in the rocks and can be classified as anticline, syncline, or monocline.

arth Materials and Processes

1. Which of the following types of boundaries are colliding plates found?

 A. divergent

 B. convergent

 C. transform

 D. strike-slip

2. What type of boundary is associated with plates that slide past each other?

 A. transform

 B. convergent

 C. divergent

 D. strike-slip

3. What type of stress is present between two plates that move away from each other?

 A. tensional

 B. compressional

 C. shear

 D. dip-stress
4. In which of the following conditions do blocks of rock break?

 A. when pressure exceeds the rock’s internal strength

 B. when pressure is lesser than the rock’s internal strength

 C. when the atmosphere exceeds the rock’s internal strength

 D. when the rock’s internal strength exceeds the atmosphere

5. Which of the following best describes the type of movement that happens in a joint?

 A. A fracture where there is considerable movement.

 B. A fold where there is a little or no considerable movement.

 C. A fracture where there is no considerable movement.

 D. A fold where there is considerable movement.

6. Which of the following will form a reverse fault?

 A. tensional stress associated with separating plates

 B. compressional stress associated with separating plates

 C. tensional stress associated with colliding plates

 D. compressional stress associated with colliding plates

7. Which of the following best describe why blocks of rock deeper in the Earth’s crust
deform by folding instead of breaking when subjected to compressional and tensional
stresses?

 I. the temperature and pressure deeper in the Earth’s crust are higher

 II. the temperature and pressure deeper in the Earth’s crust are lower

 III. the rocks deeper in the Earth’s crust are stronger

 IV. the rocks deeper in the Earth’s crust are plastic-like


 A. I and II

 B. II and IV

 C. I and IV

 D. I and III

8. You have learned that your house is built on a hanging wall. After an earthquake, you
noticed that your house moved slightly lower to the ground. In what type of plate
boundary and fault is your house most probably built on?

 A. divergent boundary, normal fault

 B. divergent boundary, reverse fault

 C. convergent boundary, normal fault

 D. convergent boundary, reverse fault

9. During a field trip, you observed that the cross-section of a mountain is U-shaped.
What type of fold is most likely happened to the mountain?

 A. syncline

 B. anticline

 C. monocline

 D. thermocline

10. In your class, you were shown a “before-and-after” picture of a wall of rock. The wall
of rock became folded and thicker in the “after” picture. Which of the following best
describes the condition that made the wall of rock folded and thicker?

 A. The wall of rock was exposed to high temperature and experienced compressional
stress.

 B. The wall of rock was exposed to high temperature and experienced tensional stress.
 C. The wall of rock was exposed to low temperature and experienced compressional
stress.

 D. The wall of rock was exposed to low temperature and experienced tensional stress.

You might also like