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Geology Module 4

Stress and strain in geology are caused by forces acting on tectonic plates. There are four main types of stress: compressional, tensional, shearing, and confining stress. These stresses result in brittle deformation processes in rocks like faulting and folding. Faults occur along plate boundaries and include strike-slip, normal, and reverse faults. Folds form under compression and cause rock layers to bend. The type of deformation depends on the rock type, temperature, pressure, stress duration and intensity.

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20 views

Geology Module 4

Stress and strain in geology are caused by forces acting on tectonic plates. There are four main types of stress: compressional, tensional, shearing, and confining stress. These stresses result in brittle deformation processes in rocks like faulting and folding. Faults occur along plate boundaries and include strike-slip, normal, and reverse faults. Folds form under compression and cause rock layers to bend. The type of deformation depends on the rock type, temperature, pressure, stress duration and intensity.

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lloydalejandria13
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GEOLOGY (MODULE 4)

STRESS AND STRAIN

STRESS (GEOLOGICAL STRESS)


- A FORCE THAT PUSHES AND PULLS THE PLATES THAT ACTS ON THE ROCKS
WHICH CREATES DIFFERENT BEHAVIOR OR CHARACTERISTICS. STRESS
REFERS TO THE FORCE APPLIED AT ROCK PER UNIT AREA.

4 TYPES OF STRESS:

1. COMPRESSION STRESS
2. TENSION STRESS
3. SHEARING STRESS
4. CONFINING STRESS

COMPRESSIVE STRESS
- COMPRESSION IS A TYPE OF STRESS THAT CAUSES THE ROCKS TO PUSH OR
SQUEEZE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.

HORIZONTAL COMPRESSIVE STRESS

HORIZONTAL COMPRESSIVE STRESS


MOUNTAINS

- MOUNTAINS ARE A RESULT OF HIGH IMPACT COMPRESSION STRESS CAUSED


WHEN TWO PLATES COLLIDED

TENSILE STRESS
- IT IS A TYPE OF STRESS THAT FORCES THE ROCKS TO
PULL APART. IT IS THE OPPOSITE OF COMPRESSION
STRESS.

PANGAEA
- SCIENTIST BELIEVED THAT TENSION STRESS CAUSED THE ANCIENT, MASSIVE
CONTINENT PANGAEA TO BREAK-OFF INTO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS THAT WE
HAVE TODAY.

SHEARING STRESS
- IT IS A TYPE OF STRESS THAT FORCES THE ROCKS
TO RUB AGAINST EACH OTHER AS THEY MOVE IN
OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

EARTHQUAKES
- THE FRICTION OF A SHEAR STRESS AT THE EDGES OF THE PLATE CAN CAUSE
EARTHQUAKES.

CONFINING STRESS
- IT IS A TYPE OF STRESS WHEREIN THE FORCES ARE APPLIED
TO ALL SIDES OF THE CRUST. IF THE STRESS IS TOO MUCH
FOR THE CRUST TO HANDLE, THE CRUST CAN FRACTURE
FROM THE INSIDE.

SINKHOLE
- IT IS CAUSE BY CONFINING STRESS AS THE STRESS CAN HOLLOW OUT THE
INSIDE OF THE CRUST.

THREE TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARY


STRAIN (GEOLOGICAL STRAIN)
- IT IS THE MEASURE OF HOW MUCH THE SHAPE OR VOLUME OF THE
MATERIAL HAS CHANGED UNDER THE EFFECTS OF STRESS.

4 MECHANISMS OF DEFORMATION:

1. BRITTLE DEFORMATION
2. ELASTIC DEFORMATION
3. PLASTIC DEFORMATION
4. VISCOUS DEFORMATION

STRESS-STRAIN DIAGRAM

A ROCK’S RESPONSE TO STRESS DEPENDS ON THE ROCK TYPE, THE


SURROUNDING TEMPERATURE, AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS THE ROCK IS UNDER,
THE LENGTH OF TIME THE ROCK IS UNDER STRESS, AND THE TYPE OF STRESS.

ROCK CAN RESPOND TO STRESS IN THREE WAYS: IT CAN DEFORM


ELASTICALLY, IT CAN DEFORM PLASTICALLY, AND IT CAN BREAK OR FRACTURE.

FOLDS AND FAULTING

FAULTS ARE THE MAIN TYPE OF BRITTLE DEFORMATION IN ROCKS WHICH IS CAUSED
BY THE STRESS DUE TO MOVEMENT OF TECTONIC PLATES
THREE MAIN TYPE OF FAULTS

STRIKE-SLIP FAULT
- IN A STRIKE-SLIP FAULT THE BLOCKS MOVE PAST EACH
OTHER HORIZONTALLY. IT OCCURS DUE TO SHEAR
STRESS WHICH PUSHES THE ROCKS HORIZONTALLY BUT
IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. STRIKE-SLIP FAULTS ARE
COMMON ALONG TRANSFORM BOUNDARIES

NORMAL FAULT
- IN A NORMAL FAULT, THE HANGING WALL MOVES DOWN
RELATIVE TO THE FOOTWALL. THESE FAULTS ARE CALLED
NORMAL BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY
EXPECT THE FAULTS TO DO. IT'S THE RESULT OF TENSION
WHICH STRESSES OR PULLS THE ROCK APART AND ARE
COMMON ALONG DIVERGENT BOUNDARIES

REVERSE FAULT
- REVERSE FAULT OCCURS WHEN THE HANGING WALL
MOVES UP THE FOOT WALL THESE ARE CALLED REVERSE
BECAUSE THIS IS THE REVERSE OF WHAT YOU EXPECT AS
A RESULT OF GRAVITY REVERSE FAULTS OCCUR AS A
RESULT OF COMPRESSION WHICH IS STRESS THAT
SQUEEZES THE ROCKS TOGETHER

- DIP IS THE DIRECTION THE FAULT PLANE IS INCLINED


- FOLDS THESE ARE CAUSED BY COMPRESSIONAL FORCES ACTING ON THE
ROCKS AND THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE ARE JUST HIGH ENOUGH FOR
PLASTIC DEFORMATION TO OCCUR.
FOLDS ARE CLASSIFIED BY GEOMETRY AND STRATIGRAPHY

ROCKS CAN FOLD TO BECOME COMPRESSED EQUALLY IN TWO PERPENDICULAR


DIRECTIONS AT ONCE: (DOME & BASIN)

DOMES CAN TRAP OIL AND NATURAL GAS

FOLDS CAN ALSO BE TILTED OVER ON THEIR SIDES DURING DEFORMATION,


BECOMING EITHER PLUNGING OR INCLINED

THE OUTCOMES OF PLACING ROCK UNDER STRESS ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE, BUT
THEY INCLUDE FRACTURING, TILTING AND FOLDING, STRETCHING AND SQUEEZING,
AND FAULTING.

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