A split or fracture between two blocks of rock in the Earth's crust that have slipped, slid or pushed against each other. An area where earthquakes commonly occur.
Approximately plane surface of fracture in a rock-body, caused by brittle failure, and along observable relative displacement has occurred between adjacent blocks.
A fracture in rock caused by stress.
A large crack in a layer of rock or the Earth's crust.
A displacement of subsurface layers of earth or rock that sometimes seals an oil-bearing formation by placing it next to a non-porous formation.
A slip-surface between two portions of the earth's surface that have moved relative to each other. A fault is a failure surface and is evidence of severe earth stresses.
A fracture or zone of fractures in a planet's crust, accompanied by displacement of the opposing sides.
A break in the Earth along which movement occurs. Sudden movement along a fault produces earthquakes. Slow movement produces aseismic creep.
is a fracture in a rock across which there has been displacement
a fracture in rock along which the adjacent rock surfaces are differentially displaced
a fracture in rock on which movement has taken place.
A discontinuity in rocks across which movement has occurred.
A fracture in rocks with relative displacement of two parts of the mass.
a break or fracture in the rock layers in the earth's crust. The rock layers are displaced or offset from one another on each side of the fracture.
A fracture in the Earth's crust where there has been displacement of one side relative to the other.
A break in the continuity of stratified rocks or even basement rocks. Faults are significant to oilmen because they can form traps for oil when the rock fractures, they can break oil reservoirs into noncommunicating sections, they help produce oil accumulations, and they form traps on their own.
A planar or gently curved fracture in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative displacement of the two blocks of rock parallel to the fracture.
It is a split in the earth crust where the two sides may shift in opposing directions, resulting in an earthquake.
A fracture or fracture zone along which there has been displacement of the two sides relative to one another.
A fracture of the earth's crust, where there has been movement between two blocks of crust. Where the edges of the bricks meet during the experiment on page one .
A discontinuity over which there has been displacement of rock strata. See Reverse Fault, Normal Fault and Strike-Slip Faults.
a fracture along which there has been differential movement of the oppo-site sides.
A fracture on which one body of rock slides past another.
Fracture in a mass of rock causing a relative shift in the separated segments.
great fractures between masses of rock at the earth's surface; a large crack or break in a series of rocks; where two plates slip past each other
A fracture in the earth's crust where the materials on one side have moved in relation to the materials on the other side. Faults may provide an easy path for magmatic intrusion. The sudden movement of material along either side of a fault causes earthquakes. Back
Fracture within the Earth along which displacement of one side with respect to the other has occurred.
Figure Faults are surfaces of breakage in rocks, along which some movement has taken place. The movement may be measured in millimeters or miles. Fault "planes" are often not actually flat surfaces, but may be curved or undulatory.
a break in the rock layers where movement has occurred.
A plane of fracture in a rock along which displacement has occurred.
sharp break in rock with a displacement of the block on one side with respect to the adjacent blocks
A crack in the earth's crust usually formed when two pieces of crust are moving past each other.
A fracture or fracture zone in rock along which movement has occurred.
fracture dividing a rock into two sections that have visibly moved relative to each other.
A break in the continuity of a body of rock, attended by movement along the break.
A fracture in rock across which there has been movement.
Fracture zone in rock along which there has been movement of the crust.
a major rock fracture exhibiting relative movement on vertical or horizontal planes.
A surface or zone of rock fracture along which there has been displacement, from a few centimeters to a few kilometers in scale.
a fracture in rocks caused by movement of the earth's crust (plate tectonics). Faults are usually caused by transverse plate movement.
surface of rock rupture along which has been differential movement.
A fracture in the Earth's crust accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture.
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"
a break (crack) in the Earth's interior that causes one side of the crust to be displaced to the other
a break (fracture) or crack in the rock along which movement has occurred
a break in rocks along which rocks have moved
a break in the earth's crust along which blocks of rock slip past one another
a break in the earth's crust along which movement can take place causing an earthquake
a break in the Earth's crust from movement
a break in the Earth's crust having relative movement of the two sides
a break in the earth's crust when movement occurs
a break in the layers of rock
a break in which the rock on one side slides or slips against the rock on the other side so that each side is displaced some distance from the other
a break through the solid rock beneath the soil along which movement and resulting displacement of the two sides occurs
a crack or rupture in the earth along which rocks on each
a deep crack in the Earth that marks the boundary of two plates
a discontinuous displacement of rocks along a surface
a fracture along which the blocks of outermost major layer of the earth, on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture
a fracture along which there is movement
a fracture between blocks of the earth's crust where either side moves relative to the other along a parallel plane to the fracture
a fracture having appreciable movement parallel to the plane of the fracture
a fracture in bedrock along which movement has taken place
a fracture in the crust along which one side has moved relative to the other side
a fracture in the earth along which movement has occurred
a fracture in the Earth's crust along which motion may occur
a fracture in the Earth's crust along which rocks on one side have been displaced in relation to rocks on the other side
a fracture in the Earth's crust along which two blocks of the crust have
a fracture in the Earth's crust whose sides have moved in relation to each other
a fracture in the rock along which there has been movement, and the direction of movement of the opposite blocks of rock can be anywhere from vertical to lateral
a fracture on the surface of the earth along which some relative movement has occurred
a fracture or break along which the two sides have moved relative to one another
a fracture or zone of fractures slong which there has been displacement of the rock on either side of the fracture
a fracture or zone of fracturing in rock along which there has been displacement (possibly cm or km) of one side relative to the other
a fracture surface within the earth on which slip or displacement has taken place
a large crack in the Earth's crust where one part of the crust has moved against another part
a long crack in the crust of the Earth
a planar feature along which the rock and soil on each side move
a surface along which rocks slide past one another
a surface that permits bodies of rock to move past each other
a thin zone of crushed rock between two blocks of rock, and can be any length, from centimeters to thousands of kilometers
a thin zone of crushed rock separating blocks of the earth's crust
a three-dimensional surface within the planet Earth
a break in a rock formation caused by movement of the earth's crust.
A weak area in the Earth's crust where two sides of a fracture or fracture zone move relative to each other.
A fracture in bedrock along which movement of the bedrock has occurred.
a fracture or zone of fractures in rock along which the two sides have been displaced relative to each other .
A physical or logical break in a communications link. (7/96)
a fracture in the earth, one side of which is displaced with respect to the other
A fracture or a zone of fractures in the Earth's crust, marked by the relative displacement and discontinuity of a layer or layers of rock.
A fracture in the crust of the earth.
In a geological sense, a break or fracture zone along which there has been movement that results in the displacement of one side relative to the other.
A fracture in the Earth's crust along which relative movement has taken place. Faults are classified into three types based on the sense of fault movement into normal, reverse, or strike-slip faults.
A line of fracture along which one body of rock or section of Earth's crust has been displaced relative to another.
a surface or zone of rock fracture along which there has been displacement of varying distances and in any direction.
A fracture or a zone of fractures within a rock formation along which vertical, horizontal, or transverse slippage of the earth's crust has occurred in the past.
A fracture in the earth's crust along which movement has taken place, and where the rock strata on the two sides therefore do not match.
A break in the continuity of a body of rock. It is accompanied by a movement on one side of the break or the other so that what were once parts of one continuous rock stratum or vein are now separated.
is a surface along which rock has been fractured and displaced.
A fracture in rock layers along which movement has occurred.
A zone of fractures or breaks in rocks where movements occur. Earthquakes often occur along faults because they are weak zones in the rock.
a fracture plane in rocks, along which the rock-mass on the one side has been moved relative to the rock-mass on the other side.
A crack or fracture in the earth's surface. Movement along the fault can cause earthquakes or--in the process of mountain-building--can release underlying magma and permit it to rise to the surface.
an extended break in a rock formation marked by the displacement and discontinuity of layers on either side.
a fracture or zone of fracture along which displacement has occurred
A break in a mass of rock along which there has been movement parallel to the fracture.
A break in the rock along which the two sides have moved with respect to each other.
A split or fracture in the Earth's crust where two blocks of crust have slipped, slid or pushed against each other.
A geological structure consisting of a fracture in the rock along which there has been an observable amount of displacement.
A fracture in the Earth along which one side has moved in relative to the other. Sudden movements on faults cause earthquakes. more details...
a crack in rock or soil along which there has been movement caused by stress.
Fault - A fracture in rock in which there is some displacement of opposite blocks. Fault planes are often mineralized.
crack in Earth's surface where two plates or sections of the crust push and slide in opposite directions against one another.
A fault was where there was a movement in the earths crust causing a break in the layer of coal, one part of it moving up or down. When working on a seam of coal the miner would suddenly meet rock and would have to tunnel up or down to meet the continuation of the seam
A surface along which one body of rock has moved relative to another.
A crack in the Earth's crust where there is displacement of one side relative to the other
A fracture in a rock along which movement occurs or has occurred.
(To form) a break in the subsurface strata; strata on opposite sides of a fault may be displaced vertically and/or laterally relative to their original position. Faults can be the result of tensional forces ("Normal faults"), compressional forces ("Reverse faults") or lateral forces ("Strike-slip" or "Wrench faults"). Often a combination of forces are involved.
A fracture in the crust along which movement occurs.
a break in the sub-surface strata where there is displacement relative to the original position of strata
A fracture in the earth's crust forming a boundary between rock masses that have shifted.
A discrete surface across which rocks move relative to each other; a planar break in the rocks.
A fracture or break along which rocks slip. Faults can vary from almost horizontal surfaces to vertical. They may break through the ground surface, or be deep within the earth.
A break in the earth’s crust along which movement has taken place. Frequently occurs as a zone of numerous smaller faults.
Geological term denoting a break in the subsurface strata.
A fracture or fracture zone along which there has been movement of the blocks relative to one another parallel to the fracture. A reverse fault is one in which the block above the plane of the fault has moved up relative to the block below the fault. A normal fault is one that the upper block has moved down.
A break in the Earth's crust caused by tectonic forces, which have moved the rock on one side with respect to the other.
A discontinuity in a rock formation caused by fracturing of the earth's crust. In oilfield terms a Fault Block is a compartment of a rock formation surrounded or partly surrounded by faults, which may have sealed in hydrocarbons separately from the rest of the formation.
A planar feature or fracture zone along which displacement has occurred.
a break in a rock mass along which movement has occurred flexure – a fold where a layer of rock, once horizontal, has been bent (not broken) fossiliferous – containing fossils, generally in significant quantity
A giant crack in a rock that makes up the Earth's surface. A shift along the fault line caused the earthquake.
A fracture in a rock along which there has been relative movement either vertically or horizontally.
A weak point in the Earth's crust where the rock layers have ruptured and slipped.
a break, or crack, in the rocks of the lithosphere along which movements take place; usually located along the boundaries between tectonic plates
a break in subsurface strata. Often strata on one side of the fault line have been displaced (upward, downward, or laterally) relative to their original positions.
n. (v.) A fracture, or large crack, in the Earth's crust where one side moves up/down/sideways relative to the other; fault block- n. pieces of crust that have slipped into or alongside a fault; fault zone- n. an area with multiple faults.
A crack or fracture in Earth's crust along which rock on one side has moved relative to rock on the other.
A fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture. Strike-slip faults are vertical (or nearly vertical) fractures where the blocks have mostly moved horizontally. If the block opposite an observer looking across the fault moves to the right, the slip style is termed right lateral; if the block moves to the left, the motion is termed left lateral. Dip-slip faults are inclined fractures where the blocks have mostly shifted vertically. If the rock mass above an inclined fault moves down, the fault is termed normal, whereas if the rock above the fault moves up, the fault is termed reverse (or thrust). Oblique-slip faults have significant components of both slip styles.
A fracture in bedrock along which there has been vertical and/or horizontal movement caused by differential forces in the earths crust.
fracture with size ranging from a rock mass to a part of the Earth crust and characterized by relative displacement of the two compartments located on each side of the plane of fracture. Faults with vertical displacement: normal or reverse; faults with horizontal displacement: strike slip fault, dextral or sinistral.
a fracture (or break) in rock.
a fracture or crack in the Earth's crust along which movement has taken place.
A crack running through rock that is the result of tectonic forces.
a break in the Earth's rocks along which there has been displacement of the rocks. Displacement may vary from inches to miles.
a crack or break in the Earth's crust along which movement has occurred, often resulting in earthquakes.
A crack in bedrock along which massive rock layers have physically moved. Results as rock layers relieve stress when forced to bend or fold (i.e. form mountains).
A fracture in the earth along which there has been displacement. This displacement may range from a few inches to a few miles.
A structural trap, favorable for the retention of petroleum, formed by the cracking and breaking of a rock plane. It is essential to the creation of a trap that the facing of the rock plane be sealed off by against an impervious formation. Frac: A term used to refer to the method used to increase the deliverability of a (Fracturing) production or underground storage well by pumping a liquid or other substance into a well under pressure to crack (fracture) and prop open the created fracture with sand to provide a conduit for the hydrocarbons to easily travel from considerable distances out in the reservoir into the well bore. go back
A fracture surface or zone of fractures in Earth materials along which there has been vertical and/or horizontal displacement or movement of the strata on opposite sides relative to one another.
A fracture--surface in the Earth's crust along which sliding motion has taken place in the past. See also, fault line.
a crack in a layer of rock, usually caused by an earthquake or other movement in a rock layer; great splits between masses of rock at the earth's surface
a large break in rocks, from several meters to many kilometers long, where rocks not only crack but also move along either side of the break
A fracture in the continuity of a rock formation caused by a shifting or dislodging of the earth's crust, in which adjacent surfaces are differentially displaced parallel to the plane of fracture.
A naturally occurring plane or zone of weakness in the rock along which there has been movement. The amount of movement can vary widely.
a break or fracture in the earth’s sub-strata where one side of the break moves relative to the other.
A fracture in rock along which there has been an observable amount of displacement. Faults are rarely single planar units; normally they occur as parallel to sub-parallel sets of planes along which movement has taken place to a greater or lesser extent.
Earthquakes always occur on faults. Faults are places in the earth where the rocks are broken and the rocks on one side have moved in some direction relative to the other. There are three types of faults --- thrust, normal and strike-slip. A thrust occurs on a plane that is at an angle to the surface such that one side slides up over the other. Normal faults are also on angled fault planes, but one side moves down and away from the other. Strike-slip events occur on vertical faults and one side slides by the other. Strike-slip and thrust are the most common types in southern California. Every point on the fault plane releases energy so bigger faults produce bigger earthquakes. We can thus estimate how big an earthquake to expect by mapping the length of the fault. The longest fault in southern California is the San Andreas fault that is long enough to produce a magnitude 8 earthquake.
A crack or break in the crust of a planet along which slippage or movement can take place.
A break in the rocks of the earth's crust along which movement may occur, causing earthquakes.
A fracture in a rock along which the opposite sides have been relatively displaced parallel to the plane of the movement;
A fracture in rocks, where the rocks on one side of the fracture have moved relative to those on the other side.
A fracture or zone of fractures along which there has been displacement of the sides relative to one another, parallel to the fracture.
a zone of weakness where crustal rocks dislodge (as in earthquakes) or mantle rocks upwell (as in volcanoes).
A physial or logical break in a communications link. ... more
A geological term that refers to a fracture or a break in a hard surface like the Earth's crust. This area is a zone of weakness and may be the site of earthquakes or volcanoes. All planets or moons with a hard crust are candidates for faults or breaks on their surfaces.
A fracture or fracture zone in the Earth's crust along which slippage of adjacent earth material has occurred at some time.
A fissure or fracture in a rock formation from which a measurable amount of oil flows.
a break in the earth's crust, with the mass of rock on one side of the break displaced. [AHDOS
