7.1: Why It Matters
CORRELATE STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AS IT PERTAINS TO CRUSTAL DEFORMATION
Understanding crustal deformation helps explain the forces necessary to bend and fold rocks like those shown above which help create mountains. This section will discuss the types of forces needed to accomplish such a powerful feat. Have you ever wondered how strong those forces would have to be? The answer to that is beyond our comprehension.
Figure 1. Chevron folds with flat-lying axial planes, Millook Haven, North Cornwall, UK
Along with these forces, we will investigate various types of folds as well as different types of faults. If you recall from the plate tectonics sections, earthquakes occur along active fault lines. This section helps us better understand how faults work.
Learning Outcomes
- Compare and contrast stress versus strain in the Earth’s crust
- Explain how forces of tension, compression, and shear relate to plate and fault motion
- Interpret and model common fold and fault types
Contributors and Attributions
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Original content from Kimberly Schulte (Columbia Basin College) and supplemented by Lumen Learning . The content on this page is copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.