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Faults,Classification&TypesofFaultsinEngineering

Geology
1)Classificationoffaultsonthebasisofnetslip
Onthebasisofnetslipfaultshavethefollowingthreetypes
1.Dipslipfault

2.Strikeslipfault
3.Obliqueslipfault
a)Dipslipfault:
Thefaultsinwhichthesliptakesplacealongthedirectionoftheslipiscalleddipslipfault.inthedipslipfault
netslipisparalleltothedipoffault
b)Strikeslipfault

Thefaultsinwhichthesliptakesplacealongthedirectionofthestrikeiscalleddipslipfault.inthedipslip
faultnetslipisparalleltothestrikefault
c)Obliquestrikefault
WhenthenetslipisneitherparalleltostrikenorparalleltothedipoffaultiscalledObliquestrikefault.
OR
Afaultwhichhasacomponentofdipslipandacomponentofstrikeslipistermedan'obliqueslipfault'.

Nearlyallfaultswillhavesomecomponentofbothdipslipandstrikeslip,sodefiningafaultasoblique
requiresbothdipandstrikecomponentstobemeasurableandsignificant

2)Classificationoffaultsonthebasisofapparentmovementofblocks:
Onthebasisoftheapparentmovementofblocksfaulthavethefollowingtypes
1.Normalfault
2.Reversefault
a)Normalfault
Normalfaultisoneinwhichthehangingwallfallsdownrelativetothefootwallduetotensionalstressitis
alsocalledgravityfault/apparentnormalfault.Normalfaultswithveryshallowdippingfaultplanes(<10
degrees)arecalled"detachment"faultsor"decollemonts".
b)Reversefault
Reversefaultisoneinwhichthehangingwallmovesuprelativetothefootwallduetocompression.Ifthe
hangingwallispushedupandthenoverthefootwallatalowangleitiscalledathrustfault.Reversefaults
withveryshallowdippingfaultplanes(<10degrees)arecalled"thrust"faults

3)Classificationoffaultsonthebasisofdipangle
Onthebasisofthedipanglefaulthasthefollowingtypes
1.Highanglefault
2.Lowanglefault
a)Highanglefault

Ahighanglefaultisonethatdipsatanglegreaterthan45
b)Lowanglefault
Alowanglefaultisonethatdipsatanglesmallerthan45
4)Classificationoffaultsonthebasisoffaultpattern
Onthebasisofpatternfaultsareclassifiedintothefollowingtypes

1.Parallelfaults
2.Stepfaults
3.Grabeorriftfault
4.Horst
5.Radialfault
6.Peripheralfaults
7.Enechelonfaults
a)Parallelfault
Aseriesoffaultsrunningmoreorlessparalleltooneanotherandallhandinginthesamedirection,are
calledparallelfaults
b)Stepfault
Itisconsistsofthoseparallelfaultswheredownthrowofallareinthesamedirectionanditgivesasteplike
arrangement
c)GrabenorRiftfault
Whentwonormalfaultsfadetowardseachotherandthebedsbetweenthemarethrowndowninthefromof
awedge,thestructureiscalledgrabenorriftfault
d)Horst
Ahorstconsistsofacentralblockonthebothsidesofwhichadjacentbedsappeartohavebeenfaulted
down
e)Radialfaults
Anumberoffaultsexhibitingaradialpatternaredescriedasradialfaults

f)Peripheralfaults
Curvedfaultsofmoreorlesscircular,orarelikeoutcropsonlevelsurfacearecalledperipheralfaults
g)EnechelonFaults
Enechelonfaultarecomparativelyshortfaultswhichoverlapeachother
5)Classificationoffaultsonthebasisofaltitudeoffaultrelativetothealtitudeoftheadjacent
rocks/formation
Itcanbeclassifiedas
1.Dipfault
2.Strikefault
3.Beddingfault
4.Obliquefault
5.TearfaultorTranscurrentfault
a)Dipfault
Adipfaultisoneshorestrikeisparalleltothedipofsstrataandalsocalledtransversefaultswhenitruns
acrossthegeneralstructureotheregion
b)StrikeFault
Astrikefaultisoneshorestrikeisparalleltothestrikeofstrataandalsocalledlongnitudalfaultswhenit
runsacrossthegeneralstructureotheregion
c)Beddingfault
Whenstrikeofthefaultplaneisobliquetothestrikeofdipofstrata,itiscalledanobliquefault
e)Obliquefault
Whenthestrikeofthefaultplaneisobliquetohestrikeanddipofstrata,itiscalledanobliqueFault.
f)TearfaultoryTranscurrentfault
Itgenerallystrikestransversetothestrikeofcountryrocks.thefaultplaneismoreorlesverticalandoften
extendfroalongdistancesitsisalsocalledawrenchfault

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