Lesson 2.

14
The Formation of Faults and Folds

Earth’s Material and Process:

Deformation of the Crust

Jayson C. Porras
Teacher
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.
Recall!

• 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.
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
1. compressional stress at convergent boundaries,
2. tensional stress at divergent boundaries, or
3. shear stress at transform boundaries.

• Due to these stresses, rocks experience changes in

volume and shape.
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.
Joint
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.
The footwall is braced and is the reference point
The hanging wall is the part that is either moved or down
Strike-slip Fault

• Strike-slip fault involves a horizontal movement of

blocks of rock and is caused by shear stress.
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. (Letter U shape)

• A slightly bent rock from the parallel undeformed layers

forms monoclines.
Anticline
Syncline
Monocline
Test Questions

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 C. I and IV
B. II 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.