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Three Types of Faults (Grade 7)

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Three Types of Faults

Instructions: Read the information about each of the three types of faults, then answer the questions.

Strike-Slip Fault	Normal Fault	Reverse Fault

A strike-slip fault occurs when rocks move horizontally, or slide past each other. These faults form under shearing, or sliding, forces. Strike-slip faults are identified as right-lateral or left-lateral depending on the direction of movement of the rock blocks. The diagram shows a left-lateral fault. If you placed one foot on each side of the fault line while the rock block moved, your left foot would move toward you. The famous San-Andreas fault is a right lateral strike-slip fault. It is also a transform fault, or a strike-slip fault that forms along plate boundaries.	A normal fault forms when tensional stress pulls rocks apart. When this happens, the rock block on the upper side of the fault will drop down compared to the rock block on the lower side of the fault plane. The rock block that drops is called the hanging wall. The rock block on the other side of the fault plane is the footwall. The diagram shows the footwall on the left of the fault plane and the hanging wall on the right.	A reverse fault forms under compressional forces. Think of it as the opposite, or reverse, of a normal fault. The rocks are squeezed inward. The hanging wall moves upward along the fault plane. The diagram shows the hanging wall on the right of the fault plane and the footwall on the left. A thrust fault is a normal fault with a low angle fault plane.