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Various structures - Tension fractures

Chapter · May 2015

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-420152-1.00006-5

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Chapter 6

Various Structures
KEYWORDS
Columnar joints; Crater; Fissures; Fractures; Pull apart structure; Spheroidal weathering; Xenoliths.

This chapter presents various structures some of which are not worked intensely by structural geologists. Grain boundary
migration in rocks observed under optical microscope can constrain the temperature the rock underwent (Stipp et al., 2002).
Stability of buildings and fracturing during earthquakes has been a research topic to geoscientists (Krishnan et al., 2006). Study
of faults and other structures has helped geoscientists to paleohydrology (Treiman, 2008) (Figures 6.1–6.60).

FIGURE 6.1 Columnar joints, colonnade and entablature. Thick solidifying lava flows develop contraction fractures that propagate from their cool-
ing margins toward hotter interiors. These fractures, called columnar joints, divide a lava flow into columns, with polygonal (ideally hexagonal) shapes in
plan. A subhorizontal basaltic lava flow of the Talisker Bay Group, Isle of Skye, Scotland is shown in the figure. The lower part of the flow shows well-
developed vertical columns, suggesting nearly horizontal isotherms (contours of constant temperature within the lava flow). Such a columnar tier is called
a colonnade. The upper part of this flow shows a highly chaotic and distorted internal structure, as would develop during rainfall or stream flow supplying
water into the cooling flow interior and disturbing isotherms. This tier is known as an entablature. The colonnade and the entablature, though with greatly
different field appearance, are part of a single lava flow. Here, the combined thickness of both is 120 m. (Hetu Sheth)

Atlas of Structural Geology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-420152-1.00006-5

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 125
 136 Atlas of Structural Geology

FIGURE 6.22 Biotite rich granite with siltstone xenolith from the Tistung Formation. U–Pb dating of zircons from the granite yields crystallization
age at 480 ± 11 Ma (Gehrels et al., 2006). Location: Core of the Kathmandu klippe, Malekhu section, central Nepal Himalaya. (Subodha Khanal)

FIGURE 6.23 Tension fracture surface with fine plumose structure with concentric ribs perpendicular to the plume. The flaring fringe of hackles
is at the edge of the joint surface. Each fringe consists of a series of alternating en-echelon cracks (also termed segments) and steps (also termed bridges)
aligned along the parent joint (Frid et al., 2005). The fringe represents a direction of propagation of the fracture. This small exposure is located in a quarry
near the village of Vapenna, Rychleby Mts, Czech Republic, Europe, Devonian crystalline limestones of Branna group (Novakova, 2008, 2010b). GPS
coordinates: N50°16′35″, E017°07′49″. (Lucie Novakova)

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