Types of

Faults
1. DIP-SLIP FAULT refers to faults
where movement of blocks is parallel
to the dip of the fault surface.

There are two types of dipslip fault:

Normal fault and Reverse fault.

A. Normal Fault-
it is formed by tensional stresses that pull
rocks apart. Normal faults create space.
These faults may look like large trenches or
small cracks in the Earth’s surface. The
fault scarp may be visible in these faults as
the hanging wall slips down the footwall.

Example is the Great Rift Valley in Africa.

In situations where multiple normal faults
are present, alternating uplifted and down-
dropped blocks may form. The uplifted or
raised areas are called horsts while the
down-dropped or lowered ones are referred
to as grabens.
B. Reverse Fault
are also dip-slip faults; they behave the
opposite way that a normal fault does. The
hanging wall slides up over the footwall
during tectonic movement in these faults.
Reverse faults with a 45-degree dip or less
are known as thrust faults, while faults
with over 45 degrees’ dips are over thrust
faults.
Reverse faults look like two rocks or
mountains have been shoved together.
Unlike normal faults, reverse fault does not
create space. They are found in areas of
geological compression. An example
includes the Himalaya Mountains where the
Indian Plate is pushing into the Eurasian
Plate.
2. STRIKE-SLIP FAULT can be further
classified as left lateral or right lateral
strike-slip faults depending on which
direction the blocks move relative to a
certain reference block. Many strike-slip
faults are found on the ocean floor. But if
you’re looking at a strike-slip fault, it may
look like the land on either side has moved
in opposite directions.
This movement may cause offset rivers,
parallel valleys, and abrupt ends to the
mountain chains. The San Andreas Fault in
California is a strike-slip fault.
3. OBLIQUE FAULT has both
the dip-slip and strike-slip
components. It can be formed
by the combination of shear
stress, and tensional or
compressional stress.