ROCK DEFORMATION
Geology 11 1st Sem AY 2016-2017
Components of Deformation:
1. Rotation
2. Displacement
3. Distortion
STRESS vs STRAIN
Stress = Force acting on an object
1. Uniform stress (Confining Stress) –
equal in all directions
2. Differential stress – has dominant
stress direction/s
a. Compressional
b. Tensional
c. Shear
Strain = Measure of deformation as a result
of stress
Elastic deformation = non-permanent
change in volume or shape.
Elastic Limit = point beyond which
solid suffers permanent deformation.
Ductile/Plastic deformation =
irreversible, permanent change in
volume or shape; beyond the elastic
limit; the rock will bend or fold
Fracture/Brittle deformation =
permanent strain where the rock
breaks or fractures
Factors that affect the deformational
behavior of rocks:
1. Temperature
2. Pressure
3. Deformation Rate
4. Composition
Measuring deformation in rocks:
• Strike is the azimuth (degrees east of
north) of the line formed by the
intersection of a layer interface or
bedding plane with the horizontal
• Dip is the angle between the layer
interface or bedding plane and the
horizontal measured perpendicular
to the strike direction
DUCTILE DEFORMATION
Compressional stress may cause rocks to
be deformed into a series of wrinkles or
folds (from few inches to hundreds of
kilometers across)
Parts of a Fold
• Axial plane
• the imaginary surface that
divides a fold as symmetrically
as possible, one limb on each
side.
• Fold axis
• the line made by the length-
wise intersection of the axial
plane with beds in the fold
• Limbs
• correspond to the two sides of
an anticline or syncline
Landforms
• Anticline – oldest at center, upfolding
• Syncline – downfolding, youngest at
the center
• Recumbent Fold – has horizontal fold
axis
• Dome – center uplift, youngest at
side and oldest at center
• Basin - center sinking; youngest at
center and oldest at sides.
BRITTLE DEFORMATION
break in rock mass in which sections on
each side of the break DO NOT move
relative to each other. May be site of fluid
migration or ore deposition (and veining).
Results into FRACTURES
Two types of Fractures
Joint – no discernable movement
Fault – with discernable movement
Types of Joints
• Primary joint- A joint that forms as a
result of non-tectonic stresses
• Columnar jointing
• Unloading jointing
• Bedding joint
• Tectonic joint- A joint that forms by
tectonic stresses.
• Foliation joint
Types of Faults
• Strike-slip
o Left-lateral (Sinistral) – when
looking at the a block while
standing on the other,
apparent sense of movement
is to the left.
o Right-lateral (Dextral) - when
looking at the a block while
standing on the other,
apparent sense of movement
is to the right
• Dip-slip
o Normal Fault – Hanging wall
moves down, footwall moves
up
§ Listric Faults – fault
surface flattens
downward. Downward-
steeping are known as
antilistric.
o Reverse Fault – Hanging wall
moves up, footwall moves
down
§ Thrust Fault – same
sense of movement as
revese fault, but with
relatively lower angles
(<30 degrees)
Horst and Graben – Upthrown and
downthrown block, respectively,
found in a spreading system
• Oblique-slip
o Combination of strike-slip and
dip-slip movement in one fault

BLIND FAULTS - Do not break the

surface of the earth (rocks above the
fault have behaved in ductile fashion and
folded over the tip of the fault)

How to recognize a fault:

1. Displaced linear features
2. Fault Scarps
3. Fault Breccia
4. Striations on surface of Fault
plane

What is an active fault?

Observable movement in the past
10,000 years