QUESTION AND DISCUSSION

Explain types of fault (with the aid of diagram)

- Faults are fractures that have appreciable movement parallel to their plane. They produced usually
by seismic activity. Useful in design for long-term stability of dams, bridges, building and power
plants.
- Types of faults:
 Normal Faults
o Normal faults: The hanging wall has moved down relative to the footwall.
o Graben: Consists of a block that has dropped down between two sub-parallel
normal faults that dip towards each other.
o Horst: Consists of two sub-parallel normal faults that dip away from each other so
that the block between the two faults remains high.
o Listric: Are normal faults that frequently exhibit (concave-up) geometry so that
they exhibit steep dip near surface and flatten with depth.

*Normal faults usually found in areas where extensional stress is present.

 Thrust Fault
o Thrust Faults: In the thrust faults the hanging wall has moved up relative to the
footwall (dip angle 30o or less)
o Reverse Faults: Are similar to the thrust faults regarding the sense of motion but
the dip angle of the fault plane is 45o or more.

*Thrust faults usually formed in areas of compressional stress.

 Strike-Slip Faults
o Strike-slip faults: Are faults that have movement along strikes.
o There are two types of strike slip faults:
a) Right lateral strike-slip fault (dextral): Where the side opposite the observer
moves to the right.
b) Left lateral strike-slip fault (sinistral): Where the side opposite the observer
move to the left.
CONCLUSION

For conclusion, faults cause very much shearing and crushing of rocks
located in the fault zone making the rocks weak on one hand and porous, permeable
on the other land. Engineering consideration of fault is the faulted rocks will form
weak foundations for the dams. General conclusion can be drawn which is the fault
zone will provide easy pathways for the water and causes leakage when left untreated
in the dams. Also, once the fault zone becomes lubricated with water, the probability
of further slipping becomes high. This may create critical condition within the
foundation. And the last one faulting products like gouge and breccia create
additional problems.