Link to USGS home page
USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS
Coastal & Marine Geology InfoBank

USGS CMG InfoBank: Rock Fracture

Skip navigational links
Search InfoBank
Home tab FACS tab Activities tab Atlas tab Geology School tab More tab More tab Geology School tabs
   
Dictionaries: The USGS and Science Education   USGS Fact Sheets   Topics   Keywords   Data Dictionary   Metadata Dictionary   Computer Terminology   Digital Formats
InfoBank Terms: Activity ID   activity overview   crew   formal metadata   lines   metadata   NGDC   port stops   project/theme   region   ship   stations   time   virtual globe   year  
Data Types: bathymetry   geodetic positioning   gravity   ground penetrating radar   imagery   LIDAR   magnetics   metering equipment   navigation   samples   seismic   definitions disclaimer  
Data Formats: ARC coverage   E00   FGDC metadata   gridded/image   imaging   material   scattered/swath   Shapefile   vector/polygon  
   
Comment: 09:56 - 10:36 (00:40)

Source: Annenberg/CPB Resources - Earth Revealed - 8. Earth's Structures

Keywords: structure, "tectonic activity", "James Sadd", fracture, fault, earthquake, deformation

Our transcription: The same tectonic forces that fold rocks can also caused rocks to break.

Rocks tend to fracture instead of fold when the force is applied rapidly.

This is especially true in the shallow portions of the Earth's crust where rocks are relatively cold and under low pressure.

Where tectonic stress is applied constantly over a long period of time, the fractures are concentrated along a discrete zone called a "fault."

Some faults remain active for millions of years resulting in hundreds or even thousands of kilometers of displacement.

Fault movement generally occurs in a series of steps or jumps generating a series of earthquakes.

Geology School Keywords

Skip footer navigational links


InfoBank   Menlo Park & Santa Cruz Centers   St. Petersburg Center   Woods Hole Center   Coastal and Marine Geology Program   Geologic Information   Ask-A-Geologist   USGS Disclaimer  

FirstGov button   Take Pride in America button