Which type of force produces the fault shown in the illustration? A. Compression B. Tension C. Shear D. Skating
Geography · Middle School · Mon Jan 18 2021
Answered on
C. Shear
A fault in geology is usually a crack or fracture in the Earth's crust where there has been movement of the rock on either side of the crack. The type of force that produces a fault can be determined by the direction of the movement. If the movement is parallel to the fault plane, it is typically caused by shear forces. Shear force acts parallel to the surface and tends to cause objects or materials to slide past one another.
Compression forces are those that squeeze or press together, and they tend to create reverse or thrust faults. Tension forces pull apart or stretch and can create normal faults. There is no 'skating' force