Fault (geology)

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fault-geology

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the major fault types?Normal (tensional stress), Reverse/Thrust (compressional stress), Strike-slip (shearing stress)
2. What is the related geological phenomena?Mountain building, rift valleys, volcanic activity, tsunamis, mineral deposition
3. What is a fault in simple words?A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust where rocks have slid past each other.
4. Why do faults make earthquakes happen?When rocks on a fault build up pressure and suddenly slip, they release energy that shakes the ground as an earthquake.

Lithospheric Plates: Rigid outer shell of Earth composed of crust and upper mantle, constantly moving and interacting.
Elastic Rebound Theory: The theory explaining earthquake generation through the sudden release of strain energy built up in rocks.
Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate slides beneath another, often associated with megathrust faults and intense seismic activity.