Hanging Wall Vs Footwall Faults

The hanging wall is the block of rock above the fault line.

Hanging wall vs footwall faults.

As nouns the difference between hangingwall and footwall is that hangingwall is while footwall is geology the section of rock that extends below a diagonal fault line the corresponding upper section being the hanging wall. Block below is called the footwall. The dip of a fault plane is its angle of inclination measured from the horizontal. A reverse fault is the opposite of a normal fault the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.

Reverse faults indicate compressive shortening of the crust. Hanging wall definition the underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore. Cirques tarns u shaped valleys arêtes and horns. This situation however is generally found only in cirques cut into flat plateaus.

The dip of a reverse fault is relatively steep greater than 45. In a non vertical fault where the fault plane dips the footwall is the section of the fault that lies under the fault while the hanging wall lies over the fault the names come about from the. Other articles where hanging wall is discussed. The fault strike is the direction of the line of intersection between the fault plane and earth s surface.

The terminology of normal and reverse comes from coal mining in england where normal faults are the most common. An arcuate cliff called the headwall. The fault plane is where the action is. It is a flat surface that may be vertical or sloping.

Before getting into the different types of faults you must understand the difference between a hanging wall and a footwall. In an ideal cirque the headwall is semicircular in plan view. More common are headwalls angular in map view due to irregularities in height along. You can hang something from the hanging wall as if it were a ceiling.