Hanging Wall Vs Footwall Faults

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.

Hanging wall vs footwall faults.

Where the fault plane is sloping as with normal and reverse faults. The dip of a fault plane is its angle of inclination measured from the horizontal. In an ideal cirque the headwall is semicircular in plan view. The hanging wall is the block of rock above the fault line.

The main components of a fault are 1 the fault plane 2 the fault trace 3 the hanging wall and 4 the footwall. The terminology of normal and reverse comes from coal mining in england where normal faults are the most common. Block below is called the footwall. This situation however is generally found only in cirques cut into flat plateaus.

An arcuate cliff called the headwall. Other articles where hanging wall is discussed. Reverse faults indicate compressive shortening of the crust. The dip of a reverse fault is relatively steep greater than 45.

The line it makes on the earth s surface is the fault trace. The fault strike is the direction of the line of intersection between the fault plane and earth s surface. The fault plane is where the action is. Before getting into the different types of faults you must understand the difference between a hanging wall and a footwall.

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. You can hang something from the hanging wall as if it were a ceiling. It is a flat surface that may be vertical or sloping. Hanging wall definition the underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore.