Fault (geology)

In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock mass movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic forces, with the largest forming the boundaries between the plates, such as subduction zones or transform faults. Energy release associated with rapid movement on active faults is the cause of most earthquakes.

A fault plane is the plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault. A fault trace or fault line is the intersection of a fault plane with the ground surface. A fault trace is also the line commonly plotted on geologic maps to represent a fault.

Since faults do not usually consist of a single, clean fracture, geologists use the term fault zone when referring to the zone of complex deformation associated with the fault plane.

The two sides of a non-vertical fault are known as the hanging wall and footwall. By definition, the hanging wall occurs above the fault plane and the footwall occurs below the fault. This terminology comes from mining: when working a tabular ore body, the miner stood with the footwall under his feet and with the hanging wall hanging above him.

Fault line (disambiguation)

In geology, fault line or faultline refers to the surface trace of a fault.

Books

  • Faultline, by Janet Tashjian 2003
  • Faultline, a literary journal published at the University of California, Irvine
  • Faultlines (magazine) Institute for Conflict Management New Delhi 1999-
  • Faultlines, by Stan Leventhal 1989
  • Faultlines, comic by Lee Marrs DC Comics 1997.
  • Faultlines : cultural materialism and the politics of dissident reading, by Alan Sinfield 1992
  • Faultlines (George Megalogenis book) , a book by Australian journalist George Megalogenis 2003
  • Film and television

  • Fault Lines, a 2009 Luke Eberl film starring Kris Lemche
  • Fault Lines (TV series), a documentary series produced and broadcast by Al Jazeera English
  • Faultline, dance DVD by Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company.; Arts Council England. 2008.
  • Faultlines, documentary by John McCarthy (journalist) CTVC 2004
  • Role-playing games

  • Fault Line (adventure)
  • Music

  • Faultline (musician), an electronic music project centred on producer David Kosten
  • Fault Lines (TV series)

    Fault Lines, an award-winning documentary series produced and broadcast by Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera America, is the former's flagship program about the Americas and the latter's main investigative program. Josh Rushing, Zeina Awad, and Sebastian Walker host the series. Fault Lines begins its sixth season in 2014.

    The show's premise is to take viewers behind a particular story and report on it in-depth using in-depth interviews and investigative reporting. The show works closely with Al Jazeera's investigative journalism unit.

    Episodes

    Rushing filmed two episodes in Mexico (Mexico: Impunity and Profits and Mexico's Hidden War) and third in Colombia, Colombia's Gold Rush for the season.

    Awad's coverage brought her to India where she reported on US pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research abroad. She also traveled to Puerto Rico, projected to be the world’s slowest growing economy, to analyze the economic policies imposed on its people. Her final piece this season explores the growing gap between the wealthiest 1% of Americans and the rest of society.

    Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Fault Lines

    by: Unfun

    I'm wasting breath on the phone
    Just leave me alone she said
    Before I got to speaking
    My mind's a fault line
    And she asks me all the time
    Will we make sense, can you not drink
    When will we fuck?
    But I'm counting sheep and still can't sleep
    Neither can she




    Latest News for: fault lines

    amaBhungane, 15 years of peddling empire

    Independent online (SA) 23 Mar 2025
    Sole’s reference to Cuba is instructive—not because it offers insight into Cuban society, but because it exposes the fault line in liberal imagination ... They weren’t holding power to account—they were holding the line against systemic change.

    A new vision of nationhood

    Dawn 23 Mar 2025
    Beyond such instances, society remains deeply divided along lines of resource allocation, provincialism, and religious sectarianism ... Unless these religious fault lines are addressed, Pakistan will remain vulnerable to further instability ... .

    Trends in Emergency Rule in Nigeria’s 4th Republic 

    This Day 23 Mar 2025
    Backpage . 1 hour ago. Postscript by Waziri Adio ... This is not unexpected ... Such consequences could include the needless widening of ethnic, regional and religious fault-lines, and even the seeding of future and more consequential instability ...   ... Mr ... .

    In the aftermath of the Duterte arrest

    The Philadelphia Inquirer 22 Mar 2025
    ... and examine the deeper fault lines in our political system.

    Citing ‘moral, constitutional duty’, judges from SC, Manipur HC visit relief camps in Meitei, Kuki-Zo areas

    Financial Express 22 Mar 2025
    Even in their visit, the deep fault lines persisting in the state were evident, with Justice N Kotiswar Singh \u2013 a judge from the Supreme Court delegation from the Meitei community \u2013 and two ...

    Fires That Never Broke Out And Hidden Monies Never Unearthed

    The Arabian Post 22 Mar 2025
    The systemic fault lines in India’s judiciary are not new, but they have become increasingly difficult to ignore.

    KZN houses 650 GBV survivors as Premier Ntuli expands shelter network

    Independent online (SA) 22 Mar 2025
    Other operating shelters are in. ... He said under his watch, the provincial government would work on intensifying the culture of human rights that still reflects inequality based on racial, class, and gender fault lines ... bongani.hans@inl.co.za .

    EU defence: Paying the price of the Russian threat

    RTE 22 Mar 2025
    As per Prime Minister Sánchez’s dismissal of Russian troops appearing over the Pyrenees, fault lines of perception (depending on your proximity to Russia) have developed on how serious the threat is.

    Guest Column| Fault lines run deep in Punjab Police

    Hindustan Times 21 Mar 2025
    (HT Photo). The fault lines run deep. Just a little background to the police way of functioning will be in place ... Well then where lie the fault lines? It is the inability to evolve and the lack of versatility ... Fault lines run deep in Punjab Police ... ....

    As Punjab Watches AAP’s Crackdown, Can BJP Squeeze Through The Fault Lines? | Saffron Scoop

    News18 21 Mar 2025
    As Punjab watches AAP stumble, the BJP’s revival will depend less on its rival’s failures and more on its own willingness to rewrite a narrative that Punjab’s voters have long rejected. For now, the odds remain steep ... .

    Investigators climb Edison transmission towers in probe of alleged Eaton fire ignition site

    Daily Breeze 21 Mar 2025
    This week, the New York Times reported that new data suggested there were faults — or electrical malfunctions — on SCE transmission lines early on Jan ... lines despite the early morning faults.

    Battle Lines Trump Edition: The Canadians fighting back against annexation

    AOL 21 Mar 2025
    ... expertise to help the listener to better understand the course of world politics, wars and tensions, as fault lines grind and slip in an increasingly dangerous and confusing multipolar world.

    Magnitude 5 earthquake hits Iran, minor damage reported in Natanz area

    The Times of India 21 Mar 2025
    ... though it remains unclear if the tremor affected the site.Iran is prone to earthquakes as it lies on major fault lines.

    Earthquake of 4.1 Richter Shakes Amorgos in the Cyclades

    Greek City Times 21 Mar 2025
    Authorities are monitoring the situation closely, as the Cyclades, like much of Greece, sit atop a network of tectonic fault lines. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
    ×