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Brittle shear sense indicators Search

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Paleopiezometry Introduction
Introduction
How to contribute to
Deformation flow banding the database
Deformation in the earths brittle upper crust results in the formation of both fault and
in obsidian
shear zones. These zones of brittle deformation often contain characteristic deformation
Dike emplacement, structures which allow for the sense of shear to be determined for both actively
brecciation and stress
interpretations. deforming and historic zones of deformation.

Colloidal gold and silica in

mesothermal vein systems Introduction

Mineral Deformation Offset Marker Beds

Polyphase Deformation Riedel Shears

Faulting and associated Conjugate Faults

rocks
Fractured Porphyroclasts
Experimental Deformation
and Apparatus En Echelon Veins

Dilational Jogs
Silicate mineral
aggregates: inter- and
References
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Glossary

Feedback from OU
Academic Staff on First Offset
Offset Marker
Marker Beds
Beds
Part of Assignment
Perhaps the most easily observed and most recognisable brittle shear sense indicator is
Shear sense indicators that of offset geological markers (Fig. 1, Fig 2). These can form from a range of features
Beginners guide to such as faulted veins, dykes and sedimentary beds (Fig. 2).
interpreting deformation
features

Figure 1. Schematic diagram illustrating how an offset sedimentary

layer can be used to indicate the shear sense of a fault.

Figure 2. Natural example of an offset geological

marker, which in this case is a sedimentary bed.
Figure modified from
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/555842778985019469.

Riedel
Riedel Shears
Shears
Natural fault zones often produce a network of characteristic shears with a predicable
orientation to the fault zone boundary (Fig. 3, Fig. 4) (Dresen, 1991). This predictable
orientation of the fault network allows for the sense of shear to be determined in the
fault zone. Figure 3 and figure 4 show the orientation and the associated nomenclature
of the most common of these faults to develop in a riedel shear zone. The first of these
structures to develop are the R faults which are followed by P and R’ as brittle
deformation progresses (Fossen, 2010) . Figure modified from Moore, Summers, and
Byerlee (1989), (Fossen, 2010; Moore et al., 1989) online resource.

Figure 3. Schematic diagram showing the most common

orientations of shears to develop in a riedel shear zone.

Figure 4. Natural example of a riedel shear zone showing

development of the characteristic R and P shears. Figure modified
from http://pages.uoregon.edu/millerm/Rshears.html.

Conjugate
Conjugate Faults
Faults
The presence of conjugate faults in rocks can be used to determine both sense of shear
and the orientation of principal stresses at the time of brittle deformation. The set of
conjugate faults develop at an angle of approximately 300 to σ1, in the plane of the sigma
σ2 axis and perpendicular to the sigma σ3 axis (Fig.5, Fig.6) (Thatcher & Hill, 1991). The
shear sense consistently has the small wedge of approximately 600 moving towards the
interception of the two fault planes (Fig.5, Fig.6). In addition, the presence of any
slicken lines on surfaces will indicate the presence of and direction of any lateral offset.

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of a set of conjugate

faults with an orientation of approximately 300 to
the largest principal stress σ1.

Figure 6. Natural example of a set of conjugate

faults in sedimentary rock illustrating the sense of
shear. Figure modified from
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~millerm/LillSS2.html.

Fractured
Fractured Porphyroclasts
Porphyroclasts
In sheared and mylonitic rocks, minerals which are hard and brittle such as feldspar,
mica and pyroxene commonly fracture and rotate into characteristic asymmetric
orientations within a ductile matrix (Simpson & Schmid, 1983; Tanaka, 1992). This
asymmetry allows for the shear sense during the time of deformation to be determined.
Three common types of fractured porphyroclasts are; (a) domino type fragmented
porphyroclasts, (b) mozaik fragmented porphyroclasts and (c) shear band type
fragmented porphyroclasts (Fig.7, Fig.8) (Passhier, 2005).

Figure 7. Schematic diagram showing a variety of commonly

observed fractured porphyroclasts. Figure modified from
Passchier and Trouw, 2005.

Figure 8. Natural example of a fractured mica porphyroclast.

Figure modified from
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~schlisch/structureslides/fracturedclast2.html.

En
En Echelon
Echelon Veins
Veins
En echelon veins are useful shear sense indicators (Fig.9, Fig.10). They form in two
stages. The first stage is the formation of brittle tension gashes oriented approximately
450 from the fault trend (Olson & Pollard, 1991). These tension gashes are commonly
infilled with quartz or calcite. The sigmoidal shapes shown in second stage form due to
rotation during ductile deformation within the shear zone. The resulting deformed tips
of the sigmoidal shapes can be used to determine the shear sense in the fault zone
(Thomas & Pollard, 1993).

Figure 9. Schematic diagram showing the development of en

echelon veins and orientation of the veins to the principal
stresses.

Figure 10. Natural example of en echelon veins with the sense

of shear indicated. Figure modified from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwolf/8737450066.

Dilational
Dilational Jogs
Jogs
The formation of dilational jogs occurs over a number of steps. The first step requires a
fault to have an initial bend which upon rupturing in the brittle regime produces an
extensional crack or jog (Fig. 11, Fig.12). The newly produced crack or jog then
commonly becomes infilled with minerals such as quartz or calcite which precipitate
from fluid present in and around the fault (Fig. 13) (Nelson, 2006). Episodic movement
of the fault can be seen by lines or bands of precipitated minerals in the jog (McCaffrey
et al., 1999).

Figure 11. Schematic diagram showing the development of a

dilational jog.

Figure 12. Schematic 3D diagram of a dilational jog showing the

orientation of the void created by faulting.

Figure 13. Natural example of a dilational jog which has

subsequently been filled with mineral precipitates. Figure modified
http://economicgeology.org/content/102/5/873/F6.expansion.html.

References
References
Dresen, G. (1991). Stress distribution and the orientation of Riedel shears.
Tectonophysics, 188(3), 239-247.

Fossen, H. (2010). Structural Geology (Vol. 1): Cambridge University Press.

McCaffrey, K., Lonergan, L., & Wilkinson, J. (1999). Fractures, fluid flow and
mineralization.

Moore, D., Summers, R., & Byerlee, J. (1989). Sliding behavior and deformation textures
of heated illite gouge. Journal of Structural Geology, 11(3), 329-342.

Nelson, E. P. (2006). Drill-hole design for dilational ore shoot targets in fault-fill veins.
Economic Geology, 101(5), 1079-1085.

Olson, J. E., & Pollard, D. D. (1991). The initiation and growth of en échelon veins.
Journal of Structural Geology, 13(5), 595-608. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-
8141(91)90046-L

Passhier, C. T. R. (2005). Microtectonics (Vol. 1): Springer.

Simpson, C., & Schmid, S. M. (1983). An evaluation of criteria to deduce the sense of
movement in sheared rocks. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 94(11), 1281-1288.

Tanaka, H. (1992). Cataclastic lineations. Journal of Structural Geology, 14(10), 1239-

1252.

Thatcher, W., & Hill, D. P. (1991). Fault orientations in extensional and conjugate strike-
slip environments and their implications. Geology, 19(11), 1116-1120.

Thomas, A. L., & Pollard, D. D. (1993). The geometry of echelon fractures in rock:
implications from laboratory and numerical experiments. Journal of Structural
Geology, 15(3–5), 323-334. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8141(93)90129-X

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