TeXes Science Practice Test

Which type of fault involves movement that is partly horizontal and partly vertical?

1. Normal Fault

2. Reverse Fault

3. Strike-slip Fault

4. Shear Fault

The correct answer is: Normal Fault

The type of fault that exhibits movement that is partly horizontal and partly vertical is known as a shear fault, which combines aspects of both strike-slip and dip-slip movement. Such motion often occurs in areas where tectonic forces push or pull on crustal material, resulting in a complex faulting mechanism. Normal faults primarily exhibit vertical movement where the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall, while reverse faults display vertical movement in the opposite direction—where the hanging wall moves up. Strike-slip faults, on the other hand, primarily involve horizontal movement where blocks of crust slide past one another without significant vertical motion. Shear faults, which sometimes encompass both horizontal and vertical displacement, are often associated with complex stress regimes in the Earth’s crust, particularly in tectonically active regions. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the different mechanisms and movements associated with fault types.