Teaching About Plate Tectonics and Faulting Using Foam Models

Activity modified from L.W. Braile, Purdue University, by Chris Hedeen, Oregon City High School, OR

Objective:

Materials:

Demonstrate plate tectonic principles, plate

boundary interactions and the geometry and
relative motions of faulting of geologic layers
using 3-D foam models. The foam models aid in
visualization and understanding of plate motions
and faulting because the models are three-dimensional, concrete rather than abstract descriptions
or diagrams, can be manipulated by the instructor
and the students, and the models can show the
motions of the plates and faults through time in
addition to the three-dimensional configuration of
the plates or layers. The fault and plate boundary models shown here illustrate relatively simple
motions and geologic structures. Although these
models are accurate representations of real Earth
faulting and plate tectonic structures and motions,
the spherical shape of the Earth and the complexity of geological features caused by varying rock
types and rock properties and geological development over many millions or hundreds of millions
of years, result in significant complexity and variability of actual fault systems and plate tectonic
boundaries.

Pre-made foam block models

OR.......
Foam (open cell, foam mattress type) blocks
shown in Figure 1A
Felt pens (permanent marker, red and black)
Manila folders or thin poster board
Rubber cement
Closed cell foam (sleeping bag pads, camping
equipment) as shown in Figures 3 and 5
Pins
Open cell foam as shown in Figure 3A
Styrofoam core poster board, 0.6 cm (1/4 in)
thick, as shown in Figure 3B
Razor blade knife
Metric ruler

Student work sheets begin on Page 6

Teacher answers begin on Page 15

EXTRA: Watch Video Lecture demo

& animations:

Videos > Fault Models

and:

Animations > Faults

Procedures:
Prepare foam block models as shown in Figure 1A. Cardboard (cut from manila folders or thin poster board) attached to
both faces of the fault plane allows the blocks to slip easily along the fault as forces are applied to the blocks.

Figure 1A. Foam block model

Glue manila-folder
paper to the faces of
the fault planes so
the blocks slip easily
during extension and
compression.

Foam-faults activity 1

Types of Faulting and Plate Boundaries

1) Normal Faulting (Extension)

Use the block models to demonstrate normal faulting as the two outer blocks are moved apart as shown in Figure
1B. This procedure is best performed by holding the blocks in the air in front of you, supporting the model by
the two outer blocks, rather than on a table. Note that as the two outer blocks are moved apart, the inner block
drops downward or subsides. This relationship between extensional motion of geologic layers and downdropped
fault blocks (graben or rift valley if the downdropped block is bounded on both sides by normal faults, as in this
block model) produces normal faulting. It also represents the extensional motion and resultant rift development associated with divergent plate boundaries (Table 1).
Examples of divergent plate boundaries, where extensional faulting is prominent, are the mid-ocean ridge system in
which a narrow rift or graben (downdropped fault block) is commonly observed along the highest part of the ridge
and the East African Rift in which extension has been occurring in the continental lithosphere for about 30 million
years and the resulting rift system of normal faults is beginning to break apart the continent. In a plate-tectonicrelated, but not plate boundary environment, the Basin and Range area of the Western United States displays a
prominent topographic signature of extensional faulting with many adjacent downdropped fault blocks or grabens
and the topographic high areas between the grabens are called horsts

Figure 1B. Normal faulting using the foam model. Red arrows represent extension. Halfarrows along faults show direction of relative motion along the fault plane.

2) Reverse (Thrust) Faulting (Compression)

To demonstrate compressional motion and resulting reverse (also called thrust) faults hold the foam block models
as described above and then move the two outer blocks together as in Figure 1C. The inner block will be thrust
upwards producing reverse faults and an uplifted block. In a plate tectonic setting, such compressional motion is
associated with convergent plate boundaries (Table 1) where two lithospheric plates are moving together or colliding (see also section 3 below). Not surprisingly, these convergent zones are associated with mountain ranges
(Himalayas, Alps, Andes, etc.).

Figure 1C. Reverse faulting using the foam model. Red arrows represent compression.
Half-arrows along faults show direction of relative motion along the fault plane.

2 Foam-faults activity

3) Strike-slip or Horizontal slip fault motion (Shear)

Note: This does not require the building of a second model as suggested
here. This motion can be modeled by looking at the top of the foam
block model used above. Coloring in a feature to be offset such as a
road or river shows the lateral offset of strike-slip faulting.

To demonstrate horizontal slip or strike-slip

fault motion, prepare foam blocks as shown in
Figure 1D. Moving the blocks horizontally on
a tabletop, as shown in Figure 1E, demonstrates
strike-slip or horizontal slip fault motion. This
motion along a plate boundary is also called
transform (Table 1). The San Andreas Fault
zone is a system of strike-slip faults that form
the transform plate boundary at the western
edge of the North American Plate. Transform
faults also occur as oceanic fracture zones between segments of the mid-ocean ridge spreading zones

Figure 1D and 1E. Strike-slip faulting using the foam

model. Red arrows represent shearing. Half-arrows along
faults show direction of relative motion along the fault
plane.

Table 1: Faults, Plate Boundaries and Relative Motions

Relative Motion
of Layers or
Plates

Extension

Compression

Translation or
horizontal slip

Fault
Names

Plate Boundary Descriptions

Related Tectonic and Geologic Features

Normal

Divergent (extensional,
moving apart, spreading,
construction - because
new lithosphere is generated in the extended zone)

Rifts, grabens, sometimes volcanism,

regional uplift but local downdropped
fault blocks, shallow earthquakes

Reverse
or Thrust

Convergent (compressional, collision, subduction,

moving together, destructive - because one plate
is often thrust into the
mantle beneath the other
plate)

Folded mountain ranges, uplift, reverse

faults, volcanic arcs (usually andesitic composite volcanoes), deep ocean
trenches, shallow and deep earthquakes in subducted slab

Transform (horizontal slip,

translation)

Linear topographic features, offset

stream channels, lakes in eroded fault
zone, pull-apart basins and local uplifts
along fault bends or steps between
offset fault segments, oceanic fracture
zones, offsets of mid-ocean ridges

Strikeslip

Foam-faults activity 3

Transform or Strike-Slip Plate

Boundaries and Elastic Rebound
Use a razor-blade knife to make the foam plate models shown in Figure 2. The foam is 1.25 cm (1/2) thick
closed-cell foam often used for sleeping pads for camping. It is available at camping supply stores and Wal-Mart
and Target. The foam pieces can be used on a tabletop or
on an overhead projector (the slits cut in the foam allow
the 10 cm long tabs which bend to be seen projected onto
a screen). By continuously sliding the two plates past each
other with the tab edges touching (Figure 5), the foam
pieces represent lithospheric plates and the zone where
the plates touch is a strike-slip (transform) fault. Note that
as the plates move slowly with respect to each other (just
as Earths lithospheric plates move at speeds of centimeters
per year), the area of the plates adjacent to the fault (the
tabs) becomes progressively bent (deformed), storing elastic energy. As the process continues, some parts of the fault

zone will slip releasing some of the stored elastic energy.

This slip occurs when the stored elastic energy (bending
of the tabs) results in a force along the fault which exceeds
the frictional strength of the tabs that are in contact. Sometimes, only small segments of the fault zone (one or two
tabs) will slip, representing a small earthquake. At other
times, a larger segment of the fault will slip, representing
a larger earthquake. Note that although the plate motions
are slow and continuous, the slip along the fault is rapid
(in the Earth, taking place in a fraction of a second to a few
seconds) and discontinuous. The motions and processes
illustrated by the foam model effectively demonstrates the
processes which occur in actual fault zones and the concept
of the elastic rebound theory (Bolt, 1993). A brief segment
during the beginning of the video Earthquake Country
illustrates a similar stick-slip motion using a model made
of rubber strips.

Figure 2: Foam pieces used to demonstrate strike-slip faulting, elastic rebound theory, and slipping
along the fault plane during earthquakes. Cut out slits with razor blade knife and straight-edge.

4 Foam-faults activity

Extensions, Connections, Enrichment:

1. Good preparatory lessons for these activities are studies

of elasticity (a spring and masses can be used to demonstrate the two fundamental characteristics of elasticity - the stretching is proportional to the force (suspended mass) and the existence of the restoring force
(elastic energy is stored) in that the spring returns to
its original length as the force (mass) is removed), and
seismic waves which are generated as the fault slips.
2. The stick-slip process is well illustrated in a segment
of the NOVA video Killer Quake in which USGS
geophysicist Dr. Ross Stein demonstrates this process
using a brick which is pulled over a rough surface
(sandpaper) using an elastic cord (bungy cord). An
experiment using this same procedure is described in
Seismic Sleuths (AGU/FEMA).
3. Additional information on plate tectonics is available
in Bolt (1993), Ernst (1991), Simkin et al. (1994), the
TASA CD Plate Tectonics, This Dynamic Earth,
and nearly any secondary school or college level geology textbook. Elastic rebound is well illustrated in
Lutgens and Tarbuck (1996), Bolt (1993) and the TASA
CD. A color map of the Earths plates is available on
the Internet at: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/saso/Education/Plates. An excellent description of plate tectonics can be found at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/
text/understanding.html.
4. An additional plate tectonic activity is the EPIcenter
lesson plan Voyage Through Time - A Plate Tectonics
Flip Book in which continental drift during the past
190 million years - a consequence of plate tectonics - is
effectively illustrated; and Plate Puzzle which uses the
This Dynamic Planet map.
5. Additional plate tectonic activities, especially for
younger students, are contained in Tremor Troop
(NSTA/FEMA).
6. A leading theory explaining why the Earths plates
move is convection currents in the Earths mantle.
The interior structure of the Earth is described in Bolt
(1993) and is the subject of the EPIcenter activity
Earths Interior Structure. Good activities illustrating
convection are contained in the GEMs guide Convection - A Current Event (Gould, 1988), or Tremor
Troop (NSTA/FEMA).

References:
Bolt, B.A., Earthquakes and Geological Discovery,
Scientific American Library, W.H. Freeman, New
York, 229 pp., 1993.
Braile, L.W., Earths Interior Structure - http://web.ics.
purdue.edu/~braile/educindex/educindex.htm.
Braile, L.W. and S.J. Braile, Voyage Through Time - A
Plate Tectonics Flip Book - http://web.ics.purdue.
edu/~braile/educindex/educindex.htm.
Braile,L.W. and S.J. Braile, Plate Puzzle http://web.
ics.purdue.edu/~braile/educindex/educindex.htm.
Ernst, W.G., The Dynamic Planet, Columbia University
Press, New York, 281 pp., 1990.
FEMA/AGU, Seismic Sleuths - Earthquakes - A Teachers Package on Earthquakes for Grades 7-12,
American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.,
367 pp., 1994. (FEMA 253, for free copy, write
on school letterhead to: FEMA, PO Box 70274,
Washington, DC 20024).
Gould, A., Convection - A Current Event, GEMS, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California, 47 pp.,
1998.
IRIS, Western US Seismicity and Topography Poster,
www.iris.edu.
Lutgens, F.K., and E.J. Tarbuck, Foundations of Earth
Science, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey, 482 pp., 1996.
NSTA/FEMA, Tremor Troop - Earthquakes: A teachers
package for K-6 grades, NSTA Publications,
Washington, DC, 169 pp., 1990. (This book
contains a reasonably complete curriculum for
teaching earthquake and related Earth science
topics; FEMA 159, for free copy, write on school
letterhead to: FEMA, PO Box 70274, Wash., DC
20024).
Simkin et al., This Dynamic Planet, map, USGS,
1:30,000,000 scale ($7 + $5 shipping), 1994,
also at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pdf/planet.html;
1-888-ASK-USGS.
TASA Plate Tectonics CD-Rom - Plate tectonics,
earthquakes, faults, ($59 or $155 for site license),
(800-293-2725) http://www.tasagraphicarts.com,
Mac or Windows.
U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: The Story
of Plate Tectonics, available from: U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution, Federal Center, PO
Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225, $6, (800 USA
MAPS). Also available (full text and figures) for
viewing at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/
dynamic.html.
Videos (NOVA Killer Quake, and Earthquake
Country) - information available in Seismology-Resources for Teachers online at: http://web.ics.purdue.
edu/~braile/edumod/seisres/seisresweb.htm.

Foam-faults activity 5

Fault Homework page 1 of 7 Answers follow the worksheets.

Types of Faults
A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of
rock. Blocks move relative to each other along the fault plane.
This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake
or may occur slowly, in the form of creep. Faults may range in length from a few millimeters to
thousands of kilometers. Most faults produce repeated displacements (movement) over geologic
time. During an earthquake, the rock on one side of the fault suddenly moves with respect to the
other. The fault surface can be horizontal, vertical or oblique (horizontal and vertical
displacement).

Strike-Slip Faults
Strike-slip faults develop when rocks are subjected to shear stress. In strike-slip faults, the
movement is purely horizontal, with no up-and-down displacement. We classify strike-slip faults
as either right lateral or left lateral. Imagine yourself standing on one side of a strike-slip fault, so
that you are facing the fault. If the block on the other side is displaced to your right, the fault is a
right lateral strike-slip fault (Figure 1). If the block on the other side of the fault is displaced to
your left, the fault is a left lateral strike-slip fault.
Notice that pure strike-slip faults do not produce fault scarps. There are other tell-tale changes
in the landscape that signal strike-slip faulting. The zigzag effect (offset) of the creek channel is
the result of movement along the fault (Figure 1). As you might guess, where the two massive
blocks on either side of a strike-slip fault grind against each other, rock is weakened. Streams
flowing across strike-slip faults are often diverted to flow along this weakened zone.

Figure 1. Right and left-lateral strike-slip faults.

Dip-Slip Faults
When distinguishing between the types of dip slip faults, we define the block of rock above the
fault plane as the hanging wall block and the block of rock below the fault plane as the footwall
block (Fig.2). The terms "hanging wall" and "footwall" are old mining terms. The hanging wall
block was the block of rock where miners would hang their lanterns; the footwall block was
where miners would walk. It is easy to determine which side of the fault is the hanging wall if you
imagine a miner standing on the fault plane. The hanging wall will be the block above the
miners head; the footwall will be the block below the miners feet. Strike-slip faults are vertical
and thus do not have hanging walls or footwalls.
6 Foam-faults activity

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If rocks break under tensional stress, the hanging wall will move down relative to the footwall
and a normal fault forms (Figure 2). In this situation, the crust actually extends and lengthens.
When rocks break under compressional stress, the hanging wall moves up relative to the
footwall, and a reverse fault forms (Figure 3). In a reverse, the crust is shortened. Thrust
faults (Figure 4) are simply reverse faults in which the angle formed by the fault plane and the
surface is quite shallow.
Commonly, the fault plane itself can become grooved and polished as one block of rock scrapes
against the other. The scratches on the fault plane surface are called slickensides.
Slickensides may record the slip orientation of the fault plane, and may even feel smoother in
the direction of slip.
There is another relationship between rocks on either side of the fault plane that can be used in
distinguishing normal and reverse faults and are seen in Figures 2 and 3. If the rocks are right
side up then the normal fault brings down younger rocks over older rocks. Under the same
conditions the reverse fault moves older rocks over younger rocks.

Figure 2. Normal Fault

Figure 3. Reverse Fault

Figure 4. Thrust Fault

Model of Three Faults

Procedures
1. Color the fault model that is included according to the color key provided.
2. Cut out the fault model and fold each side down to form a box with the drawn features
on top.
3. Tape or glue the corners together. This box is a three-dimensional model of the top layers
of the Earths crust.
4. The dashed lines on your model represent a fault. Carefully cut along the dashed lines.
You will end up with two pieces.
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Foam-faults activity 7

Types of Faults

Name:
Per:

Date:

1. Referring to Figure 1, does it make any difference which side of

the fault you stand on in naming the right-lateral or left lateral
strike-slip fault? Explain.

Figure 1

2. Compare and contrast a reverse fault and a thrust fault.

3. Explain how slickensides are used to determine the slip orientation of the fault plane.

Model of Three Faults

Normal Fault
Locate points A and B on your model. Move point B so that it is next to Point A. Observe
your model from the side (its cross-section).
Draw the normal fault as represented by the model you have just constructed.

Questions
1. Which way did point B move relative to point A?
2. What happened to rock layers X, Y and Z?
3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

4. What likely happened to the road? The railroad tracks?

Normal Fault
5. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing?
Explain.

6. On the drawing label the hanging wall and the footwall.

2_fault_types-Homework.doc

8 Foam-faults activity

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Many normal faults are found

in Nevada. This is because
Nevada is located in a region
called the Basin and Range
Province where the
lithosphere is stretching.

Reverse Fault
Locate points C and D on your model. Move Point C next to point D. Observe the
cross-section of your model.
Draw the reverse fault as represented by the model you have just constructed.

Questions
1. Which way did point D move relative to point C?

2. What happened to rock layers X, Y and Z?

3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

Reverse Fault

4. What likely happened to the river?

5. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing? Explain.

6. On the drawing label the hanging wall and the footwall.

Faults are important in mineral and petroleum exploration
as they may either seal and act as a barrier to fluid flow
(e.g., due to smearing of mud or shale along them), or may
be important conduits for the migration of petroleum or
mineralizing fluids. Many mineral deposits are fault and
fracture controlled. Recognition of faults is also important in
hydrogeological studies as fracturing along faults may
produce hard-rock aquifers.

An example of a thrust fault is the fault in which the Northridge earthquake occurred. The
thrusting movement raised the mountains in the area by as much as 70 cm.

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Foam-faults activity 9

Strike-Slip Fault
Locate points F and G on your model. Move the pieces of the model so that point
F is next to point G.
Draw an overhead view of the surface as it looks after movement along the fault.

Strike-slip Questions:
1. If you were standing at point F and looking across the fault, which way did the block on the
opposite side move?

2. What happened to rock layers X, Y, and Z?

3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

4. What likely happened to the river?

Strike-slip Fault
5. If the scale used in this model is 1 mm = 2 m, how many meters did the earth move when
the strike-slip fault caused point F to move alongside point G?
(Show all calculations for full credit)

(Note that this scale would make an unlikely size for the railroad track!) If there were a
sudden horizontal shift of this magnitude it would be about five times the shift that occurred
in the 1906 San Andreas fault as a result of the San Francisco earthquake.
6. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing? Explain.

7. Is the strike-slip fault a right or left lateral movement? Explain.

A strike-slip fault can be described as having right or left-lateral movement. If you look
directly across the fault, the direction that the opposite side moved defines whether the
movement is left-lateral or right-lateral. The San Andreas Fault in California is a rightlateral strike-slip fault.

10 Foam-faults activity

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Reinforcement
1. Explain the miner's method of naming faults. Use a simple diagram showing the shaft, fault
line, hanging wall, and footwall for normal and reverse faults. How did the walls get their
names?

2. Name and describe the types of faults and folds that form in convergent margins. Use a
simple diagram to illustrate your answer.

3. Name and describe the types of faults that form in a rift valley/mid-ocean ridge. Explain why
normal faults form at divergent boundaries. Use simple diagrams to illustrate both answers.

4. Name and describe the types of faults that form along a transform boundary. Use a simple
diagram to illustrate your answer.

Extra Credit
Research and classify two of the faults below. Be sure to cite the internet URL.

Portland Hills Fault

Molalla Canby Fault
Burns Fault

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Foam-faults activity 11

2_fault_types-Homework.doc

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Faults: Types of Faulting

Name:
Per: Date:

Due:

How Do Earthquakes Happen Along Plate Boundaries and Faults?

Earthquakes occur when there is a sudden movement on the Earths crust. Most movement on the Earths
crust takes place along plate boundaries. There are three main types of plate boundaries; they include
converging (moving together), diverging (moving apart), and sliding or transform plate boundaries. There is
a direct correlation between the plate boundary and the type of fault associated with an earthquake.
Figure 1: Types of Faults
Strike-slip fault

Normal fault

Reverse Fault

1. Complete the chart below to distinguish between each of the three main types of faults.
Type of Force
Type of
Fault

(compression, tension, or
shearing)

Vertical or
horizontal motion

Strikeslip

(shallow, intermediate,
deep, or all)

Shallow

Normal

Shallow and
intermediate

Reverse

3_fault_PT.doc

Type of plate
boundary

Types of
Earthquakes

All types

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Foam-faults activity 13

Application of the Concepts

The block diagrams below illustrate a simplified version of a normal and reverse fault. The arrows by each
fault show the relative motions of the blocks on both sides of the fault.

1. Draw an arrow on each side of the fault on BOTH diagrams to illustrate the movement along the faults.
Check here if complete
2. Indicate in BOTH diagrams which side has younger rocks and which has older rocks at the surface?
Check here if complete
3. What is the difference between the hanging wall and the footwall?

4. On an eroded normal fault, are the rocks at the surface on hanging wall side the youngest or oldest
surface rocks? Describe fully.

5. On an eroded reverse fault, are the rocks at the surface on the hanging wall side the youngest or oldest
surface rocks? Describe fully.

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14 Foam-faults activity

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ANSWER KEY FOR TEACHERS

The diagrams below illustrate an eroded REVERSE fault at two ages. On the left-hand side of the
diagram, the fault has not moved. On the right-hand diagram the fault has moved to produce mountains on
surface to left side of the drawing.
On the left-hand diagram illustrate the movement of this fault by drawing:
a. Arrows in the spaces provided indicating the relative movement on each side of the fault.
On the right-hand diagram illustrate the movement of this fault by:
b. Labeling the oldest and youngest rocks on the surface.
c. Sketching in the relative position of the rock layers in the blank part of the diagram.

Reverse fault before movement

Eroded reverse fault after movement

Conclusion:
Write four to six complete sentences explaining the relationship between faults, earthquakes and plate
boundaries. Feel free to use the back page if necessary.

Foam-faults activity 15
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ANSWER KEY FOR TEACHERS

Types of Faults

Name:
Per:

Date:

1. Referring to Figure 1, does it make any difference which side of

the fault you stand on in naming the right-lateral or left lateral
strike-slip fault? Explain.
Right lateral. Imagine yourself standing on one side of a strike-slip fault, so that
you are facing the fault. If the block on the other side is displaced to your right,
the fault is a right lateral strike-slip fault (Figure 1). If the block on the other side of
the fault is displaced to your left, the fault is a left lateral strike-slip fault
Figure 1

2. Compare and contrast a reverse fault and a thrust fault.

Thrust faults are simply reverse faults in which the angle formed by the fault plane and the surface is quite
shallow.

3. Explain how slickensides are used to determine the slip orientation of the fault plane.
The scratches on the fault plane surface are called slickensides. Slickensides may record the slip orientation of
the fault plane, and may even feel smoother in the direction of slip

Model of Three Faults

Normal Fault
Locate points A and B on your model. Move point B so that it is next to Point A. Observe
your model from the side (its cross-section).
Draw the normal fault as represented by the model you have just constructed.

Questions
1. Which way did point B move relative to point A?

See figure 2 above

It moves closer to A

2. What happened to rock layers X, Y and Z?

They get offset by the fault

3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

No they are now broken by the fault

4. What likely happened to the road? The railroad tracks?

The were likely offset vertically. During that process they will be potentially broken.

Normal Fault
5. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing?
Explain.
This is caused by tension. Normal faults are formed by tensional forces.

6. On the drawing label the hanging wall and the footwall.

The hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall in a normal fault.

16 Foam-faults activity
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Many normal faults are found

in Nevada. This is because
Nevada is located in a region
called the Basin and Range
Province where the
lithosphere is stretching.

ANSWER KEY FOR TEACHERS

Reverse Fault
Locate points C and D on your model. Move Point C next to point D. Observe the
cross-section of your model.
Draw the reverse fault as represented by the model you have just constructed.

Questions
See figure 3 or 4 above
1. Which way did point D move relative to point C?
It moves closer to point C

2. What happened to rock layers X, Y and Z?

They get offset by the fault.

3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

They are no longer continuous.

Reverse Fault

4. What likely happened to the river?

Perhaps a waterfall could have been formed by the rising hanging wall.

5. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing? Explain.

This is caused by compression. Reverse faults are formed by compressional forces.

6. On the drawing label the hanging wall and the footwall.

The hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall in a reverse fault.

Faults are important in mineral and petroleum exploration

as they may either seal and act as a barrier to fluid flow
(e.g., due to smearing of mud or shale along them), or may
be important conduits for the migration of petroleum or
mineralizing fluids. Many mineral deposits are fault and
fracture controlled. Recognition of faults is also important in
hydrogeological studies as fracturing along faults may
produce hard-rock aquifers.

An example of a thrust fault is the fault in which the Northridge earthquake occurred. The
thrusting movement raised the mountains in the area by as much as 70 cm.
Foam-faults activity 17

Strike-Slip Fault
Locate points F and G on your model. Move the pieces of the model so that point
F is next to point G.
Draw an overhead view of the surface as it looks after movement along the fault.

Strike-slip Questions:
1. If you were standing at point F and looking across the fault, which way did the block on the
opposite side move?
To the right

2. What happened to rock layers X, Y, and Z?

They are not offset in a vertical manner, only a horizontal manner.

3. Are the rock layers still continuous?

Yes they are.

4. What likely happened to the river?

It likely was offset to the right (south).

Strike-slip Fault

5. If the scale used in this model is 1 mm = 2 m, how many meters did the earth move when
the strike-slip fault caused point F to move alongside point G?
(Show all calculations for full credit)
Approximately 46 meters
1 mm = 2 m; 23 mm x 2 = 46 m

(Note that this scale would make an unlikely size for the railroad track!) If there were a
sudden horizontal shift of this magnitude it would be about five times the shift that occurred
in the 1906 San Andreas fault as a result of the San Francisco earthquake.
6. Is this type of fault caused by tension, compression or shearing? Explain.
Shearing two blocks moving past one another with little vertical motion

7. Is the strike-slip fault a right or left lateral movement? Explain.

Right lateral the east side of the fault moves so the south.

A strike-slip fault can be described as having right or left-lateral movement. If you look
directly across the fault, the direction that the opposite side moved defines whether the
movement is left-lateral or right-lateral. The San Andreas Fault in California is a rightlateral strike-slip fault.
18 Foam-faults activity

ANSWER KEY FOR TEACHERS

Reinforcement
1. Explain the miner's method of naming faults. Use a simple diagram showing the shaft, fault
line, hanging wall, and footwall for normal and reverse faults. How did the walls get their
names?
See figures 2 and 3 on page 2.
The terms "hanging wall" and "footwall" are old mining terms. The hanging wall block was the block of rock
where miners would hang their lanterns; the footwall block was where miners would walk. It is easy to
determine which side of the fault is the hanging wall if you imagine a miner standing on the fault plane. The
hanging wall will be the block above the miners head; the footwall will be the block below the miners feet.

2. Name and describe the types of faults and folds that form in convergent margins. Use a
simple diagram to illustrate your answer.
Convergent margins result in compressional stresses so reverse and thrust faults would be expected along with
folds. Pictures will vary.

3. Name and describe the types of faults that form in a rift valley/mid-ocean ridge. Explain why
normal faults form at divergent boundaries. Use simple diagrams to illustrate both answers.
Divergent boundaries result in tensional stresses therefore they would be found at rift valley/mid-ocean ridge
settings. See Figure 2 on page 1.

4. Name and describe the types of faults that form along a transform boundary. Use a simple
diagram to illustrate your answer.
Transform boundaries result in shearing stresses that result in strike-slip faults. See figure 1 on page 1

Extra Credit
Research and classify two of the faults below. Be sure to cite the internet URL.

Portland Hills Fault

Molalla Canby Fault
Burns Fault
Foam-faults activity 19

fault_types_key.doc

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Application of the Concepts

The block diagrams below illustrate a simplified version of a normal and reverse fault. The arrows by each
fault show the relative motions of the blocks on both sides of the fault.

younger
older

younger

older

1. Draw an arrow on each side of the fault on BOTH diagrams to illustrate the movement along the faults.
Check here if complete
2. Indicate in BOTH diagrams which side has younger rocks and which has older rocks at the surface?
Check here if complete
3. What is the difference between the hanging wall and the footwall?
The terms "hanging wall" and "footwall" are old mining terms. The hanging wall block was the block of rock where miners would
hang their lanterns; the footwall block was where miners would walk. It is easy to determine which side of the fault is the hanging
wall if you imagine a miner standing on the fault plane. The hanging wall will be the block above the miners head; the footwall
will be the block below the miners feet.

4. On an eroded normal fault, are the rocks at the surface on hanging wall side the youngest or oldest
surface rocks? Describe fully.
Youngest surface rocks younger rocks are forming on top of young rocks as younger rocks move downward relative to
footwall.

5. On an eroded reverse fault, are the rocks at the surface on the hanging wall side the youngest or oldest
surface rocks? Describe fully.
Oldest surface rocks older rocks exposed as younger rocks are eroded away.

20 Foam-faults activity
fault_PT_key.doc

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ANSWER KEY FOR TEACHERS

The diagrams below illustrate an eroded REVERSE fault at two ages. On the left-hand side of the
diagram, the fault has not moved. On the right-hand diagram the fault has moved to produce mountains on
surface to left side of the drawing.
On the left-hand diagram illustrate the movement of this fault by drawing:
a. Arrows in the spaces provided indicating the relative movement on each side of the fault.
On the right-hand diagram illustrate the movement of this fault by:
b. Labeling the oldest and youngest rocks on the surface.
c. Sketching in the relative position of the rock layers in the blank part of the diagram.

oldest

youngest

Drawings will
vary. Layers on
the hanging
wall should be
offset upwards
with those on
the footwall.

Reverse fault before movement

Eroded reverse fault after movement

Conclusion:
Write four to six complete sentences explaining the relationship between faults, earthquakes and plate
boundaries. Feel free to use the back page if necessary.
Answers will vary. Plate boundaries have the highest concentrations of faults. Earthquakes occur along
faults. Therefore, earthquakes occur along plate boundaries.

Foam-faults activity 21