"Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories."
Study of geological structures and their interactions with rock properties.
Plate Tectonics: The theory that explains the movement of the Earth's crustal plates and the resulting geological processes.
Faulting and Folding: The mechanisms through which rocks deform due to stress and strain, leading to the formation of faults and folds.
Stress and Strain: The forces that act on rocks and the resulting response of the rock.
Deformation Mechanisms: The ways in which rocks respond to stress, including brittle and ductile deformation.
Rock Properties and Mechanics: The physical and mechanical properties of rocks that affect their behavior under stress.
Rock Structures: The features that result from deformation, including joints, faults, folds, and foliations.
Geological Mapping: The process of recording and analyzing geological features in the field to create detailed maps.
Geological Cross-Sections: The process of creating a vertical slice through a map to better understand the three-dimensional structure of geological features.
Geological Time Scale: The chronology of Earth's history and the relationship between geologic events and the formation of rocks.
Mineralogy and Petrology: The study of the chemical and physical properties of minerals and rocks.
Stratigraphy: The study of the layering and sequence of sedimentary rocks.
Seismology: The study of earthquakes and seismic waves, which can provide information about the Earth's interior structure.
Geophysics: The study of the physical properties and processes of the Earth's crust and mantle.
Remote Sensing: The use of satellite imagery and other technologies to study geological features from a distance.
Geologic Hazards: The potential risks associated with geologic processes, such as earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.
Faults: A fracture in the earth's crust where one side moves relative to the other side.
Folds: Layers of rocks that have been compressed and deformed are bent into folds.
Joints: Cracks or fractures in rocks where there is no movement.
Shear Zones: An area of the rock where the rocks move past each other parallel to the surface of the Earth's crust.
Thrust Faults: A type of fault in which older rocks are pushed on top of younger rocks.
Normal Faults: A type of fault in which the hanging wall drops down relative to the footwall.
Reverse Faults: A type of fault in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall.
Strike-Slip Faults: A type of fault in which the movement is horizontal and parallel to the fault surface.
Dome Mountains: A type of mountain formed by the uplift of a circular area of rocks.
Basin Mountains: A type of mountain formed by the downward movement of a circular area of rocks causing inversion of the sediments.
"The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"[Measurements]...uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"[The primary goal is] ultimately, to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries."
"This understanding of the dynamics of the stress field can be linked to important events in the geologic past."
"[A common goal is] to understand the structural evolution of a particular area with respect to regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation (e.g., mountain building, rifting) due to plate tectonics."
"Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units..."
"Uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"Structural geology aims to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries."
"This understanding of the dynamics of the stress field can be linked to important events in the geologic past."
"...regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation (e.g., mountain building, rifting) due to plate tectonics."
"Use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"[The ultimate goal is] to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries."
"...to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"...to understand the structural evolution of a particular area with respect to regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation (e.g., mountain building, rifting) due to plate tectonics."
"The study of structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories."
"Use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks."
"[The stress field can be linked to] ...regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation (e.g., mountain building, rifting) due to plate tectonics."
"Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units."
"[The primary goal is]...to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries."