Fault (geology)

[[File:Fault types.svg|thumb|Three types of faults:
A. Strike-slip
B. Normal
C. Reverse
[[File:Oblique slip fault.svg|thumb|250px|Oblique-slip fault]]
[[File:Fault-Horst-Graben.svg|right|thumb|300px|[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] terminology of normal (basic) faults]]
A fault is a fracture, or break, in the Earth's crust ([[lithosphere]]). Some faults are active. Here, sections of [[Rock (geology)|rock]] move past each other. This sometimes makes [[earthquake]]s.
Faulting occurs when [[shear stress]] on a rock overcomes the [[Force (physics)|forces]] which hold it together. The fracture itself is called a "fault plane". When it is exposed at the Earth's surface, it may form a cliff or steep slope called a "[[fault scarp]]".
The angle between the fault plane and an imaginary [[horizontal]] plane is called the "dip angle" of the fault. Faults may dip shallowly or steeply.
Faults are categorized into three types:
Other websites.
[[Category:Plate tectonics]]