Hanging Fault Wall

This terminology comes from mining.

Hanging fault wall.

Hanging wall definition of hanging wall by the free dictionary. The underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore compare footwall def. Hanging wall and footwall the two sides of a non vertical fault are known as the hanging wall and footwall. The overlying block of a fault having an inclined fault plane.

Its strike and its dip. Any fault plane can be completely described with two measurements. The hanging wall experiences flexural bending which creates extension which in turn creates normal faults. Where the fault plane is sloping as with normal and reverse faults the upper side is the hanging wall and the lower side is the footwall.

The dip of a fault plane is its angle of inclination measured from the horizontal. The fault strike is the direction of the line of intersection between the fault plane and earth s surface. Hanging wall synonyms hanging wall pronunciation hanging wall translation english dictionary definition of hanging wall. Hanging wall definition is the upper or overhanging wall of an inclined vein fault or other geologic structure opposed to footwall.

They intersect often creating very complex fault patterns. The hanging wall occurs above the fault plane and the footwall occurs below it. When working a tabular ore body the miner stood with the footwall under his feet and with the hanging wall above him. The block below is called the footwall.

The fault strike is the direction of the line of intersection between the fault plane and earth s surface. Synthetic same sense of dip as the controlling fault and antithetic opposite sense. A mass of rock overhanging a fault plane. In fault fault plane is called the hanging wall or headwall.