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Dip-Slip Faults
Have you ever seen cracks on the ground after an earthquake? Or noticed how mountains and valleys
seem to form over time? What if I told you that these changes happen because of something deep beneath the
Earth’s surface?
Activity 1: What Happens When the Earth Moves?
Observe the two images provided (one showing mountains, another showing valleys). Think about how
these landforms might have formed. Answer the guide questions below.
Credits: [Link] Credits: [Link]
Valley Mountain
a. What natural forces do you think helped shape these landscapes?_______________________________.
b. Do you think these changes happened instantly or over time?__________________________________.
These landforms are shaped by powerful forces deep within the Earth! Now, let’s connect this to
something important—faults. A fault is a crack in the Earth’s crust where movement happens. Imagine
breaking a cookie in half—where it cracks is like a fault. But unlike a cookie, the Earth’s crust doesn’t just
break and stay still. It moves! Over time, these movements can push land up to form mountains or pull land
apart to create valleys.
These changes don’t happen instantly—they take thousands or even millions of years. But sometimes,
when the movement is sudden, we feel it as an earthquake. That’s why understanding faults helps us learn not
only how landforms are created but also why earthquakes happen. Now that we know faults are the key to
shaping the Earth's surface, let’s explore
the different ways they move and the
impact they have on our world!
Dip Slip Fault is a type of fault
where the movement of rocks happens up
and down along a slanted surface. The
block above the fault is the hanging wall,
while the block below is the footwall.
Depending on how these blocks move in
relation to the hanging wall and footwall,
dip-slip faults are categorized as normal or
reverse faults.
A normal fault occurs when tension forces
pull the Earth's crust apart, causing the hanging wall to move downward relative to the footwall. Think of a
game of tug-of-war. When two teams pull in opposite directions, what happens in the middle? It stretches!
That’s exactly what happens with normal faults—tension forces pull the crust apart, and the hanging wall (the
block above the fault line) moves downward. This often happens in places like the East African Rift, where the
land is slowly being pulled apart. Over time, valleys and rift zones form!
A reverse fault happens when compression forces push the Earth's crust together, causing the hanging wall to
move upward over the footwall. What happens when you press your hands together really hard? They push
against each other, right? That’s compression! In a reverse fault, compression forces push the crust together,
causing the hanging wall to move upward over the footwall.
Activity 2: Line Me Up!
Observe the fault model and identify the hanging wall and footwall. Draw arrows to identify the correct
direction to indicate the movement of the hanging wall and footwall.
Normal Fault Reverse Fault