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Slickenside or something else?


Lone Hunter

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There is a lot of overlap of definitions between slickensides and slickenlines. Slickensides refer to the polished planes in a fault zone. Slickenlines refer to the linear striations. You piece shows both.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slickenside


 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_trace

 

“Not only are large scale linear features indicative of fault traces but small lineations found on rock samples or rock faces also are. Slickenlines are one type of lineation which are linear gouges scraped into a rock from different rocks grinding along against each other. Slickenlines indicate a fault as well as its motion, which can be very useful in many studies.”

 

See:

Fleuty, M. (1975). Slickensides and slickenlines. Geological Magazine,112(3), 319-322. doi:10.1017/S0016756800047087

 

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/geological-magazine/article/slickensides-and-slickenlines/93015FB3763E27C4D5D3F0F2A69EB44F

Edited by DPS Ammonite
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In an area that gypsum is common you might want to consider the possibility of  vertisols. They can have a similar appearance, and needn't be associated with faults. 

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3 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

In an area that gypsum is common you might want to consider the possibility of  vertisols. They can have a similar appearance, and needn't be associated with faults. 


Looks like a solid rock and not plastic soil with slickensides. Vertisol refers to soils. 

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  • Fossildude19 changed the title to Slickenside or something else?

Isn't slickensides a surface feature? I think I see more of the structure internally in photo number 3.

 

 

Mark.

 

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23 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Isn't slickensides a surface feature? I think I see more of the structure internally in photo number 3.


You can have many different slickensides in a zone. Faults are not always expressed as a single fault plane (slickenside); they are zones of many semi parallel planes, zones of clay and crushed rocks.

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

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