Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-year-2-of-the-earth-sciences-geology-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/paper-1/4/b/iv/solution
Past exam of the year 2 of the earth sciences (geology) course of the University of Oxford 2023 Paper 1 4 b iv Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
An overlapping pair of basin-dipping normal fault segments can first accommodate displacement through an unbreached relay ramp. Fault throw tapers toward each tip and transfers between the strands; the intervening block tilts and bends while retaining a continuous ramp-like surface. Draw overlapping parallel traces in plan view and a tilted connecting surface between their different fault throws.
With continued extension, the ramp can be breached by a linking fault. An oblique connector joins the segment tips and takes up a combination of dip-slip and strike-slip displacement; the system becomes a more continuous, zigzag normal fault. Draw this connector diagonally through the overlap, with downthrown arrows on the basin side. Distributed small faults and folding can accompany either arrangement. The central bend around in Attachment B is the candidate transfer zone; the image alone does not uniquely establish the three-dimensional connection at depth.
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