A blind reverse fault can transfer displacement into folding above its buried tip. Look for an asymmetric growing anticline, often with a steep forelimb and gentler backlimb, aligned with the inferred fault strike. A fault-propagation fold is one possible geometry; the fold alone does not uniquely establish the fault's depth or shape. Exposed older geological strata may be more steeply tilted than younger deposits, while growth strata thin and onlap toward an uplifting crest or fan in dip as deformation accumulates. Progressive unconformities and warped young deposits help distinguish active folding from an inherited fold.
In the landscape, seek an elongate uplifted ridge, warped or tilted river terraces and alluvial fans, localized fold scarps, incision across the rising structure, and drainage deflection or abandoned channels. Compare landforms of known relative ages: increasing deformation with age records repeated motion. Opposite fold limbs may show contrasting uplift and tilting, while active axial surfaces can concentrate deformation into narrow belts even without the main fault reaching the surface. Combine geological mapping and dating with seismic reflection or evidence from geodesy where available; an erosional ridge alone is not proof of a buried active reverse fault.[ref]
Articles by others on the same topic
There are currently no matching articles.