Cataclasite
Cataclasite is a cohesive fault rock made of mineral and rock fragments produced by brittle crushing, typically with little recrystallization.
Cataclasis: Cataclasis is brittle deformation in which grains fracture, rotate, and grind into smaller fragments. The process that produces cataclasite by fragmenting grains without substantial recrystallization.
Fault zone: A fault zone is a volume of rock deformed by displacement along one or more faults. Cataclasite commonly occupies the fractured and sheared core of a fault zone.
Mylonite: Mylonite is a fine-grained, foliated rock formed mainly by ductile shearing and crystal-plastic deformation. It contrasts with cataclasite, whose grains are chiefly broken rather than plastically recrystallized.
Fault-rock classification: Fault-rock classification organizes rocks formed in faults by texture, composition, cohesion, and deformation mechanism. Cataclasite is identified and compared through its fragment size, matrix, and cohesion.
Fault breccia: Fault breccia is a fault rock composed of angular fragments, commonly with little cohesion or fine-grained matrix. Its fragmental texture resembles cataclasite, but it is generally less cohesive.
Brittle deformation: Brittle deformation is permanent strain accommodated mainly by cracking, fracture, and frictional sliding. Cataclasite forms under deformation dominated by fracture rather than crystal-plastic flow.
Pseudotachylyte: Pseudotachylyte is a fault rock formed when frictional heating melts rock during rapid slip. It records frictional melting, whereas cataclasite records mechanical fragmentation.
Seismic cycle: The seismic cycle is the sequence of stress accumulation, earthquake slip, and post-earthquake adjustment on a fault. Cataclasite textures can preserve evidence of repeated brittle slip within that cycle.
Comminution: Comminution is the reduction of material into smaller particles through crushing, grinding, or impact. Grain-size reduction is central to the fragment-rich fabric of cataclasite.
Fault core: A fault core is the central part of a fault zone that accommodates most displacement and contains concentrated fault rocks. Cataclasite can form a principal component of the fault core.