Tectonite

A rock whose fabric records deformation by tectonic forces, commonly through aligned minerals or flattened and stretched components.

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Rock fabric: The spatial arrangement and shape of a rock’s components, including minerals, grains, and fractures. Tectonite classification depends on fabric produced or modified during deformation.
Ductile shear: Shearing in which rock deforms continuously without forming dominant brittle fractures. Ductile shear can rotate and align minerals into tectonite fabrics.
L-tectonite: A tectonite dominated by linear fabric, with little or no pervasive planar fabric. It represents the lineation-dominated end of tectonite fabric types.
Shear zone: A tabular region of rock that accommodated concentrated displacement by shearing. Tectonites commonly preserve fabrics formed within localized shear zones.
Foliation: A planar arrangement of features in a rock, such as aligned minerals or compositional layers. Planar mineral alignment is a common tectonite fabric.
Simple shear: Deformation in which parallel planes slide past one another without changing their spacing. It can produce strongly oriented fabrics and lineations in tectonites.
S-tectonite: A tectonite dominated by planar fabric, with little or no pervasive linear fabric. It represents the foliation-dominated end of tectonite fabric types.
Structural geology: The study of rock structures and the forces and movements that formed them. Tectonite fabrics are evidence used to interpret geological structures.
Lineation: A linear arrangement of minerals, elongated grains, or other features within a rock. Elongated components can give tectonites a distinct linear fabric.
Pure shear: Deformation involving coaxial shortening in some directions and extension in others. Coaxial stretching and shortening can flatten or elongate components in tectonites.