Thrust fault

A reverse fault in which the hanging wall moves upward over the footwall along a relatively low-angle fault plane. Thrust faults accommodate crustal shortening and can stack rock layers into large sheets.

Reverse fault: A dip-slip fault where the hanging wall moves upward relative to the footwall. A thrust fault is the low-angle form of this broader fault type.
Dip-slip fault: A fault whose displacement is mainly parallel to its inclined plane and the direction of dip. Thrust faults are dip-slip faults with reverse motion on a low-angle plane.
Balanced cross section: A geological cross section restored to show that interpreted deformation preserves approximate bed length or area. Restoration tests whether mapped thrust geometry can account for observed shortening.
Lewis Thrust: A major thrust fault in the northern Rocky Mountains that places ancient rocks over much younger rocks. Its large displacement makes the Lewis Range a classic example of thrust-sheet transport.
Normal fault: A dip-slip fault where the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall. Normal motion lengthens crust, opposite to the shortening associated with thrusting.
Hanging wall: The block of rock above an inclined fault plane. Its upward movement over the footwall defines thrust displacement.
Strike and dip: Measurements describing a planar feature's horizontal orientation and inclination. Dip measurements determine whether a reverse fault qualifies as a thrust.
Seismic reflection: A geophysical method that images underground structures using reflected seismic waves. Reflection profiles can reveal buried thrust planes and stacked rock layers.
Moine Thrust: A major thrust system in northwest Scotland that carries older rocks over younger strata. Its exposures helped establish the interpretation of large-scale thrust displacement.
Strike-slip fault: A fault where movement is mainly horizontal and parallel to its strike. Its dominant lateral motion differs from thrusts' upward hanging-wall displacement.

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