Growth fault

<p>Growth faults are syndepositional or syn-sedimentary extensional <a href="/facts/Fault_(geology)/0Fw2ladx">faults</a> that initiate and evolve at the margins of continental plates. They extend parallel to <a href="/facts/Passive_margin/1pbsuGnQ">passive margins</a> that have high <a href="/facts/Sediment/zsIH1A6U">sediment</a> supply. Their fault plane dips mostly toward the basin and has long-term continuous displacement.  Figure one shows a growth fault with a concave upward fault plane that has high updip angle and flattened at its base into zone of detachment or <a href="/facts/D%C3%A9collement/vr8SgHE0">décollement</a>. This angle is continuously changing from nearly vertical in the updip area to nearly horizontal in the downdip area.
</p><p><a href="/facts/Sedimentary_rock/HQDCjrco">Sedimentary layers</a> have different geometry and thickness across the fault. The <a href="/facts/Foot_wall/0Fw2ladx">footwall</a> – landward of the fault plane – has undisturbed sedimentary strata that dip gently toward the basin while the <a href="/facts/Hanging_wall/0Fw2ladx">hanging wall</a> – on the basin side of the fault plane – has folded and faulted sedimentary strata that dip landward close to the fault and basinward away from it. These layers perch on a low density <a href="/facts/Evaporite/vNW8fcEy">evaporite</a> or over-pressured <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> bed that easily flows away from higher pressure into lower pressure zones. Most studies since the 1990s concentrate on the growth faults' driving forces, kinematics and accompanied <a href="/facts/Structural_geology/e6tGSc6K">structures</a> since they are helpful in fossil fuel explorations as they form <a href="/facts/Oil_trap/wYoSQmGN">structural traps</a> for oil.
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Growth fault open-in-new

Growth fault