Final answer:
The term 'strike' refers to the compass direction of a horizontal line formed where a geological feature intersects a horizontal plane. It is determined using geological tools and the right-hand rule, with the dip measuring the layer's steepness, typically at a right angle to the strike.
Step-by-step explanation:
The compass direction of the line produced by the intersection of a rock layer or fault with a horizontal plane is called the strike. This is a geological term used to describe the orientation of a rock bed, fault, or other geological feature.
Strike and dip are fundamental concepts in structural geology used to describe the orientation of geological features. The strike is the compass direction of a horizontal line on a tilted geological layer or the line formed where a geological plane intersects with a horizontal surface. To determine strike, geologists often use a Brunton Compass and the right-hand rule; if the right hand is placed on the dipping feature with fingers pointing toward the dip direction, then the thumb points in the strike direction.
The dip, on the other hand, measures the steepness or inclination of the geological feature relative to a horizontal plane, typically perpendicular to the strike direction. Geologists need to measure both strike and dip to accurately describe the orientation of dipping features, which can be found in rock layers, faults, and other geological structures.