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What type of fault is being formed here? (two plates; left is moving up, right is moving down; pressure moving together on top and bottom)

User Hamed Aj
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Final answer:

A reverse fault is being formed by plates moving together with compressional forces, causing the hanging wall to move upwards. The San Andreas Fault is an example of a different type of fault called a strike-slip fault. Plate tectonics involves various boundaries that can produce faults and magma through mantle convection.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of fault being formed by two plates where the left is moving up and the right is moving down, with pressure moving together on top and bottom, is known as a reverse fault. This is due to the compressional forces acting on the plates, causing the hanging wall to move upwards relative to the footwall. This is a common feature at convergent plate boundaries where tectonic plates are forced together, such as the region off the western coast of South America.



The Copper Creek Thrust Fault, a type of reverse fault, exemplifies the result of such compressional stresses. It is present in the Appalachian Mountains, which were formed due to a collision between the African and North American plates during the Pennsylvanian period. In contrast, places like the San Andreas Fault in California, where crustal plates slide sideways with respect to one another, are characterized by a different kind of fault called a strike-slip fault, caused by lateral shearing forces.



Tectonic plate boundaries can also be associated with magma production, particularly at divergent boundaries where plates pull apart and at convergent boundaries where subduction occurs. The movement of plates is driven by mantle convection, which is a process central to the dynamic nature of Earth's crust and can lead to the formation of various geological structures, including faults.

User Seby
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