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Be able to explain the forces that act on rocks to deform them. How do we get features like anticlines, synclines, and different faults? What types of stress produce these different types of strain?

User Lostpacket
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Final answer:

Different types of stress, such as compression, tension, and shear stress, can deform rocks and result in features like folds, faults, and unconformities.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rocks deform under the influence of various forces. The main types of forces that act on rocks are compression, tension, and shear stress. Compression occurs when rocks are pushed together, tension occurs when rocks pull apart, and shear stress occurs when rocks slide past each other horizontally.

These different types of stress can result in different types of strain and deformations. For example, compression can cause rocks to fold and form anticlines and synclines. Anticlines are folds with the oldest rocks in the center and synclines are folds with the youngest rocks in the center. Tension can result in faults, such as normal faults where the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall, and shear stress can cause strike-slip faults, where rocks slide past each other horizontally.

User Luek Baja
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