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The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

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Figure 1.52: Bedding and cleavage seen in slate, formed from mudst<strong>on</strong>e by regi<strong>on</strong>al metamorphism.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> bedding runs steeply from <strong>the</strong> lo<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>r right to <strong>the</strong> upper left and is shownby <strong>the</strong> different bands <strong>of</strong> colour. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> cleavage is <strong>the</strong> series <strong>of</strong> cracks that slope up gentlyfrom right to left. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> tect<strong>on</strong>ic forces that caused <strong>the</strong> metamorphism <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re at right anglesto <strong>the</strong> cleavage, from top to bottom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> photo.1.6 Deformati<strong>on</strong> in rocks - geological structuresRocks in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Earth</strong>’s crust can be put under pressure by three different sets <strong>of</strong> forces:<strong>the</strong>y can be compressed by compressi<strong>on</strong>al stresses; <strong>the</strong>y can be pulled apart by tensi<strong>on</strong>alstresses; or <strong>the</strong>y can, under pressure, slide past <strong>on</strong>e ano<strong>the</strong>r due to shear stresses. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>reis a fourth type <strong>of</strong> stress, caused by turning forces, but <strong>the</strong>se are not geologically verycomm<strong>on</strong>.Not <strong>on</strong>ly do three types <strong>of</strong> stress comm<strong>on</strong>ly affect crustal rocks, but rocks resp<strong>on</strong>d inthree different ways. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> rock can absorb <strong>the</strong> stress, like a rubber ball, but when <strong>the</strong>stress is removed, it bounces back. This is called elastic behaviour and, although as <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>shall see, this is important in earthquakes, <strong>the</strong> effects cannot be seen in rocks, since <strong>the</strong>yhave sprung back elastically to <strong>the</strong>ir original shape and size. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> rocks may bend andflow, like clay does when you mould it with your hands. This is ductile behaviour, <strong>the</strong>rocks remain distorted into folds that can be seen clearly. Finally <strong>the</strong> rocks may break;this is brittle behaviour and results in different forms <strong>of</strong> rock fracture.Whe<strong>the</strong>r a rock bends, breaks or behaves elastically under stress depends <strong>on</strong> a range<strong>of</strong> different factors, including what <strong>the</strong> rocks are made <strong>of</strong>, how great <strong>the</strong> stress is, <strong>the</strong>temperature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rocks, how deeply buried <strong>the</strong>y are, and for how l<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> stresses areapplied. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> result is that <strong>the</strong> same rock can behave differently at different times andunder different c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s and can show <strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> both ductile and brittle behaviour;so folded rocks can be fractured as <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ll.37

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