Slickenside

Slickenside

[
400px|thumb|right|Slickensides_developed_on_the_surface_of_a_small_fault_in_quartzite in the Alpujarras] In pedology, the study of soils in their natural environments, a slickenside is a surface of the cracks produced in soils containing a high proportion of swelling clays. Slickensides are a type of cutan.

In geology, the term refers to a smoothly polished surface caused by frictional movement between rocks along the two sides of a fault. This surface is normally striated in the direction of movement. The plane may be coated by mineral fibres that grew during the fault movement, known as "slickenfibres", which also show the direction of displacement. Due to irregularities in the fault plane exposed slickenfibres typically have a stepped appearance that can be used to determine the sense of movement across the fault. The surface feels smoother when the hand is moved in the same direction that the eroded side of the fault moved (see diagram for explanation), as the surface steps down in that direction, like the scales on a fish when stroked from the head.


References

* Allaby, A. and Allaby, M. (Eds). 1990. "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Earth Sciences". New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
* McDonald, R. C. et al. 1990. "The Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook", 2nd Ed. Melbourne, Australia: Inkata Press.
* "Microtectonics", by C.W.Passchier and R.A.J.Trouw, 2nd rev. and enlarged ed., 2005, XVI, 366 p., 322 illus., with CD


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • slickenside — [slik′ən sīd΄] n. [dial. slicken, var. of SLICK + SIDE] Geol. a smooth, polished rock surface produced by friction, pressure, or cleavage …   English World dictionary

  • slickenside — noun Etymology: English dialect slicken smooth (from 2slick) + English side Date: 1822 a smooth often striated surface produced on rock by movement along a fault or a subsidiary fracture usually used in plural …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • slickenside — /slik euhn suyd /, n. Geol. a rock surface that has become more or less polished and striated by slippage along a fault plane. [1760 70; SLICK2 + EN3 + SIDE1] * * * …   Universalium

  • slickenside — noun A smooth, striated rock surface caused by the friction of one mass sliding over another …   Wiktionary

  • slickenside —    1. A polished, commonly striated rock surface within a fault plane, produced due to friction during fault movement. The striae give an indication of the fault movement direction [9].    2. A polished fault plane with grooves due to relative… …   Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology

  • slickenside — noun Geology a polished and striated rock surface that results from friction along a fault or bedding plane. Origin C18: from a dialect var. of slick + side …   English new terms dictionary

  • slickenside — slick·en·side …   English syllables

  • slickenside — slick•en•side [[t]ˈslɪk ənˌsaɪd[/t]] n. gel a rock surface that has become more or less polished and striated by slippage along a fault plane • Etymology: 1760–70; dial. slickenslick (adj.) +side …   From formal English to slang

  • slickenside — /ˈslɪkənsaɪd/ (say slikuhnsuyd) noun a polished rock surface caused by one rock mass sliding over another …  

  • slickenside — I. ˈslikənˌsīd noun Etymology: English dialect slicken smooth (alteration of slick) (II) + side : a smooth striated polished surface produced on rock by movement along a fault, a subsidiary fracture, a bedding plane, or at the bottom of a… …   Useful english dictionary

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