How to Spot a Fossilized Fault Line

Ancient and active fault lines often leave behind traces of their existence. This occurs through what is known as a "slickenside". #short #shorts #geology #science

If you would like to support this channel, consider using one of the following links:

Google Earth imagery used in this video: ©Google & Data Providers

Various licenses used in sections of this video (not the entire video, this video as a whole does not completely fall under one of these licenses) and/or in this video's thumbnail image:

[SomeScruffian]

You can also sometimes see "teeth", where sections of slickenlines are broken off near perpendicular to the fault's motion. You can use them to tell the _relative_ motion of the hanging and footwall to one another. u shaped teeth, where the slickenline broke off on the bottom, tell the other wall went downwards, while n shaped teeth, slickenlines broken on the top, tell the other wall went upwards.
With that in mind, you'll find u shaped teeth on the footwall and n shaped teeth on the hanging wall in normal faults and vice versa for reverse faults.

[Mars-zgblbl]

Lake Agassiz clay also develops slickensides, although not through tectonic movements. They appear as pre-existing, somewhat shiny failure surfaces when the clay is broken apart. Likely causes include differential movements from volumetric swell/shrinkage with moisture changes, differential loading from frost forces, etc.

[mybackhurts]

I have a piece from the San Andreas Fault line that’s actually shiny and I know where to get more

[LadyAnuB]

GH,
I would have mentioned they form parallel to the direction of motion and need hard rock to form.

[TheCoon]

That's one of the most German words for something like that lol.

[SAOS]

Ah, slip'n'slides, when the adult rock uses a child rock's toy and gets scratched up.

[WildWestRosie]

If you're in Southern California, near Pine Valley, there is the Chariot Canyon fault, which has an easily viewed slickenside at a pull out.

[PlayNowWorkLater]

This was great! Enjoying your educational content in geology 101. Can you do some other videos to identify faults outbid the field? Pretty please? 🍒

[wagner]

That's Definitely what Eye go looking for: fossilized rocks.

[williamevans]

Slickensides. Found some quartz crystals on a suspected fault line(drainage feature lining up with.joint planes identifiable for a few miles).
The crystals, in matrix, were about 3/8" in width, but the matrix was wiped clean. All that was discernable was the hexagonal bases of the individual crystals. The matrix was ground flat.
This in an area that I had found hundreds of similar that were whole- but these were not found in the drainage near my slickenside quartz.

[crypticspirit]

Honestly, never knew that was a thing. Thank you.

[inanimateuser]

My man needs to narrate my life. It would sound much cooler than it actually is.

[langelle]

I assume there's a way to tell the difference between slickensides and glacial striations. Also, how do these features withstand erosion and weathering after they're exposed?

[RoseNZieg]

I'm surprised there is such a thing.

[RufotrisRootedRockhound]

I love finding these and came across a rather large section of them in Utah recently on an adventure!

[jstretch]

How can I submit my pics of my crazy fault lines I found? They are a circle!!

[vapormissile]

I need to run this data past some flat-earth guys & then bounce it off the Electric Universe folks. (The Matrix already approved it, & the Hollow-earthers aren't answering.)

[carolynnunes]

Always interesting content! Thank you and God bless you!
God bless us, every one!