Relationship between Earthquake and Fault
Fault is the occurrence of
substantial relative displacement of underground stratum along both sides of a
fracture surface or fracture zone. Tectonic earthquakes are often caused by
fault activities and are a manifestation of fault activities. For example, the
Fuyun earthquake is a tectonic earthquake caused by the Keketuohai-Ertai fault.
Consequently, earthquake is closely related to faults. The fracture surface
resulting from a relative displacement of the stratum is called the fault
plane. According to the different movement modes of two walls on the fault
plane, it can be divided into three types: normal fault (relative downslide of hanging
wall), reverse fault (relative
upthrust of hanging wall), and strike-slip fault (relative horizontal displacement
of hanging wall and heading wall along the strike of the fault). The
Keketuohai-Ertai fault is a strike-slip reverse fault with features of both a
strike-slip fault and a reverse fault.
