Fig. 1.
A. A sigmoidal fold, showing a bed xx in an overfold with arch (a), trough (t) and common limb c.
B. A similar bed xx affected by a thrust-plane tt which replaces the common limb.
Here the portions of any bed (xx) which occur in the arch or trough are in normal position, and have not been moved round through an angle of 90°, whilst the portion which occurs in the common limb c has been moved round through an angle greater than 90° and is inverted, so that its former upper surface now faces downwards. In Fig. 1 B the common limb is replaced by a reversed fault, or thrust-plane, and the inverted portion of the bed seen in the common limb is therefore absent. An observer, applying the test of superposition, might suppose that the position of the bed x on the left-hand side of the figure was a different bed from the portion which is seen on the right-hand side, instead of belonging to the same bed, and in this way, if a number of parallel thrust-planes affected one bed or a set of beds, he might be led to infer the occurrence of a great thickness of strata where there was in reality a slight thickness, or even one bed only repeated again and again by faulting. It is quite certain that exaggerated estimates of the thickness of deposits have frequently been made owing to the non-recognition of the occurrence of repetition as a consequence of the existence of thrust-planes.
Where thrust-planes are suspected, it is well to look for some of the following features:
(a) The strata of a country affected by thrust-planes often crop out as lenticular masses, thinning out rapidly in the direction of the strike[10]. This is true of beds thrown into sharp folds whether or not inverted, but the lenticles will be wider in a direction at right angles to that of the strike as compared with their length when inversion has not occurred. It is also true of beds which were originally deposited as lenticles, such as many massive sandstones, and as almost any kind of deposit may be formed originally as a lenticle, the test by itself is by no means sufficient as a proof of thrusting, though it is suggestive.
[10] For definitions of the terms dip, strike, outcrop and allied expressions, the reader is referred to a Text-Book of Geology.
(b) The surfaces of the strata are often affected by the striations known as slickensides, and the joint-faces of gently inclined beds are also frequently marked by slickensides which often run in a nearly horizontal direction.
(c) A parallel structure presenting the appearances characteristic of the mechanically-formed features of a foliated rock is often developed, and one or more of certain accompanying phenomena will probably be found, which will be noticed more fully in a later chapter.