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Page 1 Structural Geology- Introduction Introduction Structural geology is the study of deformed rocks, and rock deformation. In structural geology, we are faced with a series of natural features that we try to interpret and explain. Each of these features formed through the interplay of external forces on rock materials, and the "local "conditions at the time of deformation. To interpret structures in the natural setting we need to understand their mechanical basis, how the forces that formed them came about, and how the materials in the structure behaved through time In structural geology, as in all geology, we are presented with the end result of several processes that we must infer based on our observations of the structure. In this course we will investigate several classes of structures from a mechanical viewpoint n the first segment of the course we will look at specific categories of structures and investigate their geometry and occurrence In the second segment of the course we will work to develop the necessary understanding of basic mechanics and deformation mechanisms and describe structures mechanicall In the final segment of the course we will examine plate tectonics, and place the classes of structures into a larger global tectonic scheme The description and interpretation of structures involve several steps. Typically the first step involves pattern identification, where a pattern is a recognizable(recurrent) arrangement of material points in space. The second and third steps involve a structure relative to each other and relative to some reference frame. The final step is the inference of the forces that lead to the formation of the structure. Structures can be found in all rock types. It is quite common; however, to use structures found in sedimentary rocks, or low grade metamorphic rocks as type examples Last revised August 27, 1999 Fall 1999 ! " # $ %