On the use of imaginary faults in palaeostress analysis

• Published in: Journal of structural geology Vol. 104; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Shan, Yehua, Liang, Xinquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2017
• Subjects: Dip-slip sense; Imaginary fault; Principal stress directions; Tectonic regime; The right dihedra method; Principal stress directions; Dip-slip sense; Imaginary fault; The right dihedra method; Tectonic regime
• ISSN: 0191-8141; 1873-1201
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsg.2017.09.005

The imaginary fault refers to the counterpart of a certain given fault that has a similar expression about the Wallace–Bott hypothesis. It is included to further reduce the feasible fields for the principal stress directions using the right dihedra method. The given fault and its imaginary fault have a similar dip-slip sense under the extensional or compressional regime but, as proved in this paper, a different dip-slip sense under the strike-slip regime. Their relation in dip-slip sense does no change with the rotation of the coordinate system, thus making possible the general use in the reduction of the imaginary faults under any tectonic regime. A procedure for this use is proposed and applied to a real example to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. •The imaginary fault has a similar or different dip-slip component to the given fault.•A new procedure for the general use in the right dihedra method of the imaginary fault.•A real example is taken to illustrate the feasibility of the procedure.