SME
Grade 12 Science · Problem type
Folds and faults
Use this for “The hanging wall dropped down along the fault. Which kind of fault is it, and what stress made it?”
Explore
Slow compression bends layers into arches (anticlines) and troughs (synclines).
Rock that is deep and warm bends instead of breaking.
Assumptions
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Compression shortens rock, tension stretches it, shear slides it sideways.
•
Deep, warm rock bends into folds; rock near the surface breaks along faults.
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Volcanoes, crustal deformation and mountain building
Main lesson
Low-silica or high-silica magma?
Use this for “Why do volcanoes above subduction zones erupt explosively?”
How plates build mountains
Use this for “Why are there volcanic mountains along a coast where an ocean plate sinks?” and “What happens as a rift valley widens?”