What is a geological discontinuity?

What is a geological discontinuity?

Geological discontinuity is normally recognised as a general term to describe any mechanical break (lacking significant tensile strength) within rock masses, including most joints, weak bedding planes, weakness zones and faults (ISRM, 1978). 1, in which a sub-vertical incipient rock joint terminates in rock.

Are pitch and rake same?

rake is more confortable for computer programs, while pitch is easilly measured in the field. They are synonymous. In structural geology “pitch” is the new term for “rake”. Rake (r) is the clockwise angle of the slip vectors from the azimuth of the fault plane and it is measured on a fault plane.

What is fracture discontinuity?

Fracture-discontinuities are classified and described in several ways using a variety of nomenclature, such as: joints, fracture, fault, shear, gash, fissure, vein. Generally, the term fracture is used synonymously with joint, implying a planar crack or break in the rock without any displacement.

What are discontinuities in rock mass?

A discontinuity in geotechnical engineering (in geotechnical literature often denoted by joint) is a plane or surface that marks a change in physical or chemical characteristics in a soil or rock mass. A division is made between mechanical and integral discontinuities.

What do discontinuities mean?

lack of continuity
Definition of discontinuity 1 : lack of continuity or cohesion. 2 : gap sense 5. 3a : the property of being not mathematically continuous a point of discontinuity. b : an instance of being not mathematically continuous especially : a value of an independent variable at which a function is not continuous.

What is discontinuity in mining?

4 Rock discontinuities 4.1 INTRODUCTION “Discontinuity” is a general term denoting any separation in a rock mass having zero or low tensile strength. It is the collective term for most types of joints, weak bedding planes, weak schistocity planes, weakness zones, and faults (ISRM, 1978c).

What is rake and plunge?

While plunge is the amount by which a line element departs from horizontality, usually therefore measured in a vertical plane containing the line element or linear feature, pitch or rake is that a line elemet makes with the strike of the plane in which it is contained and measured in this plane.

How is strike and dip measured?

The strike is measured by aligning the compass along a horizontal line on the surface of the feature (Figure 13.36, left). The dip is measured by turning the compass on its side and aligning it along the dip direction (Figure 13.36, right).

What is fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rocks?

In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movement.

What do you mean by discontinuities?

Definition of discontinuity 1 : lack of continuity or cohesion. 2 : gap sense 5. 3a : the property of being not mathematically continuous a point of discontinuity. b : an instance of being not mathematically continuous especially : a value of an independent variable at which a function is not continuous.

What is another term for discontinuity?

disconnectedness, disconnection, break, lack of unity, disruption, interruption, lack of coherence, disjointedness.

What are discontinuities in geology?

Discontinuities are breaks, fractures or planes of weakness in the rock mass; the discontinuities present in the ground (natural) are the most important, but discontinuities can also be induced by the creation of the exposure. The various types are detailed in Table 29.

What is meant by mechanical discontinuity?

•Discontinuity- General term for any mechanical discontinuity in a rock mass. Discontinuities include all types of mechanical break or plane of weakness in rock mass such as joints, bedding plane, fractures and shear zones that weakened the strength of rock

What is Mohorovicic discontinuity in geology?

The Mohorovicic Discontinuity, or “Moho,” is the boundary between the crust and the mantle. The red line in the diagram shows its location. In geology the word “discontinuity” is used for a surface at which seismic waves change velocity.

Do non-persistent rock discontinuities affect rock engineering projects?

Non-persistent rock discontinuities have significant influence on the mechanical properties and deformability of rock masses and therefore on the stability of rock engineering projects such as engineered rock slopes.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

Back To Top