Question

While walking along the earth’s continental surface, you observe a large mountain range composed of layers of strata that have been shortened by folding, which type of tectonic stress is most likely responsible for the strain you observed?

Answer 1

The type of tectonic stress is that most likely responsible for the strain you observed is compressional.

What is compressional?

In geology, the term compression refers to a set of stresses directed toward the center of a rock mass. Compressive strength refers to the maximum compressive stress that can be applied to a material before failure occurs. When the compressive stress is greatest in the horizontal direction, a thrust error can occur causing this part of the shell to shorten and thicken.

When the greatest compressive stress is in the vertical direction, part of the rock will normally break into normal faults, which expand horizontally and thin a certain layer of rock vertically. Compressive stress can also cause rocks to fold. Because of the large amplitude of lithostatic stress in tectonic plates, tectonic scale deformation is always subject to net compressive stress.

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