Fault block

With faulting or Bruchschollentektonik mountain building processes are referred to, which are determined by the movement of relatively small-scale floes. Arising in the course of the faulting structures are called break plaice, the mountains formed from them breaking Scholl Mountains. In contrast, plate tectonics, which refers to the movement of the tectonic plates and is responsible for the formation of fold mountains.

Development of fracture Scholl mountains

Prerequisite for the formation of a fraction Scholl mountains are tectonic pressure (for example, plate movements, volcanic activity ) and a hard, brittle surface that can not be unfolded, as is the case with fold mountains. This base consists mostly of hard rocks such as granite or gneiss. Often it is mountain hulls that were left after older mountain had been removed by erosion.

The tectonic pressure can hardly formable the basic finally shatter into different sized blocks. These are divided into Horst plaice eg resin and panel floes as the Ore Mountains. The totality of the plaice is called a fracture system.

Depending on whether the fracture system now pushed closer together (inverse condemnation ) is or decreases the pressure and the floes are drifting apart ( normal fault ), some of them sink in now and others will be lifted. Thus arise fraction Scholl mountains and trenches ( also grave breach ) as the Upper Rhine Graben.