Open AccessFault populations and their relationship to the scaling of surface roughness
Author(s) -
Pickering G.,
Bull J. M.,
Sanderson D. J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/98jb02788
Subject(s) - scaling , geology , surface finish , fault (geology) , population , surface roughness , fractal dimension , surface (topology) , fractal , slip (aerodynamics) , geometry , seismology , materials science , physics , mathematics , mathematical analysis , demography , sociology , composite material , thermodynamics
The relationship between the scaling properties of faulted geological surfaces and parameters describing the underlying fault population are investigated using simulations of a dip‐slip faulted surface. Analysis of multiple simulations of sections through the surface allowed the construction of a statistical relationship between the parameters defining the fault population and the fractal dimension of the surface. The results indicate a direct, if complex, relationship between the fault population and the scaling of the surface roughness. The main determining factor is the displacement distribution, with spacing and dip having only a minor contribution. This relationship is tested against examples from the Moray Firth, Scotland, and the central Indian Ocean.