Strike and Dip Explained

STRIKE AND DIP EXPLAINED

Take a look at figure 51 to understand what dip and slip are all about:

Figure 51.

Geologists use the terms strike and dip to explain rock deformation. These two terms will be perpendicular to one another all the time. You need to have a way to define what the strike and slip are like in any given area:

Step 1 is to find an area where there has been an inclined plane in rock beds showing a difference from the horizontal. In the figure, you see that water is set as the true horizonal in example.

Step 2 is to determine the strike. This is the compass direction of the horizontal aspect of the plane. Get out your compass to figure out which direction it is across the incline. It might be something like North 10 degrees to the East.