Fault scarp

The brittle result of a fault that ruptures the ground surface.

When the upper tip of a seismogenic fault lies just below the ground surface and depending on the mechanical conditions of the shallow rock layers one of the coseismic effects of an earthquake rupture is the generation of a scarp. The geomorphic expression of a fault scarp differs depending on the geometry type and sense of fault movement. A fault scarp can be degraded by weathering processes in the short term (i.e. rainfall) and by erosion and sedimentation at large in the medium to long term or be buried under layers of sediment accumulating over it. An old fault scarp - either eroded or buried - can be rejuvenated by repetitive earthquake ruptures.