Definition
The term lineament was first introduced into geology by Hobbs in 1904, and its usage since that date has diverged somewhat from the original concept, which was neither adequately nor adamantly defined. Hobbs, however, was insistent that a tectonic origin was not implicit in the word, although in a great many cases the tectonic implications are plain.
The complex of alignments on the geologic map of any terrane and on any scale can be as distinctive as a thumbprint. Hobbs was more concerned with the pattern of lineaments than with the cause, either individually or collectively.
That little unanimity has been reached regarding the technical definition of lineamentreflects a reluctance to accept an alignment as a geologic feature without being sure of the cause, yet if its cause be known—e.g., a fault, a contact, a string of volcanoes, etc.—there is little need for the term. Many noteworthy alignments involve features seemingly unrelated except by the linearity of their...
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References
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© 1987 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
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Brock, B.B. (1987). Lineament patterns . In: Structural Geology and Tectonics. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_60
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_60
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