Definition
Large-scale faults are fractures that have accommodated a substantial amount of shear strain. For example, they may be tens to hundreds of kilometers long and can penetrate to substantial depths (e.g., tens of kilometers) into the lithosphere. Such structures contrast with those that are only a few kilometers long and/or penetrate to depths of a few hundred to a few thousand meters. On the Moon, small-scale faults are common; large-scale faults are comparatively few, although deep-seated extensional structures likely facilitated dike intrusions from the lower crust or upper mantle, and large normal faults have been invoked in the formation of impact basins. Large-scale thrust faults are even rarer, but one set has been proposed to exist beneath Mare Crisium, and more may exist beneath other lunar maria.
Styles of Lunar Faulting
One of the most common manifestations of tectonic deformation on the Moon is wrinkle ridges: broad, steep-sided, but low-relief rises that are...
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Byrne, P.K. (2018). Large-Scale Faulting on the Moon. In: Cudnik, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lunar Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05546-6_84-1
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