Moab Fault

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$Looking closer and closer at the fault zone, on a high-resolution version of this image reveals more and more faults at smaller and smaller scales. In this sense faulting is fractal.$

Looking closer and closer at the fault zone, on a high-resolution version of this image reveals more and more faults at smaller and smaller scales. In this sense faulting is fractal.

The Moab Fault, near Moab, Utah, USA is a well exposed and much studied geological fault. The Moab fault runs approximately NW-SE, passing to the west of the Arches National Park. The rocks on the SW side of the fault have been lifted up forming steep cliffs of Triassic Wingate sandstone and Chinle formation.

At the north end of the Moab valley, there is a fault transfer zone, where the fault steps east.

Within this zone there is very dense faulting. This is revealed in the road cutting for Highway 191 as seen in this picture taken from the nearby Arches National Park visitor centre.

Fault damage zones have great commercial interest to petroleum geoscientists as they can dramatically affect the performance of hydrocarbon reservoirs.