Reverse Fault

Synonym: Thrust fault

A reverse fault is a fault where the hanging wall block moves upward along the fault plane relative to the footwall block. Reverse faults can be categorized as high-angle and low-angle reverse faults, and a dip of 45° has long been considered the dividing line between the two types. However, some Chinese scientists regard 30° as more practical and appropriate since this angle is more consistent with the theory of fracture mechanics. In the past, low-angle reverse faults were usually called overthrusts, and the large low-angle long-range detachment reverse faults were called detachment or decollement.