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Table T5. Checklist for structural geology descriptions.

Term Explanation
Brittle structures

Veins (V)

Magmatic/Late magmatic (Vm), Hydrothermal (Vh)

Orientation of vein

 

Depth of vein

 

Morphology

Planar (Pl), curved (Cv), irregular (Ir), sigmoidal (Sg), stepped (St), T-shaped (T), Y-shaped (Y), splayed (Spl)

Vein array geometry

Conjugate, network, en echelon, anastomosing, riedel

Vein density (N/10 cm)

No vein, slight, moderate, high, complete

Fabric of the filling minerals

Fibrous (Fb), vermicular (Vr), blocky (Bl)

Vein mineralogy

 

Average width and length

 

Crack and seal structures and number of vein-opening events

 

Occurrence of alteration halos

 

Crosscutting relationships

 

Apparent magnitude of offset

 

Apparent sense of shear

 

Fracturing and/or shearing of veins

 

Joints (J)

 

Orientation of joints

 

Depth of joints

 

Morphology

Planar (Pl), curvilinear (Cv), anastomosing (An), T-shaped (T), Y-shaped (Y), splayed (Spl), stair-stepped (St)

Occurrence of alteration halos

 

Crosscutting relationships

 

Joint array

Conjugate, network, en echelon

Joint density

 

Plumose structures

 

Faults (F)

 

Orientation of faults

 

Depth of faults

 

Magnitude of the apparent offset

 

Apparent sense of shear

Dextral (dx), sinistral (sx), reversal (r), normal (n)

Slickensides and slickenlines

 

Crosscutting relationships

 

Average thickness of the fault zone

 

Occurrence of alteration halos

 

Occurrence and type of fault rocks

 
Magmatic and crystal-plastic structures

Brittle-plastic fabrics (Bp)

 

Intensity of fabric

 

Orientation of foliation

 

Crystal-plastic fabrics (CPf)

 

Intensity of fabric in retrograde assemblage

 

Orientation of fabric

Orientation of foliation and lineation

L-, LS-, and S-tectonite

 

Shear sense indicators

Block-rotated porphyroclasts, asymmetric augen, SC fabrics, discrete shear bands, mica-fish, tension gash arrays

Sense of shear

Reverse (r), normal (n), dextral (d), sinistral (s)

Mineralogical segregation or banding

 

Magmatic fabrics (M)

 

Intensity and orientation of magmatic fabric

Orientation of foliations (Mf) and lineations

Minerals that define the shape and/or crystallographic preferred orientations

 

Angle between crystallographic and shape fabrics

 

Orientation of subfabrics

 

Compositional layering (Cl)

 

Type of layering

Grain size layering, compositional "modal" layering (Cl)

Thickness of layers

 

Orientation and density

 

Igneous contacts (Ic)

 

Concordant or discordant

 

Crosscutting relationships

 

Intrusive relationships, relative chronology of the different fabrics

 

Angle between compositional layering and magmatic or crystal-plastic fabric

 
Breccia (Br)

Type of breccia

Hydrothermal (Bh), magmatic (Bm), or tectonic (Bc)

Clast features

 

Volume percent

Percent clasts vs. bulk rock

Size range

Maximum-minimum average size

Shape

e.g., angular, subangular, subrounded, rounded

Composition

Monomictic, polymictic

Structure

e.g., internal crushing, veining, fracturing; preferred orientation

Alteration

Alteration halos in the clasts

Sorting

Well sorted, moderately sorted, poorly sorted

Matrix features

 

Volume percent

Percent matrix vs. bulk rock

Grain size

Coarse, medium, fine

Composition

Lithology and/or mineralogy compared with clasts

Structure

Veining, fracturing, preferred orientation, shearing

Alteration

Alteration in the matrix

Cement features

 

Volume percent

Percent cement vs. bulk rock

Composition

Mineralogy (? hydrothermal)

Occurrence of veins network associated with breccia

 

Occurrence of contact with the host rock and its orientation

 

Crosscutting relationships of veins/fractures with respect to matrix and clasts

 

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