---
title: "Fold, fault and joint; attitude"
subject: "Engineering Geology I"
chapter: 5
key: "semester_3/engineering_geology_i:fold-fault-and-joint-attitude"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/engineering_geology_i/fold-fault-and-joint-attitude
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Fold, fault and joint; attitude

Engineering Geology I · Chapter 5: Structural Geology

- Asked in: 2068 Chaitra, 3+2 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/engineering_geology_i/fold-fault-and-joint-attitude
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_3/engineering_geology_i/chapter-5

## Question

Explain fault, fold and joint. Define the attitude of a geological structure.

## Answer

#### Fold
A **fold** is a bend or wavy curvature in originally flat rock layers (beds), produced by compressive stress acting on rocks that behave plastically over a long time.

```text
   anticline        syncline
     ___          \       /
   /     \          \___/
```

#### Fault
A **fault** is a fracture in the rock mass along which the two blocks have moved relative to each other, parallel to the fracture surface. The displacement may range from a few millimetres to hundreds of kilometres. A fault has a fault plane, a hanging wall and a foot wall; its types are normal, reverse and strike-slip.

#### Joint
A **joint** is a fracture along which there is no appreciable displacement. Joints occur in sets and systems and may be tension, shear or cooling joints.

#### Attitude
The **attitude** of a geological structure is its orientation in space, expressed by the **strike** (direction of the horizontal line on the plane) and the **dip** (maximum inclination, at 90° to the strike, given as dip direction and dip amount). For lines the attitude is the trend and plunge. Example: N30°E / 40° SE.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What is the attitude of a structure?
   A. Its height above sea level
   B. Its age
   C. Its orientation in space, given by strike and dip
   D. Its thickness
   Answer: C. Attitude is orientation. (Key point: Attitude)

2. What is dip?
   A. The horizontal line on the plane
   B. The altitude of a plane
   C. The plunge of a fold
   D. Maximum inclination of a plane, at 90° to the strike
   Answer: D. Dip is perpendicular to strike. (Key point: Dip)

3. How is the attitude of a line given?
   A. By trend and plunge
   B. By strike and dip
   C. By altitude
   D. By throw and heave
   Answer: A. Lines use trend and plunge. (Key point: Attitude of lines)

4. Which statement is correct?
   A. A joint always has displacement
   B. A joint has no appreciable displacement; a fault has
   C. A fault has none
   D. Both are folds
   Answer: B. Displacement separates fault from joint. (Key point: Joint vs fault)

## Related in Engineering Geology I

- [Fold, fault, joint, thrust in tunnelling](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Afold-fault-joint-thrust-in) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5
- [Field identification criteria of fault and fold](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Afield-identification-criteria-of-fault-and) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5, asked 2×
- [Fault versus joint](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Afault-versus-joint) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5, asked 2×
- [Engineering significance of joint and fault](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Aengineering-significance-of-joint-and) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5, asked 2×
- [What is joint; engineering significance of joint and fault](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Awhat-is-joint-engineering-significance) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5, asked 2×
- [Genetic classification of fault and joint](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Agenetic-classification-of-fault-and) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 5