Joints

DEPARTMENT OF
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Semester: 5th
Subject Code: CEL 267
Subject Name: Engineering Geology

Unit- II
Structural Geology: Brief idea about
stratification, apparent dip, true dip, strike and
ENGINEERING unconformities, Folds: Definition, parts of a
fold, classification, causes relation to
GEOLOGY engineering operations.
Faults: Definition, parts of a fault,
classification, cause relation to engineering
Course Outcome purposes.
CO Title Level Joints: Definition, attitude, joint set, joint
Number systems, classification, cause in relation to
engineering Operations
Students will be able to explain the fundamentals of the
CO1 Engineering properties of Earth materials, minerals, Engineering Geology: Geological
various types of rocks. considerations in the Engineering projects like
tunnels, Highways, foundation, dams,
Students will be able to examine the role of geologists
reservoirs.
CO2 in Civil Engineering projects and overcoming problems Earthquake: Definition, terminology,
related Geological Engineering. earthquake waves, intensity, recording of
earthquake, factors to be considered and
Study will develop knowledge of using mitigation methods in earthquake proof construction
CO3 techniques for a given range of stress, rock mass and
scale condition.
2
WHAT IS JOINT?
JOINTS….
Joints are defined as fracture surface along or across which the movement is negligibly
small.
A joint may not show a displacement in the mesoscopic scale, but may show evidence of
displacement in microscopic scale.
JOINTS….
Joints are cracks, openings or fractures found in all types of rocks, formed due to various
reasons.
Naturally, the presence of joints divides the rock into number of parts or blocks.
Joints, occur oriented in a definite direction and as a set.

JOINTS
7
FORMATION OF JOINTS
• Joints are brittle fractures which develop
either by tensile failure or by shear failure.
• When this happens, the rock fractures in a
plane parallel to the maximum principal
stress and perpendicular to the minimum
principal stress (the direction in which the
rock is being stretched).
• A large number of joints form after the close
of the tectonic cycle and during a slow uplift
of the rocks.
JOINTS…
JOINT TERMINOLOGY….
Attitude (dip & strike) : Dip is the inclination with the horizontal and strike being the
direction of intersection of joint plane with the horizontal plane.
Joint set – group of 2 or more joint surfaces prevailing in the same direction with
almost the same dip.
Joint system: a group of 2 or more joint sets.
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/geology/rocks/joints-in-rocks-meaning-and-types-structural-geology/91492
CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS…
Joints are classified based on
(a) forces causing the joints and
(b) the position of the joint relative to the dip and strike of the rock bed.
(c) Joints of the former type are said to be of genetic type and the latter of geometric type.
CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS…
1. Systematic & Non-systematic Joints
2. Dip joint
3. Strike Joint
4. Oblique Joint
5. Tension joints
6. Shear joints
7. Compression Joints
TYPE OF JOINT…
SYSTEMATIC : THEY SHOW A DISTINCT REGULARITY IN THEIR OCCURRENCE WHICH CAN
BE MEASURED & MAPPED EASILY.
NON-SYSTEMATIC : THESE JOINTS DO NOT POSSESS ANY REGULARITY IN THEIR
OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION.
STRIKE JOINTS : JOINT SETS STRIKE PARALLEL TO THE STRIKE OF ROC KS.
DIP JOINTS : JOINTS SET STRIKE PARALLEL TO DIP DIRECTION OF ROCK S.
OBLIQUE JOINT : JOINTS WHERE STRIKE OF THE JOINTS IS AT ANY ANGL E BETWEEN THE DIP
& STRIKE OF THE LAYERS. ALSO KNOWN AS DIAGONAL JOINT.
JOINTS DEVELOPED DUE TO TENSILE FORCES ACTING ON THE ROCKS.
MOST COMMON LOCATION IS IN FOLDED SEQUENCE IS ON OUTER
MARGINS OF CRESTS AND TROUGHS.
Tension Joint
COMMONLY OBSERVED IN THE VICINITY OF FAULT PLANES AND
SHEAR ZONES , THESE ARE LOCATED IN THE AXIAL PLANES.
Shear Joint
JOINTS DEVELOPED DUE TO COMPRESSIVE FORCES
Compression Joint
MODE OF FRACTURE
GEOMETRICAL RELATION WITH FAULT
• Joints of different types may
develop during faulting
among these the feather or
pinnate joint are important.
• The angle between fault
plane and joint is 45˚ which
is help to sense the
movement of the fault
block.
• Basalt solidifies at about 1,000˚C and during
subsequent cooling it contracts of lava flow.
• The resulting tensional forces act primarily in the
horizontal plane and equal in all direction within this
plane.
• When rupture eventually take place, three vertical
fracture, making angles of 120˚ with
each other, radiate out from numerous centers.
STAFFA(PILLAR ISLAND) SCOTLAND
DEVILS POST PILE NATIONAL MONUMENT MADERA
COUNTY, CALIFORNIA,USA
ST. MARY'S ISLANDS(KARNATAKA),COLUMNAR JOINTS
SHEETING (EXFOLIATION)
• Sheeting is a tensional
effect due to release of
loading during erosion.
• The release of the
compressional force on rock
that have been under high
confining pressure
sometimes cause ruptures
perpendicular to axis of
compression.
FORMATION OF SHEET JOINT
SHEETING JOINT
IMPORTANCE OF JOINTS
• Mineral exploration in mining industries.

• Granite industries for quarrying rock blocks.
• To find the ground water flow in Hydro- geological
aspect.
• Bed rock analysis for Construction of tall building in
hill area.
Unconformity
• The fundamental "laws" of stratigraphy, formulated in the 17th Century by
Nicolas Steno, is the law of Original Horizontality, which is known as
Conformity
• That is, any deposition when takes place is totally in horizontal fashion
• Later due to tectonic movement the layers or beds are tilted.

UNCONFORMITY
➢An Unconformity is defined as a surface of erosion or non deposition occuring within a
sequence of rocks. It indicates a gap or interval of time in the geological history of the area
during which normal process of deposition was interrupted.
It is one of the most common geological feature found in rocks or in succession.
It is different then all other geological structures viz. the fold, joints and faults
Unconformities are resulted due to tectonic activity in form of uplift or subsidence of land
It is referred to a period of non-deposition

A) Sedimentary rocks are both
above and below the
unconformity
B) Volcanic rocks above

sedimentary rocks below
C) Volcanic rocks above and

below
D) Sedimentary rocks
above, plutonic rocks
below
E) Volcanic rocks above

and plutonic rocks
below
F) Sedimentary rocks above,

volcanic rocks below
Angular unconformity
Disconformity
Local unconformity
Non conformity
Blended unconformity
Para conformity
An angular unconformity forms when
rock deposited in horizontal layers is
folded or tilted and then eroded.
When erosion stops, a new horizontal
layer is deposited on top of a tilted
layer.
When the bedding planes of the older

rock layers are not parallel to those
of the younger rock layers deposited
above them, an angular unconformity
results.
This sub-area in northern Chile
ANGULAR UNCONFORMITY Showing a geological angular
unconformity: a contact between
layers of rock at different angles.
On the bottom side of the image,

Cretaceous sediments were tilted
upward to an angle of about 50
degrees, then eroded. On this
surface volcanic pyroclastic
deposits were deposited as a flat
sheet.
➢ layers of sediments are uplifted
without folding or tilting and are
eroded. Eventually, the
area subsides and deposition
resumes.
➢ The layers on either side of the

boundary are nearly horizontal.
Although the rock layers look as
if they were deposited
continuously, a large time gap
exists where the upper and lower
layers meet. This gap is known
as a disconformity.
Local unconformity is a
similar to disconformities,
but as the name implies, it is
distinctly local in extent; the
time involved is short .
This is traceable only

in small area.
Nonconformities must
be distinguished from
intrusive igneous contacts.
The rocks above a

nonconformity may contain
fragments of the older
igneous rock as older or
underlying rocks and
sedimentary as the
overlying younger rocks.
A surface of erosion may be covered by a thick residual soil that grades into the
underlying bed rock.
Younger sediments
deposited above this erosion
surface may incorporate some of
the thick layer of residual soil ,
between the two layers. Such a
contact is called a blended
unconformity.
• A paraconformity is a type of unconformity
(gap in the geologic system) in which there is no
evidence of a gap in time, because the planes
above and below the gap are parallel and there
is no evidence of erosion
If the unconformity is on angular one, the lack of parallelism of the beds on opposite sides
of the contact will be readily apparent .
Under favorable conditions, disconformities may be readily recognized in outcrops ,

road cuts , and quarries.
The most important criteria for recognizing unconformities in the field are usually
sedimentary but unconformities can also be recognized from gaps in the paleontological
record.
Recognition of unconformity can be presence of conglomeratic bed at the interface. It is

fossils of wildly different ages which mark the variation of attitude.
An angular unconformity, as its name suggests, is an
unconformity between layers that are not parallel but instead are
at an angle.
• The upper, horizontal layers were deposited a top the erosion
surface, so we can step back in time by removing them.
▪ Steno's principle of lateral continuity tells us that the tilted layers

were originally continuous before being eroded.
Steno's principle of original hozontality tells us that these tilted

layers were deposited as horizontal layers and later tilted.
REFERENCES….
Engineering and General Geology : by Parbin Singh
A Textbook of General & Engineering Geology: by Dr. D.S. Arora.
NPTEL
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DEPARTMENT OF

Subject Code: CEL 267

Subject Name: Engineering Geology

Joints, occur oriented in a definite direction and as a set.

Joint system: a group of 2 or more joint sets.

Joints are classified based on

(a) forces causing the joints and

1. Systematic & Non-systematic Joints

• Mineral exploration in mining industries.

• Later due to tectonic movement the layers or beds are tilted.

It is one of the most common geological feature found in rocks or in succession.

It is referred to a period of non-deposition

B) Volcanic rocks above

C) Volcanic rocks above and

E) Volcanic rocks above

F) Sedimentary rocks above,

When the bedding planes of the older

On the bottom side of the image,

➢ The layers on either side of the

This is traceable only

The rocks above a

Under favorable conditions, disconformities may be readily recognized in outcrops ,

Recognition of unconformity can be presence of conglomeratic bed at the interface. It is

▪ Steno's principle of lateral continuity tells us that the tilted layers

Steno's principle of original hozontality tells us that these tilted

Engineering and General Geology : by Parbin Singh

A Textbook of General & Engineering Geology: by Dr. D.S. Arora.

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