Principles of structural geology / Основы структурной геологии

We begin our study of deformation in the earth from a global, even planetary, perspective by describing the major structural features of the earth’s surface and by identifying the large-scale situations and processes by which the upper layers of the eai th undergo vertical and horizontal displacement. Beginning with Chapter 2 our emphasis changes from the major settings of global deformation to individual structures, classes of structures, and their mechanisms of formation. We return to large-scale deformation in Chapters 12 and 13 on the Appalachian and Cordilleran mountain belts, which emphasize the historical aspects of the regional deformation of our planet.
Structural geology is the study of the deformed rocks that make up the upper layers of the earth. The subject can be extended to other bodies in the Solar System. Each planet or moon exhibits its own distinctive history and style of deformation, which reflects the degree of mobility of the planetary interior and— to a large degree—its ratio of volume, V, to surface area, S, which is proportional to radius, R. <...>