Introduction to geological maps and structures / Введение в геологическое картирование и геологические структуры

The elementary student of geology may well first encounter the basic elements of structural geology through the study and interpretation of geological maps. However, there are few if any textbooks on structural geology which concentrate on showing how the forms of geological structures can be determined from the evidence presented by a geological map, even although such an analysis is fundamental to their interpretation. Admittedly, there are several laboratory manuals on the British market which offer a very elementary introduction to the basic methods used in the interpretation of geological maps. These manuals are mostly based on socalled "problem maps", often of a rather artificial nature and usually based on a very simplistic view of the complexity shown by geological structures. By way of contrast, the present book attempts a reasonably comprehensive account of geological structures and how they may be recognised through the study of geological maps, starting from first principles. It therefore provides an introduction to the basic methods used in the interpretation of geological maps, while it also attempts to cover the backround knowledge needed for a full understanding of geological maps. Any discussion of the mechanical principles involved in the formation of geological structures is kept to a minimum, since this aspect of the subject is covered adequately by the standard textbooks on structural geology. <...>