Abstract - A large scale, high quality fault map was produced for an intensively mined area of the U.K. South Yorkshire coalfield. This database has been used to investigate both the scaling properties of fault systems and the robustness of techniques for the prediction of sub-resolution faulting. The mapped area is 87km squared and contains 2257 individual fault traces with, on average, one throw reading available for every 82m of fault trace; recorded throw values range from 10cm to 180m and fault trace lengths from 10m to 12km. Two sets of normal faults (NW and NE striking) are present, together with local WNW-striking dextral strike-slip zones.
Size populations are power-law over at least 2.5 orders of magnitude
and the exponents of the throw, maximum throw and fault trace length population
curves are interrelated and, taking into account the effects of resolution
on trace length populations, are internally consistent. Derivatives of
the primary map reproduce resolutions typical of offshore seismics and
illustrate the limitations of seismic data. Power-law fault size distributions
provide a basis for sub-seismic fault prediction. For this dataset, a fault
throw resolution of better than 10m would be required to provide an accurate
prediction of the throw population down to ca 0.6m.
Journal of Structural Geology 18, 199-214, 1996.