What term describes the horizontal displacement of the fault as shown on a map by the fault’s width?

• A. Heave
• B. Slip
• C. Throw
• D. Dip

Answer: (A)

When you look at fault movement in map view, you can separate the motion into vertical and horizontal components. The horizontal component, shown as offset across the fault on the map, is called heave. It describes the sideways shift parallel to the fault’s strike, while throw refers to the vertical separation produced by dip-slip motion. Slip is a more general term for movement along the fault plane, and dip is simply the angle of the fault plane itself. So the horizontal offset you see on a map is heave.