Lateral Forces Flashcards
What is potential energy?
The amount of work or energy required to move a body against a potential gradient.
What are the main driving forces acting on the plates in PT?
Slab-pull force
Ridge push
Suction force
Mantle convection/flow force
What’s the formula for work?
Work = mass x gravity x height (unit:Joules)
What is the SI unit for Joules?
Newton metres
What is the formula for a normal stress at any arbitrary depth?
Newtons/metres squared
What is the potential energy of a rock at any given depth also known as?
Vertical normal stress
What is effective stress?
The stress that holds particles rigid, measured by subtracting the pore fluid pressure from the total stress.
What happens to the effective stress if the pore fluid pressure is increased?
The effective stress decreases - moves Mohr Circle to the left, therefore the failure criterion will be lower.
