Anomaly (geology)

The term geological anomaly is not defined uniformly, but it is often used in the specialist literature. In most cases it denotes a significant change in the structure of geological layers , for example

• local faults , as they often occur in sedimentary basins , e.g. B. irregular fault lines , shifted superposition of clay and sandstones etc.
• Sediments with an unusual distribution of elements or isotopes , for example in layers, which indicate the course of mass extinctions in prehistory
• Regional anomalies of magma chambers in the structure of the earth's interior , such as magma chambers or hot spots
• Seismic anomalies in orogenous areas and basins
• petrological anomalies in border zones of the continental crust , e.g. B. in the Conrad discontinuity
• in mineralization and highly structured dike rocks
• Relocation or rock changes in excavations or archaeological trenches .

The methods with which such and related anomalies are discovered or investigated extend over all areas of geology and applied geophysics .