Running southwest-northeast across Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina, the Brevard Fault Zone (or the Brevard Zone of Cataclasis) is a prominent geologic feature of the Southeast United States.
Geologists continue to debate the Brevard's structure and significance, and the nature and direction of ancient movement on the fault. The Brevard has been interpeted as a left-lateral strike-slip fault, a right-lateral strike-slip fault, a normal fault, or a thrust fault. At one time, it was thought to represent the suture where Proto-Africa joined Proto-North America to form Pangea, although rocks on one side of the fault generally resemble those on the other side. Structural clues to movement are ambiguous; however, the "smeared" shapes of some granite bodies suggest right-lateral movement. The fault -- fortunately for us -- last moved about 185 million years ago, so the question is not of practical urgency.
Rocks in the Brevard zone are profoundly sheared and fractured; they include mylonites, button schists, and gneisses. In many segments, Brevard Zone topography features rhythmically-spaced parallel ridges, which control much of the Chattahoochee River's course.
For further information on the Brevard fault zone, consult:
Located on Georgia Geologic Map.
Located by Google Maps.
See list of specific sites