Lineament, linear, lineation: Some proposed new standards for old terms

Research Article| October 01, 1976 Lineament, linear, lineation: Some proposed new standards for old terms D. W. O'LEARY; D. W. O'LEARY 1U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. D. FRIEDMAN; J. D. FRIEDMAN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar H. A. POHN H. A. POHN 1U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1976) 87 (10): 1463–1469. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1976)872.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation D. W. O'LEARY, J. D. FRIEDMAN, H. A. POHN; Lineament, linear, lineation: Some proposed new standards for old terms. GSA Bulletin 1976;; 87 (10): 1463–1469. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1976)872.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The words “lineament,” “linear,” and “lineation” have become increasingly popular since the advent of spacecraft and high-altitude aircraft images. With the increased usage has come a concomitant relaxation in the definitions of these terms, until the literature now is overwhelmed with conflicting and equivocal meanings. The need for clarification of these terms is clear. We propose a return to more fundamental conceptual definitions, based on original usage. We define the word “lineament” in an essentially geomorphological sense, on the basis of the usage introduced by Hobbs: A lineament is a mappable, simple or composite linear feature of a surface, whose parts are aligned in a rectilinear or slightly curvilinear relationship and which differs distinctly from the patterns of adjacent features and presumably reflects a subsurface phenomenon. The word “linear” is restricted to its original adjectival sense to avoid the increasingly popular but grammatically and conceptually incorrect nominative use. The word “lineation” is restored to its fundamental petrographic meaning: lineation is the one-dimensional structural alignment of internal components of a rock, is imposed by external agents, and cannot be depicted as an individual feature on a map. In addition, we suggest usages of “line” and “alignment” to refer to nongeologic features and (or) questionable features that do not fit proposed criteria and where definitional restrictions or implications may be a problem. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.