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Structural features in the rocks of the Bryant watershed
and surrounding areas include joints, faults
and folds. Joints are simple breaks or cracks in the rocks. Faults are breaks
in the rocks along which one side has moved relative to the other. Folds
occur when rock layers are bent and deformed.
The study of structures in rocks is important for several reasons.
One of the most important is the search for mineral resources. Faults
and folds in the rock are common traps and localizers for petroleum and
ore minerals.
A second reason for studying structures is their connection
to earthquakes. Faults are breaks in the rock where movement of the rocks
has occurred. When rocks break and move, the earth shakes as the energy
is released. The faults of the Bryant area are all considered to be inactive.
However the proximity of the New Madrid fault zone in the southeast corner
of Missouri is reason enough to make the study of even inactive faults
important.
The patterns formed by the streams channels in the watershed
are not random. The structure of the underlying rocks plays an important
part in controlling the locations of the stream channels and also the
locations of the underground streams and caves that are so common in the
area. Thus the general texture of the watershed is due in part to the
structures in the bedrock.
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