, dip slopes facing left, and harder rocklayers in darker colors than softer ones Scarps are generally formed by one of two processes: by differential
erosion of
sedimentary rocks or by movement of the
Earth's crust at a
geologic fault. The former is the more common type: the escarpment is a transition from one series of
sedimentary rocks to another series of a different age and composition. Escarpments are also frequently formed by faults. When a fault displaces the ground surface so that one side is higher than the other, a
fault scarp is created. That can occur in
dip-slip faults, a
strike-slip fault that brings a piece of high ground adjacent to an area of lower ground.
Earth is not the only planet with escarpments. They are believed to occur on other planets when the
crust contracts, as a result of cooling. On other
Solar System bodies such as
Mercury,
Mars, and the
Moon, the Latin term
rupes is used for an escarpment. ==Erosion==