Fault populations and their relationship to the scaling of surface roughness

The relationship between the scaling properties of faulted geological surfa ces and parameters describing the underlying fault population are investiga ted using simulations of a dip-slip faulted surface. Analysis of multiple s imulations of sections through the surface allowed the construction of a st atistical relationship between the parameters defining the fault population and the fractal dimension of the surface. The results indicate a direct, i f complex, relationship between the fault population and the scaling of the surface roughness. The main determining factor is the displacement distrib ution, with spacing and dip having only a minor contribution. This relation ship is tested against examples from the Moray Firth, Scotland, and the cen tral Indian Ocean.