What is aligned fracture?

An aligned fracture is a break in the Earth's crust where the two sides lie in the same alignment and have minimal vertical or horizontal offset. In other words, while there has been displacement of the rocks due to the fracture creating gaps, there has been no major disruption in their overall alignment on opposite sides of the fracture. They remain parallel to each other, creating a clean break without significant vertical shifts or lateral movements. Aligned fractures often occur due to brittle failure under significant tectonic stress when the resulting displacements can be accommodated without major vertical or horizontal shifts.