Abstract
A shear zone is a zone in which shearing has occurred so that the rock mass is crushed and brecciated. Shear zone is an outcome of a fault where the displacement is not confined to a single fracture, but is distributed through a fault zone. The shear zones vary in thickness, from a fraction of meters to hundreds of meters. Depending upon the thickness, the shear zone has variable effect on the stability of underground openings and foundations. Higher the thickness of a shear zone, more the chances of its instability. Rock mass classifications consider only the homogeneous units; therefore, downgrading the rock quality adjacent to shear zones is difficult. It is envisaged that the rock mass affected by a shear zone is much larger than the shear zone itself. Hence, rock is downgraded to the quality of the shear zone so that a heavier support system than a regular one can be installed.
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