Antitaxial fibrous veins are commonly developed in low permeability shale in orogenic belts and sedimentary basins. We review work on antitaxial fibrous veins, provide a classification, and discuss a formation mechanism. On the basis of crystal morphologies within veins, generalized fibrous veins can be categorized into stretched, syntaxial and antitaxial veins, and the antitaxial veins are fibrous veins in the strict sense. Typically, individual antitaxial fibrous veins consist of a median zone and two fibrous zones. According to detailed petrographic observations, four different types of solid inclusions within antitaxial fibrous veins were distinguished. Only solid inclusions occurring within blocky or elongate-blocky crystals in the median zone reliably indicate crack events. Other types of solid inclusions do not show clear evidence of crack-seal mechanism. The initial opening of antitaxial fibrous vein is considered to result from hydrofracturing caused by fluid overpressure. The origins of fluid overpressure mainly include hydrocarbon generation, tectonic compression and mineral transformation (such as illitization of smectite and hydration of anhydrite to gypsum), or a combination of these factors. The crack-seal mechanism cannot fully explain the formation mechanism of fibrous veins, and it may be only responsible for the median zone of antitaxial fibrous veins. The growth of fibrous crystals occurs at vein-wall interface without fracturing. Petrographic observations show that fluid pressure, force of crystallization, and sometimes tectonic compression synchronously drive fibre growth. The goal of further work should be to quantitatively determine fluid pressure and force of crystallization during fibre growth.

在造山带和沉积盆地的低渗透页岩中普遍发育逆向纤维脉。我们回顾了抗滑行纤维静脉的工作，提供了分类，并讨论了形成机制。根据脉内晶体形态，广义纤维脉可分为拉长脉、结脉和反轴脉，反轴脉是严格意义上的纤维脉。通常，单个抗滑行纤维静脉由一个中间区和两个纤维区组成。根据详细的岩相观察，在抗移行纤维脉中区分出四种不同类型的固体包裹体。只有中间区域的块状或细长块状晶体中出现的固体夹杂物才能可靠地表明裂纹事件。其他类型的固体夹杂物没有显示裂缝密封机制的明确证据。逆向纤维静脉的初始开口被认为是流体超压引起的水力压裂的结果。流体超压的成因主要包括生烃、构造挤压和矿物转化（如蒙脱石的伊利石化和硬石膏水化成石膏）或这些因素的综合作用。裂缝封闭机制不能完全解释纤维静脉的形成机制，它可能只对抗偏向纤维静脉的正中带负责。纤维状晶体的生长发生在脉壁界面，没有破裂。岩石学观察表明，流体压力、结晶力，有时还有构造压缩同步驱动纤维生长。