fracture zone

[ frak-cher zohn ]

nounGeology, Oceanography.
  1. a long, narrow rift on the ocean floor, separating areas of differing depth: where such a zone crosses a mid-ocean ridge, it displaces the ridge by faulting.: Compare transform fault.

Origin of fracture zone

1
First recorded in 1960–65

Words Nearby fracture zone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024