thrust fault

American  

noun

Geology.

1. a low-angle reverse fault produced in rocks subjected to thrust.

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thrust fault British  

noun

1. a fault in which the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane have been displaced upwards, usually by compression; a reverse fault

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thrust fault Scientific  

1. A reverse fault in which the fault plane is inclined at an angle equal to or less than 45°.

2. See Note at fault

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Etymology

Origin of thrust fault

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

An even closer rupture, such as along the Point Reyes thrust fault, could result in a tsunami hitting the city in as little as 10 minutes, according to city documents.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

We should not expect that the thrust fault below each scarp has moved only once.

From Salon • Oct. 4, 2023

There are two styles of thrust fault deformation: thin-skinned faults that occur in superficial rocks lying on top of the continental plate and thick-skinned faults that reach deeper into the crust.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The collision is still going on, as India moves several centimeters north each year, and this has created an unstable fissure in the planet's crust, known as the Himalayan frontal thrust fault.

From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2015

A thrust fault with a hade of 80 degrees, with surface baseleveled.

From The Elements of Geology by Norton, William Harmon