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fault zone

American

noun

Geology.

a network of interconnected fractures representing the surficial expression of a fault.

Etymology

Origin of fault zone

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The petition said the plant sits on an active seismic fault zone and noted it was struck by a strong quake in 2007.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

The Elsinore fault zone is actually one of the largest in Southern California, according to Caltech, but “in historical times, has been one of the quietest.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

She next joined the Quaternary Research Center at the University of Washington, where her work included documenting the fault zone that runs through Seattle.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024

The Seattle fault zone is a network of shallow faults slicing through the lowlands of Puget Sound, threatening to create damaging earthquakes for the more than four million people who live there.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

"You can count on that. This is a big fault zone for earthquakes."

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023