footwall

[ foo t-wawl ]

/ ˈfʊtˌwɔl /

noun

Mining. the top of the rock stratum underlying a vein or bed of ore.Compare hanging wall(def 1).

Geology. a mass of rock lying beneath a fault plane.

Nearby words

footstep, footsteps editor, footstock, footstone, footstool, footwall, footway, footwear, footwell, footwork, footworn

Origin of footwall

First recorded in 1640–50; foot + wall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for footwall

The ratio of ore area to total explored area, measured in the plane of the footwall, was 21-½ per cent.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
To these timbers are fixed small timbers along the footwall, to which are fastened the lagging and ladders.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola
The total area of ore measured on the footwall was 785 acres.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
But the hardest rock of the hanging or footwall, however, is seldom as hard as the harder class of ore.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola

Stringers are given the same characteristics as veins, but divided into hanging, footwall, and other varieties.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola

British Dictionary definitions for footwall

footwall

/ (ˈfʊtˌwɔːl) /

noun

the rocks on the lower side of an inclined fault plane or mineral veinCompare hanging wall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for footwall

footwall

[ fut′wôl′ ]

The block of rock lying under an inclined geologic fault plane. See more at fault. Compare hanging wall.