graben

American  

[grah-buhn] / ˈgrɑ bən /

noun

1. a portion of the earth's crust, bounded on at least two sides by faults, that has dropped downward in relation to adjacent portions.

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graben British  

/ ˈɡrɑːbən /

noun

1. an elongated trough of land produced by subsidence of the earth's crust between two faults

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graben Scientific  

/ grä′bən /

1. A usually elongated block of rock that is bounded by parallel geologic faults along its two longest sides, and has a lower elevation than the rock at its sides. Grabens form where rock is being pulled apart by tectonic forces. The East African Rift Valley is a graben.

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Etymology

Origin of graben

1895–1900; < German: ditch

Example Sentences

These faults are part of a broader geological structure called the Milos Gulf-Fyriplaka graben, a tectonic depression that has caused sections of the seafloor to sink to depths of up to 230 meters.

From Science Daily

A new analysis of ancient bones shows that hippos lived in the Upper Rhine Graben between about 47,000 and 31,000 years ago, during the depths of the last ice age.

From Science Daily

However, the new study -- conducted by researchers from the University of Potsdam, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim, the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie Mannheim, ETH Zurich, and several international partners -- reveals that hippos actually persisted in the Upper Rhine Graben of southwestern Germany tens of thousands of years later, well into the middle of the last ice age.

From Science Daily

The Upper Rhine Graben serves as a vital record of ancient climate conditions.

From Science Daily

This interdisciplinary effort aims to shed light on climate and environmental evolution in the Upper Rhine Graben and southwestern Germany over the past 400,000 years.

From Science Daily