hanging wall

American  

noun

1. Mining. the underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore.

2. Geology. a mass of rock overhanging a fault plane.

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hanging wall British  

noun

1. the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane or mineral vein Compare footwall

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hanging wall Scientific  

1. The block of rock lying above an inclined geologic fault plane.

2. See more at fault Compare footwall

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Etymology

Origin of hanging wall

First recorded in 1770–80

Compare meaning

How does hanging-wall compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hanging wall vs. footwall

Example Sentences

In a dip-slip system, the footwall is below the fault plane and the hanging wall is above the fault plane.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Normal faults form when the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Her “Totems” are mostly hanging wall pieces, although one of them is a free-standing grove of six bamboo stalks.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2015

The body of rock above the fault is called the hanging wall, and the body of rock below it is called the footwall.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

From far away, carried by the telegraphy of the earth—and there are few conductors that are better—was the steady pound, pound, pound of shock after shock as it traveled along the hanging wall.

From The Cross-Cut by Cooper, Courtney Ryley