normal fault

American  

[nawr-muhl fawlt] / ˈnɔr məl ˌfɔlt /

noun

Geology.

1. a fault along an inclined plane in which the upper side or hanging wall appears to have moved downward with respect to the lower side or footwall (opposed to reverse fault).

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normal fault Scientific  

1. A geologic fault in which the hanging wall has moved downward relative to the footwall. Normal faults occur where two blocks of rock are pulled apart, as by tension.

2. Compare reverse fault See Note and illustration at fault

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Etymology

Origin of normal fault

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

At Powhatan High School, where social groups fall along the normal fault lines, students maintain friendships on either side of the political divide.

From Washington Post • Nov. 30, 2019

Half-grabens are a one-sided version of a horst and graben, where blocks are tilted by a normal fault on one side, creating an asymmetrical valley-mountain arrangement.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

What is the difference between a normal fault and a reverse fault, and under what circumstances would you expect these to form?

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

If the fault develops in a situation of extension, then it will be a normal fault, because the extension allows the hanging wall to slide down relative to the footwall in response to gravity.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

A normal fault with a hade of 15 degrees, the original fault scarp remaining.

From The Elements of Geology by Norton, William Harmon