rift basin

American  

[rift bay-suhn] / ˈrɪft ˌbeɪ sən /

noun

1. Geology. a long depression formed in the earth's crust by the stretching apart of tectonic plates, the opening of which can accumulate oil-rich sediment and other valued resources as well as being a catalyst to volcanic and seismic activity. Compare foreland basin.

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Example Sentences

The smallest, the Offset Rift Basin, is 93 miles long and 18 miles wide.

From Seattle Times

The Patuxent Trough is more than 300km long and over 15km wide, while the Offset Rift Basin is 150km long and 30km wide.

From BBC

Meaning: Pakakali means "fierce cat" in Swahili, and rukwaensis is a nod to the Rukwa Rift Basin where the fossils were found.

From Scientific American

Of the seven basins outlined by the USGS, the most abundant is Arctic Alaska, at 29.36 billion barrels of crude oil, followed by the Amerasia Basin, at 9.72 billon, and the East Greenland Rift Basin at 8.90 billion, according to Geology.com.

From Time

The fossils of the newly minted Rukwatitan bisepultus were spotted in in the Rukwa Rift Basin of southwestern Tanzania, embedded into a cliff wall.

From Time