scarp

American  

[skahrp] / skɑrp /

noun

1. a line of cliffs formed by the faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust; an escarpment.

2. Fortification.  an escarp.

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verb (used with object)

1. to form or cut into a steep slope.

scarp British  

/ skɑːp /

noun

1. a steep slope, esp one formed by erosion or faulting; escarpment See also cuesta

2. fortifications the side of a ditch cut nearest to and immediately below a rampart

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verb

1. (tr; often passive) to wear or cut so as to form a steep slope

scarp Scientific  

/ skärp /

1. A continuous line of cliffs produced by vertical movement of the Earth's crust along a fault or by erosion. The term is often used interchangeably with escarpment but is more accurately associated with cliffs produced by faulting rather than those produced by erosional processes.

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Etymology

Origin of scarp

First recorded in 1580–90, scarp is from the Italian word scarpa a slope. See escarp

Example Sentences

“Landslide movement continues to manifest at the ground surface in the form of scarps, fissures, grabens/sinkholes, tensional cracking, shear zones and thrust features,” the city’s latest report said.

From Los Angeles Times

The consensus view is that Mercury's scarps are mostly about 3 billion years old.

From Salon

The Saddle Mountain quake broke the ground with a 24-foot-tall scarp that blocked a drainage and created Price Lake, drowning trees as the water rose.

From Seattle Times

After 14 hours, the waves had carved a small cliff face called a scarp.

From Science Magazine

Meaning, I guess, that if you survive the shaking, and can figure out how to get across Lake Washington, you could walk 15 miles or so along the wall of a freshly opened scarp.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bluff
• crag
• precipice
• wall