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Benioff zone

[ ben-ee-awf, -of ]

noun

, Geology, Oceanography.
  1. a planar seismic zone in oceanic crust along which subduction of lithospheric plates gives rise to frequent earthquakes: marked by oceanic trenches sloping downward at about 45° toward adjacent island arcs or continents.


Benioff zone

/ ˈbɛnɪəf /

noun

  1. a long narrow region, usually adjacent to a continent, along which earthquake foci lie on a plane which dips downwards at about 45° and along which the oceanic lithosphere is thought to be descending into the earth's interior Compare subduction zone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Benioff zone1

After Hugo Benioff (1899–1968), U.S. geophysicist
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Benioff zone1

C20: named after Hugo Benioff (1899–1968), American seismologist, who first discovered the phenomenon

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