escarpment

American  

[ih-skahrp-muhnt] / ɪˈskɑrp mənt /

noun

1. Geology. a long, precipitous, clifflike ridge of land, rock, or the like, commonly formed by faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust.

2. ground cut into an escarp around a fortification or defensive position.

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escarpment British  

/ ɪˈskɑːpmənt /

noun

1. 1. the long continuous steep face of a ridge or plateau formed by erosion; scarp

   2. any steep slope, such as one resulting from faulting

2. a steep artificial slope immediately in front of the rampart of a fortified place

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escarpment Scientific  

/ ĭ-skärp′mənt /

1. A steep slope or long cliff formed by erosion or by vertical movement of the Earth's crust along a fault. Escarpments separate two relatively level areas of land. The term is often used interchangeably with scarp but is more accurately associated with cliffs produced by erosional processes rather than those produced by faulting.

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Etymology

Origin of escarpment

From the French word escarpement, dating back to 1795–1805. See escarp, -ment

Example Sentences

We drove down a rocky escarpment on a road scarred by tank tracks.

From New York Times

At one point Saturday afternoon, a fire whirl was reported at the southern end of Constantia Road as the fire backed down an escarpment.

From Los Angeles Times

The visual craft is lovely and subtle — the orange glow of Mediterranean sunsets; the narrow streets and craggy escarpments; the evocations of Italy and Italian movies.

From New York Times

After it spread to remote forested areas, crews had to scale hillsides, fighting the blaze from granite escarpments.

From New York Times

Africa Eye analysed geographical features seen in the videos, including a dirt road, a plateau, and an escarpment with a distinctive profile, and compared them with satellite imagery of the area around the town.

From BBC