block faulting

noun

, Geology.

1. the process by which tensional forces in the earth's crust cause large bodies of rock to founder.

Word History and Origins

Origin of block faulting¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

When our University of Washington colleague met with some of our Chinese collaborators in Chengdu yesterday, he floated our ideas about a combination of loess flows and block faulting forming the local terraces.

From New York Times