slickenside

[ slik-uhn-sahyd ]

noun

, Geology.

1. a rock surface that has become more or less polished and striated by slippage along a fault plane.

slickenside

/ ˈslɪkənˌsaɪd /

noun

1. a rock surface with a polished appearance and fine parallel scratches caused by abrasion during fault displacement

slickenside

/ slĭk′ən-sīd′ /

1. A polished, striated rock surface formed by one rock mass sliding over another in a fault plane.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slickenside¹

First recorded in 1760–70; slick + -en ³ + side ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of slickenside¹

C18: from dialect slicken, variant of slick + side