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Glossary

A (6) | B (6) | C (10) | D (11) | E (7) | F (10) | G (10) | H (1) | I (2) | J (1) | L (7) | M (12) | O (3) | P (11) | Q (3) | R (9) | S (23) | T (5) | U (3) | W (1)
Tectonic Plate

Blocks of oceanic and continental crust and upper mantle, supported by a viscous underlayer of the lower mantle.

Tectonics

A branch of geology dealing with the regional assemblage of structural and deformational features of the Earth’s crust, and a study of their origins and histories.

Thrust Fault

A fault with a dip of 45º or less over much of its extent, on which the hanging (upper) wall appears to have moved upward relative to the footwall (lower). Horizontal compression (i.e., crustal shortening) rather than vertical displacement is its characteristic feature.

Thrust Sheet

A body of rock that has arrived at its present position by movement along an underlying thrust fault.

Toe

The lowest part of a slope, slope movement, or slope movement deposit.