hanging wall
noun
Geology.
a mass of rock overhanging a fault plane.
Origin of hanging wall
First recorded in 1770–80
Words nearby hanging wall
hanging post,
hanging scroll,
hanging step,
hanging stile,
hanging valley,
hanging wall,
hangingfly,
hangman,
hangman's fracture,
hangman's knot,
hangnail
Example sentences from the Web for hanging wall
The two fault faces are known as the “hanging-wall” and the “foot-wall.”
British Dictionary definitions for hanging wall
hanging wall
noun
the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane or mineral vein
Compare footwall
Scientific definitions for hanging wall
hanging wall
The block of rock lying above an inclined geologic fault plane. See more at fault. Compare footwall.