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Normal fault identification and geology

A dip-slip fault in which the hanging wall the block above the fault plane has moved downward relative to the footwall, driven by extensional tensional tectonic stress. Normal faults result in crustal extension and thinning, and they are characteristic of rift zones, divergent plate boundaries, and gravitationally collapsing orogenic belts. Sets of parallel normal faults produce horst-and-graben topography. Field: structural geology. Example: The Wasatch Fault in Utah is a major normal fault bounding the eastern margin of the Basin and Range Province, with the valley floor hanging wall dropped approximately 3,600 m relative to the Wasatch Range footwall over the past 10 million years.. Related terms: Reverse fault, Hanging wall, Footwall, Graben.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.055955+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Normal fault mean in geology?
A dip-slip fault in which the hanging wall the block above the fault plane has moved downward relative to the footwall, driven by extensional tensional tectonic stress. Normal faults result in crustal extension and thinning, and they are characteristic of rift zones, divergent plate boundaries, and gravitationally collapsing orogenic belts. Sets of parallel normal faults produce horst-and-graben topography.
What is an example of Normal fault?
The Wasatch Fault in Utah is a major normal fault bounding the eastern margin of the Basin and Range Province, with the valley floor hanging wall dropped approximately 3,600 m relative to the Wasatch Range footwall over the past 10 million years.
Which earth-science field uses the term Normal fault?
Normal fault is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Normal fault?
Related terms in this reference are Reverse fault, Hanging wall, Footwall, Graben.

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