shear zone

noun

A thin zone within the Earth's crust or upper mantle that has been strongly deformed, due to the walls of rock on either side of the zone slipping past each other.

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Meanings

nounshear zone (plural shear zones)

plural shear zones

  1. A thin zone within the Earth's crust or upper mantle that has been strongly deformed, due to the walls of rock on either side of the zone slipping past each other.
Cite this entry
APA

shear zone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shear%20zone

MLA

“shear zone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shear%20zone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shear zone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shear%20zone.

Source: shear zone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.