Meanings
nounthrust fault (plural thrust faults)
plural thrust faults
- geographyA type of reverse fault in which the angle that the hanging wall makes with the horizontal is less than 45 degrees.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna geological fault in which the upper side appears to have been pushed upward by compression
Similar
overthrust faultreverse fault
Broader
inclined fault
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coined by geologist Archibald Geikie in 1884.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
thrust fault. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrust%20fault
MLA
“thrust fault.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrust%20fault. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thrust fault,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrust%20fault.
Source: thrust fault on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.