The block of rock that sits above the fault plane is known as the ______.

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Multiple Choice

The block of rock that sits above the fault plane is known as the ______.

Explanation:
On a fault, rocks are divided into two blocks by the fault plane. The block that sits above the fault plane is called the hanging wall. The name comes from how it would appear if you stood on the rock below and looked up at the rock above, which seems to hang over the fault. The block below the fault plane is the footwall. This naming stays the same regardless of how the fault moves: in some faults the hanging wall slides downward relative to the footwall, in others it moves upward. A fault block is a general term for any chunk of rock on either side of a fault, and dip-slip block isn’t a standard term.

On a fault, rocks are divided into two blocks by the fault plane. The block that sits above the fault plane is called the hanging wall. The name comes from how it would appear if you stood on the rock below and looked up at the rock above, which seems to hang over the fault. The block below the fault plane is the footwall. This naming stays the same regardless of how the fault moves: in some faults the hanging wall slides downward relative to the footwall, in others it moves upward. A fault block is a general term for any chunk of rock on either side of a fault, and dip-slip block isn’t a standard term.

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