downthrow

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the downward displacement of rock strata on one side of a geological fault, or the amount of that displacement

   Measurements showed a downthrow of several hundred metres on the eastern side of the fault.

2. 2
   noun

   a defeat, overthrow, or ruin

   The failed campaign hastened the downthrow of the regime.

A compound of down + throw. The general sense is an overthrow or defeat; geology specialized it for the side of a fault that has moved downward and for the measured vertical displacement itself, contrasted with upthrow.

Topics