Article
Article
Horst
Article By:
Osberg, Philip H. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.323800
A segment of the Earth's crust, generally long as compared to its width, that has been upthrown relative to the adjacent rocks (see illustration). Horsts range in size from those that have lengths and upward displacement of a few inches to those that are tens of miles long with upward displacements of thousands of feet. The faults bounding a horst on either side commonly have inclinations of 50–70° toward the downthrown blocks, and the direction of movement on these displacements indicates that they are gravity faults. These relationships suggest that horsts develop in regions where the crust has undergone extension. They may form in the crests of anticlines or domes, or may be related to broad regional warpings. See also: Earth crust; Fault and fault structures; Graben
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