hanging wall

noun

Mining. the underside of the wall rock overlying a vein or bed of ore.

Compare footwall (def 1).

Geology. a mass of rock overhanging a fault plane.

Origin

1770-80

Examples from the web for hanging wall

But, upon reopening the extruded surface would simply being a hanging wall, with nothing between it and the original block.
The changes only affect a limited area along the hanging wall of thrust or reverse faults.
Cordierite and anthophyllite in footwall of metamorphosed deposits, graphitic schist in hanging wall.
The colors show the slip amplitude and white arrows indicate the direction of motion of the hanging wall relative to the footwall.
The color shows the amplitude of dislocations and white arrows represent the motion of the hanging wall relative to the footwall.
hanging wall rock is reddish and oxidized, footwall rock is greenish gray and chloritic.
Along normal faults, the curves of geometric segments are generally concave toward the hanging wall.
Surface location of a fault in which the hanging wall has moved downward relative to the footwall.

British Dictionary definitions for hanging wall

noun

the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane or mineral vein Compare footwall

hanging wall in Science

hanging wall
The block of rock lying above an inclined geologic fault plane. See more at fault. Compare footwall.