Horst (geology)

Diagram of horsts and grabens

In physical geography and geology, a horst is a raised fault block bounded by normal faults.[1] Horsts are typically found together with grabens. While a horst is lifted or remains stationary, the grabens on either side subside.[2] This is often caused by extensional forces pulling apart the crust. Horsts may represent features such as plateaus, mountains, or ridges on either side of a valley.[3] Horsts can range in size from small fault blocks up to large regions of stable continent that have not been folded or warped by tectonic forces.[2]

The word Horst in German means "mass" or "heap" and was first used in the geological sense in 1883 by Eduard Suess in The Face of the Earth.[4][5][note 1]

  1. ^ Fossen H. (2010-07-15). Structural Geology. Cambridge University Press. p. 154. ISBN 9781139488617.
  2. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Horst". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 740.
  3. ^ "Horst and Graben". National Park Service. 2020-04-22.
  4. ^ "horst". Etymonline.
  5. ^ Suess, Edward (1904). The Face of the Earth. Translated by Sollas, Hertha B C. Clarendon Press.


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