The block below a fault is called the ______.

The block below a fault is called the ______.

• A. Roof
• B. Fault plane
• C. Foot wall
• D. Hanging wall

Answer: (C)

In fault terminology, blocks are named by their position relative to the fault plane: the block below the plane is the footwall, while the block above is the hanging wall. The correct term for the block beneath the fault plane is footwall because it sits below the sliding surface. The hanging wall is the block above the plane, so that would be incorrect for something below. The fault plane is the surface along which movement occurs, not a block, and the roof is not the standard term used for the block in this context.

In fault terminology, blocks are named by their position relative to the fault plane: the block below the plane is the footwall, while the block above is the hanging wall. The correct term for the block beneath the fault plane is footwall because it sits below the sliding surface. The hanging wall is the block above the plane, so that would be incorrect for something below. The fault plane is the surface along which movement occurs, not a block, and the roof is not the standard term used for the block in this context.