graben

graben

(grah -ben) An elongated depression of land between two faults. Lunar graben are usually 1–2 km wide and may be hundreds of kilometers in length.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

graben

[′grä·bən]

(geology)

A block of the earth's crust, generally with a length much greater than its width, that has dropped relative to the blocks on either side.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Graben

 

a portion of the earth’s crust that is sunken relative to surrounding areas along steep, often vertical fractures, usually faults. The largest system of graben in the world is found in East Africa (Great Rift Valley). In Western Europe the largest graben is the valley of the Rhine River. Grabens on a planetary scale are called rifts. Grabens with additional fractures at their edges, which form a series of steps, are called complex grabens.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.