Benioff zone
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Benioff zone
[′ben·ē·ȯf ‚zōn] (geophysics)
A zone of earthquake hypocenters distributed on well-defined planes that dips from a shallow depth into the earth's mantle to depths as great as 420 miles (700 kilometers). Also known as Benioff-Wadati zone; Wadati-Benioff zone.