onlap meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

onlap

noun

Etymology From on + lap.

Geography, Geology, Natural sciences The phenomenon of successively younger rock strata extending progressively further across an erosion surface cut in older rocks.

Displacement on F3 was followed by continued accumulation and onlap of the fine-grained sands of unit 3 on the footwall and development of soil Qb2.2001 December 14, Senthil Kumar et al., “Earthquake Recurrence and Rupture Dynamics of Himalayan Frontal Thrust, India”, in Science, volume 294, number 5550, →DOI, pages 2328–2331:

Synonyms: overlap

onlap

verb

Etymology From on + lap.

Geography, Geology, Natural sciences To form an onlap.

Elsewhere, many of the youngest volcanic plains units onlap tesserae at crustal plateau boundaries.1998 March 6, Roger J. Phillips, Vicki L. Hansen, “Geological Evolution of Venus: Rises, Plains, Plumes, and Plateaus”, in Science, volume 279, number 5356, →DOI, pages 1492–1497:

Antonyms: offlap