foldbelt
nounUK /ˈfəʊldbɛlt/
US /ˈfoʊldˌbɛlt/
A long area of rock that has been squeezed and bent into folds.
The Appalachian foldbelt stretches along the eastern side of North America.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A region where layers of rock are wrinkled and pushed together by forces inside the Earth.
Geologists mapped the foldbelt to understand how the mountains formed.
3. A zone of deformed crust created when two tectonic plates collide.
The foldbelt marks the ancient collision between two continents.
4. A band of folded sedimentary layers that can be seen in cliffs and road cuts.
We studied the foldbelt exposed along the highway.