foreland

views updated May 08 2018

foreland A stable area on the edge of an orogenic belt; a foreland is usually on the margin of a craton and is underlain by continental crust. Many forelands have suffered warping during orogeny and also carry a superficial fold-and-thrust belt. The major direction of movement in an orogenic belt is towards the foreland. Where the orogenic belt lies between two stable areas, the other is called the hinterland.