a marine sedimentary facies consisting of a sequence of sandstones, conglomerates, marls, shales, and clays that were formed by erosion during a period of mountain building and subsequently deformed as the mountain building continued. The phenomenon was first observed in the Alps
Word origin
Swiss German
flysch in American English
(flɪʃ)
noun
Geology
an association of certain types of marine sedimentary rocks characteristic of deposition in a foredeep
Word origin
[1845–55; ‹ G ‹ Swiss G flīsch referring to such deposits in the Swiss Alps; perh. akin to Swabian dial. flins slate (akin to flint)]