Contractional

Origin

contraction + -al

Full definition of contractional

Adjective

1. of or related to contraction
• September 15, Removal of SCLM can be accomplished by thermal erosion associated with a rising plume head, by extensional thinning of the lithosphere (and associated mantle upwelling), or by processes related to contractional tectonics foundering of lithosphere during thickening, peeling of lithosphere, shearing away of lithosphere during shallow subduction, or erosion of lithosphere induced by flow in the mantle wedge above a subducting slab (1-5 , 7 ).
• October 24, Bars show principal horizontal stresses; black bars correspond to contractional stress and white bars to extensional stress.