1. Large-scale, long-term deformations of the Earth's crust, including folding, faulting, and uplift, that result in the formation of mountains, ocean basins, and continents.
Usage: geology; plural form of diastrophism; technical term

Examples

• Diastrophisms over millions of years created the Rocky Mountains.
• Geologists study diastrophisms to understand plate tectonics and mountain building.
• The diastrophisms that shaped the Appalachian region occurred during the Paleozoic Era.
• Major diastrophisms can cause earthquakes and volcanic activity.
• Scientists use seismic data to track ongoing diastrophisms beneath the ocean floor.