It has become common practice to call the rock surface that is immediately above the fault the hanging wallblock and to call the rock surface below, the footwall block(Figure 10.10). This nomenclature arose from prospectors and miners who excavated shafts and tunnels along fault zones that were sites of ore deposits. In these tunnels, the miners would walk on the rocks below the mineralized fault zone(the footwall block) and hang their lanterns on the rocks above(the hanging wall block).