fling
n.— «He studied the deep-earth sources of earthquakes and coined the more graphic term “fling” for a phenomenon scientists call elastic rebound, which occurs along a fault line in an earthquake’s initial stages. It is this snap-back along a slipping fault, much like the rebound of a rubber band, that causes much of the damage to structures after a quake.» —“Bruce A. Bolt, 75, Scientist Who Improved Earthquake Safety, Dies” by Jeremy Pearce New York Times July 28, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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