aufliegender

Aufliegender is a German term used primarily in geology, archaeology and civil engineering. It is the present participle form of aufliegen and functions as an attributive adjective meaning overlying or lying on top of something. The term describes a layer, rock, or deposit that rests above another geological or structural unit.

It is formed from the prefix auf- and the verb liegen. As a participle used as an adjective it takes declensional endings according to gender, case and number (for example der aufliegende Block, die aufliegende Decke, das aufliegende Gestein, die aufliegenden Schichten).

In geology, aufliegendes Gestein constitutes the rock layer that covers underlying formations. In construction, aufliegende Deckschicht refers to material that lies on the substrate. The term is often interchangeable with überliegend or überlagernd in technical texts, though each term has slightly different nuances.

Related terms include overlying rock, overlay, and geological stratigraphy.