überliegende

Überliegende is a German adjective and, less commonly, a participle form used in geology and related fields to describe rock units or sediments that lie above another unit. The term expresses a vertical relationship in stratigraphy: an overlying (younger) layer rests atop an underlying (older) layer. The word derives from über- (over) and liegen (to lie).

In practice, überliegende is most often found in phrases such as das überliegende Gestein (the overlying rock) or die überliegende Schicht (the overlying layer). The form agrees with the noun it modifies: das überliegende Gestein, die überliegende Schicht, die überliegenden Gesteine. The noun form, used less frequently, can appear as das Überliegende in specialized contexts.

Geologically, the concept is central to the principle of superposition, which states that younger strata overlie older ones. Descriptions of a geological section often distinguish unterliegende (underlying) and überliegende units. The term is also used when characterizing unconformities, where an overlying sequence rests on an erosional surface, signaling a gap in the record. Beyond pure stratigraphy, überliegende beds can influence interpretations of paleogeography, sediment provenance, and tectonic history.

Related terms include unterliegend (lying beneath), überlagerung or Überlagerung (overburden or overlay), and überlagernd (overlying). While primarily a technical term, überliegende appears in academic descriptions, field notes, and scientific reports to succinctly convey the relative vertical arrangement of rock packages.