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How do reverse faults differ from normal faults?

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tectonic basins and rift valleys Escarpments of the Great Rift Valley rising above the plain north of Samburu Game Preserve, central Kenya. Beisa oryxes graze in the foreground.

Normal faults and reverse faults are distinguished primarily by the tectonic forces that create them and the resulting direction of movement along the fault plane.

Normal Faults: These are produced by the extension or lengthening of the Earth's crust. In this process, the hanging wall (the block of rock above the fault plane) slides downward relative to the footwall (the block below the fault plane). These faults are characteristic of divergent plate boundaries and are primary components in the formation of rift valleys and tectonic basins.123
Reverse Faults: These are generated by horizontal compressional forces that cause the crust to shorten or contract. In a reverse fault, the hanging wall is forced upward and over the footwall. When a reverse fault has a low angle of dip (less than 45°), it is specifically referred to as a thrust fault. Large-scale reverse and thrust faults are typically found at compressive tectonic plate boundaries, such as those responsible for the formation of major mountain ranges like the Himalayas.12