Final answer:
The Basin and Range province in the western United States is characterized by normal faults leading to a distinctive landscape of basins and ranges.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Basin and Range province located in the western United States is characterized by normal faults. This geologic region features a distinctive topography with elongated basins (valleys) and narrow ranges (mountains), which have been shaped by extensive stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust. The term horsts refers to the ranges, which are the uplifted blocks, while grabens refer to the sunken basins.
Compared to the Valley and Ridge Province in New Jersey, which was formed by slight deformation of sediments associated with ancient orogenies (mountain-building events), the Basin and Range Province results from a relatively recent extensional deformation. This leads to a greater potential for geothermal resources due to the crustal stretching, which allows heat from the mantle to rise more easily towards the surface, potentially powering geothermal activity.
The San Andreas Fault in California is another well-known example of a fault system, but it differs from those in the Basin and Range province as it is a transform fault marking the boundary between tectonic plates, whereas the Basin and Range faults are due to crustal extension.