Introduction: Scientific concepts, language and terminology go through changes over time. One of the most basic and important concepts in environmental and geologic science, which has gone through this change, is the term subsidence. The depth and breadth of change in the concepts related to this term is noticeable, although it has applications in other fields, even dentistry. Known as a geomorphological phenomenon, subsidence has turned into a theory on its own in geology and with its emergence it also outlined some other concepts and schools of thought in the field of geology. It also caused evolutions in common beliefs in this field.