A Benioff zone is a region of deeper earthquake foci where geometry reflects a subducting slab of lithosphere.

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This is a correct definition of a Benioff zone, which is also sometimes called a Wadati-Benioff zone. It is named after two seismologists who independently discovered the pattern of deep earthquake activity associated with subduction zones. In a subduction zone, one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, and the Benioff zone marks the path of the descending plate as it sinks into the mantle. The deeper earthquakes in the zone occur as the plate breaks and fractures under intense pressure and heat.

A Benioff Zone Is a Region of Deeper Earthquake Foci