EN
We show that non-flatness of a morphism φ:X→ Y of complex-analytic spaces with a locally irreducible target of dimension n manifests in the existence of vertical components in the n-fold fibred power of the pull-back of φ to the desingularization of Y. An algebraic analogue follows: Let R be a locally (analytically) irreducible finite type ℂ-algebra and an integral domain of Krull dimension n, and let S be a regular n-dimensional algebra of finite type over R (but not necessarily a finite R-module), such that Spec S → Spec R is dominant. Then a finite type R-algebra A is R-flat if and only if $(A^{⊗i^n_R})⊗_R S$ is a torsion-free R-module.