This page gathers the 2,830 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Geology”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 16 of 29: from “mathiasite” to “minyulite”.
- mathiasite noun A trigonal-rhombohedral black mineral containing calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, oxygen, potassium, strontium, and titanium.
- matrix noun A geological matrix.
- mazuku noun A pocket of carbon-dioxide-rich air that accumulates near the ground and can be lethal to humans and animals.
- mcgillite noun A monoclinic-prismatic mineral containing chlorine, hydrogen, iron, magnesium, manganese, oxygen, and silicon.
- mcgovernite noun A trigonal-hexagonal scalenohedral mineral containing arsenic, hydrogen, magnesium, manganese, oxygen, silicon, and zinc.
- meager adj Dry and harsh to the touch (e.g., as chalk).
- meagre adj Dry and harsh to the touch (e.g., as chalk).
- measure noun A bed or stratum.
- mechanical lithosphere noun a mechanical analogue of the seismic lithosphere, used to simulate the flexural deformations of the Earth
- medaite noun A monoclinic-prismatic brownish red mineral containing arsenic, calcium, hydrogen, manganese, oxygen, silicon, and vanadium.
- mediglacial adj Between two glaciers.
- megacryst noun Any crystalline grain in an igneous or metamorphic rock that is much larger than those of the surrounding matrix
- megafan noun A very large mass of clastic sediment deposited by a laterally mobile river system that fans out from the outlet from a large mountainous…
- megaquake noun A megathrust earthquake.
- megaquartz noun A type of large quartz present as individual crystals and clusters of crystals, as well as overgrowths on detrital quartz grains, found in…
- megathrust noun A sudden large-scale slip along a fault between a subducting and an overriding plate, resulting in a major earthquake.
- meixnerite noun A trigonal-hexagonal scalenohedral colorless mineral containing aluminum, hydrogen, magnesium, and oxygen.
- melanchyme noun A bituminous substance found in masses in the brown coal of Zweifelsruth, Bohemia, former Czechoslovakia.
- melange noun A large-scale breccia formed in the accretionary wedge over a subductional environment.
- melanophlogite noun A tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal mineral containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, and sulfur.
- melatope noun An eye shape of concentric coloured optical fringes seen on a conoscopic interference pattern surrounding an optical axis. For biaxial…
- melinite noun A yellow clay mineral from Bavaria.
- meliphanite noun A tetragonal-disphenoidal mineral containing aluminum, beryllium, calcium, fluorine, hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, and sodium.
- melt noun Rock showing evidence of having been remelted after it originally solidified.
- mendozavilite noun A monoclinic mineral containing calcium, hydrogen, iron, magnesium, molybdenum, oxygen, phosphorus, sodium, and strontium.
- menezesite noun A reddish-brown isometric mineral containing barium, hydrogen, magnesium, niobium, oxygen and zirconium
- mercurian adj Containing divalent mercury.
- mereiterite noun A monoclinic-prismatic pale yellow mineral containing hydrogen, iron, oxygen, potassium, and sulfur.
- merenskyite noun A trigonal-ditrigonal pyramidal white mineral containing bismuth, palladium, platinum, and tellurium.
- merlinoite noun An orthorhombic-dipyramidal mineral containing aluminum, barium, calcium, hydrogen, iron, oxygen, potassium, silicon, and sodium.
- merrihueite noun A hexagonal-dihexagonal dipyramidal greenish blue mineral containing iron, magnesium, oxygen, potassium, silicon, and sodium.
- Mesoarchean adj Of a geologic era within the Archaean eon from about 3200 to 2800 million years ago; stromatolites have existed from this time.
- mesocratic adj Neither leucocratic nor melanocratic; having a more or less even mixture of light and dark constituents.
- mesocrystalline adj Having crystals intermediate in size between microcrystalline and macrocrystalline ones
- Mesoproterozoic adj Of a geologic era within the Proterozoic eon; comprises the Calymmian, Ectasian and Stennian periods from about 1600 to 900 million years…
- mesosphere noun The lower mantle, a layer inside the Earth.
- mesostatic adj Of or pertaining to mesostasis
- mesotype noun Any of various minerals, including natrolite (soda mesotype), scolecite (lime mesotype), and mesolite (lime-soda mesotype)
- Mesozoic adj Of a geologic era within the Phanerozoic eon that comprises the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods from about 230 to 65 million…
- messelite noun A triclinic-pinacoidal mineral containing calcium, hydrogen, iron, manganese, oxygen, and phosphorus.
- meta- prefix Modified by metamorphosis; analogies and derivatives of metamorphism.
- metacalciouranoite noun An orthorhombic orange mineral containing barium, calcium, hydrogen, lead, oxygen, sodium, and uranium.
- metachronous adj Having parts formed at different times.
- metacinnabar noun A isometric-hextetrahedral form of the mineral, cinnabar, containing mercury and sulfur and ranging from black to grayish white.
- metacraton noun A craton that has been remobilized during an orogenic event but is still recognizable dominantly through its rheological, geochronological…
- metadelrioite noun A triclinic-pinacoidal pale yellow green mineral containing calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, strontium, and vanadium.
- metaheinrichite noun A monoclinic-sphenoidal yellowish green mineral containing arsenic, barium, hydrogen, oxygen, and uranium.
- metakahlerite noun A tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal sulfur yellow mineral containing arsenic, hydrogen, iron, oxygen, and uranium.
- metakirchheimerite noun A tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal light pink mineral containing arsenic, cobalt, hydrogen, oxygen, and uranium.
- metallogenic adj Occurring in an ore as a native metal rather than as a compound such as silicate, carbonate etc.
- metamict adj Having a disrupted crystal structure due to radiation damage; metamictic
- metamorphic noun A rock that has been changed from its original form by subjection to heat and/or pressure.
- metamorphic rock noun one of the major groups of rock that makes up the crust of the Earth; consists of pre-existing rock mass in which new minerals or textures…
- metamorphism noun The process by which rocks are changed into other forms by the application of heat and/or pressure.
- metamorphist adj Believing in the metamorphic formation of nonsedimentary rocks and minerals.
- metaschoderite noun A monoclinic-prismatic yellow orange mineral containing aluminum, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and vanadium.
- metasomatic adj Of or pertaining to metasomatism.
- metasomatism noun The process by which the bulk chemical composition of a rock is changed by the introduction of components from an external source…
- metasomatize verb To change the bulk chemical composition of a rock is by the introduction of components from an external source, especially by a…
- metavanmeersscheite noun An orthorhombic-pyramidal canary yellow mineral containing hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and uranium.
- metavolcanic adj Being or relating to a type of metamorphic rock originally produced by a volcano, either as lava or tephra, then buried and subjected to…
- metavoltine noun A trigonal-rhombohedral mineral containing hydrogen, iron, oxygen, potassium, sodium, sulfur, and zinc.
- meteoric adj Originating in the atmosphere.
- miarolitic adj Being or pertaining to a crystal-lined irregular cavity or vug most commonly found in granitic pegmatites.
- mica noun Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin…
- micheelsenite noun A hexagonal-pyramidal mineral containing aluminum, calcium, carbon, dysprosium, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and yttrium.
- michenerite noun An isometric-tetartoidal silver white mineral containing bismuth, palladium, platinum, and tellurium.
- microcline noun A common feldspar of igneous, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks, made of potassium aluminum silicate, with the chemical formula KAlSi₃O₈.
- microdiorite noun A course-grained igneous rock, of volcanic origin, containing mostly plagioclase feldspar; a rock whose composition is intermediate between…
- microfacial adj Pertaining to microfacies.
- microfacies noun The composition, features, or appearance of a portion of a facies small enough to be examined in thin sections, or in rock samples of…
- microfracturing noun Process of rock formation involving breaking of another rock into fragments.
- microgabbro noun A fine-grained igneous rock with the same composition as gabbro but having an ophitic texture; diabase.
- microlite noun A basic fluoride of sodium, calcium, tantalum and niobium that is isomorphous with pyrochlore
- micromorphology noun The fine-level structures or morphology of an organism, mineral, or soil component visible through microscopy.
- micromount noun A mineral specimen that is too small to be appreciated without an optical aid, and is permanently mounted for such a purpose.
- microplate noun A relatively small tectonic plate.
- microshock noun A very small-scale shock.
- microsommite noun A hexagonal-trapezohedral mineral containing aluminum, calcium, chlorine, oxygen, potassium, silicon, sodium, and sulfur.
- microtremor noun Any of the continuous background movements of the Earth's surface and interior, having a period of 1 to 9 seconds, not associated with any…
- migmatite noun Any rock of mixed appearance, being an intimate mixture of granite and older rock, specifically from intense metamorphism which partially…
- mijakite noun An andesite from the Japanese island of Mijakeshima, porphyritic with phenocrysts of bytownite, augite, hypersthene, and biotite.
- milarite noun A hexagonal-dihexagonal dipyramidal mineral containing aluminum, beryllium, calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, potassium, and silicon.
- miliolite noun A building stone, one of the group of the Paris basin, almost entirely made up of many-chambered microscopic shells
- millerite noun A nickel sulfide mineral, NiS, that occurs as hairlike tufts.
- millisite noun A tetragonal-trapezohedral mineral containing aluminum, calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium.
- millosevichite noun A rare mineral with the chemical formula Al₂(SO₄)₃, forming white to yellowish cryptocrystalline masses.
- millstone noun A coarse-grained sandstone used for making such stones; millstone grit.
- millstone grit noun A group of coarse-grained sandstone from the Carboniferous period, primarily found in the British Isles.
- Mima mound noun A low, flattened dome-like natural mound found in the northwestern United States, composed of loose, unstratified, often gravelly sediment.
- mimetite noun An arsenate mineral which forms in lead deposits, usually by the oxidation of galena and arsenopyrite.
- mimic adj Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of…
- mimosite noun A melanocratic basaltic rock.
- minamiite noun A trigonal-hexagonal scalenohedral white mineral containing aluminum, calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.
- mineevite-(Y) noun A hexagonal sulfate chloride mineral with the chemical formula Na₂₅Ba(Y,Gd,Dy)₂(CO₃)₁₁(HCO₃)₄(SO₄)₂F₂Cl.
- minehillite noun A hexagonal mineral containing aluminum, calcium, hydrogen, iron, magnesium, manganese, oxygen, potassium, silicon, sodium, and zinc.
- mineral noun Any naturally occurring material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties…
- mineralogy noun The branch of petrology that studies minerals.
- minette noun A mineral deposit consisting of iron ore of sedimentary origin, found in the south of Luxembourg and in Lorraine.
- minyulite noun An orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing aluminum, fluorine, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and potassium.