| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,771,120,281 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
desert varnish |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
desert varnishor patinaThin, dark red to black mineral coating (generally iron and manganese oxides and silica) deposited on pebbles and rocks on the surface of desert regions. As dew and soil moisture brought to the surface by capillary action evaporate, their dissolved minerals are deposited on the surface. Wind abrasion removes the softer salts and polishes the surface to a glossy finish. Both high evaporation rates and sufficient precipitation are necessary for desert varnish to form. desert varnish [¦dez·ərt ′vär·nish] (Geology) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
The coloring is called desert varnish, which takes thousands of years of form. Their exteriors, embedded with rough copper slag from a mine 70 miles away, echo the patina known as desert varnish on the petroglyphs. Ancient artists created petroglyphs by scraping away a dark, mineral-rich coating called desert varnish (SN: 1/3/04, p. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|