Exfoliation

exfoliation

[eks‚fō·lē′ā·shən]

(geology)

sheeting

(medicine)

The separation of bone or other tissue in thin layers.

A peeling and shedding of the horny layer of the skin.

(metallurgy)

Peeling off or separation of metal at its surface in the form of thin, parallel scales or lamellae.

(petrology)

The breaking off of thin concentric shells, sheets, scales, plates, and so on, from a rock mass; measuring less than a centimeter to several meters in thickness, the loosened rock is spalled, peeled, or stripped.

(science and technology)

Flaking away or peeling off in scales.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Exfoliation

Action caused by weathering or salt decay, resulting in the flaking off of surface layers of stone.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

exfoliation

Peeling, swelling, or scaling of stone or mineral surfaces in thin layers; caused by chemical or physical weathering or by heat. Minerals such as vermiculite expand to many times their original size when heat-treated.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.