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crystalline rock |
Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.13 sec. |
crystalline rockAny rock composed entirely of crystallized minerals without glassy matter (matter without visible crystals). Intrusive igneous rocks (see intrusive rock) are nearly always crystalline; extrusive igneous rocks (see extrusive rock) may be partly to entirely glassy. Metamorphic rocks are also always completely crystalline and are termed crystalline schists or gneisses. Sedimentary rocks can also be crystalline, such as crystalline limestones that precipitate directly from solution; the term is not generally applied to clastic sediments (made of fragments of preexisting rock), even though they are formed largely from the accumulation of crystalline materials. crystalline rock [′kris·tə·lən ′räk] (petrology) Rock made up of minerals in a clearly crystalline state. Igneous and metamorphic rock, as opposed to sedimentary rock. 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. |
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| These deposits belong to a type that develops from hot fluids flowing through cracks and pores in hard crystalline rock. The Athabasca Basin uranium mines produce from deposits that occur at an erosional unconformity marking the contact of sediments with underlying basement crystalline rocks. When the ODP scientists drilled into a level spot on the wall of the fracture zone valley, they found coarsely crystalline rocks called gabbros, which are known to make up the lower segment of the crust. |
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