Unconformity


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unconformity

[¦ən·kən′fȯr·məd·ē]
(geology)
The relation between adjacent rock strata whose time of deposition was separated by a period of nondeposition or of erosion; a break in a stratigraphic sequence.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Unconformity

 

(geology), the occurrence of relatively young strata of rock on the erosion surface of older strata. There are two main types of unconformities: parallel and angular. In parallel unconformities (disconformities), strata of different ages lie parallel to one another and are separated only by an erosion surface—a stratigraphic break. In angular unconformities (disconformities), strata of different ages are not only separated by an erosion surface but dip at different angles; as a result, the ends of the old strata abut the base of the younger overlying stratum. Angular unconformities are formed when previously deposited strata have been tilted or folded and then the upper parts of the strata destroyed (by marine erosion, for example) and layers of a new stratum deposited on the erosion surface.

The study of unconformities is of great importance in elucidating the history of the movements and deformations of the earth’s crust. Analysis of unconformities also helps date magmatic activity, ore formation, and other geological processes.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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