cap rock

or caprock


nounGeology.
  1. a mass of anhydrite, gypsum, or limestone immediately above the salt of a salt dome.

  2. an impervious stratum overlying an oil- or gas-bearing structure.

Origin of cap rock

1
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for cap rock

cap rock

noun
  1. a layer of rock that overlies a salt dome and consists of limestone, gypsum, etc

  2. a layer of relatively impervious rock overlying an oil- or gas-bearing rock

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012