[churt] 
| a compact rock consisting essentially of microcrystalline quartz. |
| chert (chûrt) n.
[Origin unknown.] chert'y adj. |
| chert (chûrt) Pronunciation Key
A hard, brittle sedimentary rock consisting of microcrystalline quartz. It is often reddish-brown to green but can also occur in a variety of other colors, especially white, pink, brown, or black. Chert often contains impurities such as calcium, iron-oxide, or the remains of silica-rich organisms. It usually occurs as nodules in limestone and dolomite and has curved fractures. |
