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stylolite

[ stahy-luh-lahyt ]

noun

, Geology.
  1. an irregular columnar structure in certain limestones, the columns being approximately at right angles to the bedding planes.


stylolite

/ ˈstaɪləˌlaɪt; ˌstaɪləˈlɪtɪk /

noun

  1. any of the small striated columnar or irregular structures within the strata of some limestones


stylolite

/ stīlə-līt′ /

  1. A contact surface usually found between two calcareous rock layers, marked by a series of jagged interlocking up-and-down projections that resemble a suture or the tracing of a stylus. Stylolites are found in rocks that have been subjected to pressure and are formed by a process, called pressure dissolution, whereby insoluble material, such as clay and hydrocarbons, becomes concentrated along a surface while other more soluble material, such as calcite, is carried away.


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Derived Forms

  • stylolitic, adjective

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Other Words From

  • sty·lo·lit·ic [stahy-l, uh, -, lit, -ik], adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of stylolite1

First recorded in 1865–70; stylo- 2 + -lite

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Word History and Origins

Origin of stylolite1

C19: from Greek stulos pillar + -lite

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styloid processstylometry