terrane

[ tuh-reyn, ter-eyn ]
See synonyms for terrane on Thesaurus.com
nounGeology.
  1. any rock formation or series of formations or the area in which a particular formation or group of rocks is predominant.

Origin of terrane

1
First recorded in 1815–25; spelling variant of terrain

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

How to use terrane in a sentence

  • The rocks of this great region include granite and allied metamorphosed terranes, old lavas, and sedimentary beds.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • By far the most valuable of the minerals and native metals that occur in the metamorphosed terranes is gold.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • Erosion has since carried off the rocks which were mineral-charged and laid bare the depleted terranes beneath.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • Besides the general reconnoissance, he discovered the existence of large areas of Upper Silurian and Devonian terranes.

British Dictionary definitions for terrane

terrane

terrain

/ (ˈtɛreɪn) /


noun
  1. a series of rock formations, esp one having a prevalent type of rock

  2. an allochthonous, fault-bounded section of the earth's crust

Origin of terrane

1
C19: see terrain

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