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unconformity - 4 dictionary results

un⋅con⋅form⋅i⋅ty

  [uhn-kuhn-fawr-mi-tee]
Use unconformity in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ties.
1. lack of conformity; incongruity; inconsistency.
2. Geology.
a. a discontinuity in rock sequence indicating interruption of sedimentation, commonly accompanied by erosion of rocks below the break.
b. the interface between such strata.
Origin:
1590–1600; un- 1 + conformity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To unconformity
un·con·for·mi·ty   (ŭn'kən-fôr'mĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. un·con·for·mi·ties
  1. Lack of conformity; nonconformity.
  2. Geology A surface between successive strata representing a missing interval in the geologic record of time, and produced either by an interruption in deposition or by the erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed deposition.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Unconformity

Un`con*form"i*ty\, n. 1. Want of conformity; incongruity; inconsistency. --South.

2. (Geol.) Want of parallelism between strata in contact.

Note: With some authors unconformity is equivalent to unconformability; but it is often used more broadly, for example, to include the case when the parallelism of strata once conformable has been disturbed by faulting and the like.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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unconformity   (ŭn'kən-fôr'mĭ-tē)  Pronunciation Key 
A surface between successive strata representing a missing interval in the geologic record of time, produced either by an interruption in deposition or by the erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed deposition. An unconformity is a type of discontinuity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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