cave popcorn . A variety of cave coralloid.
GeoWord of the Day
The GeoWord of the Day is a free service of the American Geosciences Institute. All of the terms and definitions are from the Glossary of Geology, 5th Edition Revised.
mechanical analysis . Determination of the particle-size distribution of a soil, sediment, or rock by screening, sieving, or other means of mechanical separation; "the quantitative expression of the size-frequency distribution of particles in granular, fragmental, or powdered material" (Krumbein and Pettijohn, 1938, p.91). It is usually expressed in percentage by weight (and sometimes by number or count) of particles within specific size limits. See also: particle-size analysis.
obligate (ob'-li-gate). adj. Said of an organism that can grow only under certain restricted conditions. Cf: facultative.
mansfieldite (mans'-field-ite). A white to pale-gray orthorhombic mineral of the variscite group: AlAsO4•2H2O . It is isomorphous with scorodite.
fractoconformity (frac''-to-con-form'-i-ty). The relation between conformable strata where faulting of the older beds proceeds contemporaneously with deposition of the newer.
IIAB iron . A member of the magmatic iron-meteorite group IIAB.
probability (prob-a-bil'-i-ty). A scale indicating the degree to which an event is expected to occur; 0 indicates the event is impossible, 1 indicates the event is certain to occur. Probabilities may be based on mathematical logic, as in the discrete probabilities arising in fixed games of chance; on the past record of occurrences or relative frequencies; or on subjective belief.
felder (fel'-der). An obsolete term for crustal blocks of a polygonal, mosaic pattern that are produced by taphrogeny. Syn: tesserae.
assay inch . In determining the assay value of an orebody, the multiplication of its assay grade by the number of inches along which the sample was taken. Cf: assay foot.
distillation [water] . Conversion of liquid to vapor by the addition of heat, and returning the vapor to a liquid by cooling, as in the purification of water.
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