crustal

American

[kruhs-tl] / ˈkrʌs tl /

adjective

of or relating to a crust, as of the earth.

crustal British

/ ˈkrʌstəl /

adjective

of or relating to the earth's crust

"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

Etymology

Origin of crustal

1855–60; < Latin crūst ( a ) shell, crust + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

crustal

Over time, this movement accumulated more crustal material on the far side, helping explain why that hemisphere developed a thicker crust with a higher magnesium content.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

On Earth, plate tectonics plays a major role in volcanism, recycling crustal material and helping build continents.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Using high-resolution gravity measurements along with models that accounted for both crustal and mantle material, the team found evidence that the SPA basin likely contains large amounts of rock originating from the Moon's mantle.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026

The team analyzed data from seismic monitoring stations around the world and factored in information such as crustal thickness.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026

If you had been looking for a very long, geologic time, you could have seen the continents them- selves in motion, drifting apart on their crustal plates, held afloat by the fire beneath.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023