ammoglyph

[ am-oh-glif, am-uh- ]

noun

1. a pattern or design originally created in sand by early humans and now fossilized: Compare dendroglyph ( def ), geoglyph ( def ), petroglyph ( def ).

   The triangular shape etched into the sand-turned-rock is believed to be an ammoglyph.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ammoglyph¹

Coined in 2019 by Canadian geologist Charles William Helm and colleagues; Greek ámmo(s) “sand” + glyph ( def ); ammophilous ( def )