batholith

[bath-uh-lith]

noun

Geology.

1. a large body of intrusive igneous rock believed to have crystallized at a considerable depth below the earth's surface; pluton.

batholith

/ ˈbæθəˌlaɪt, ˈbæθəlɪθ /

noun

1. a very large irregular-shaped mass of igneous rock, esp granite, formed from an intrusion of magma at great depth, esp one exposed after erosion of less resistant overlying rocks

batholith

1. A large mass of igneous rock that has intruded and melted surrounding strata at great depths. Batholiths usually have a surface area of over 100 km ² (38 mi ²).

Other Word Forms

• batholithic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of batholith¹

First recorded in 1900–05; batho- + -lith

Example Sentences

“The central granitic batholith defines the White Alps, a land of spires and glacially carved valleys with hanging lakes as a result. The eastern-most section is called the Red Alps because serpentine soils are common.”

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Cornwall has a major advantage when it comes to alternative energy production: It sits atop a 280-million-year-old granite mass known as the Cornubian batholith, which is geologically ideal for producing geothermal energy.

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The team’s research indicates the Spirit Lake batholith served as a plug in the Earth’s crust, diverting the magma.

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Pink granite batholith circles Ensign Lake, and prehistoric “volcano bombs” — chunks of rock blown off the side of a volcano — lie at the bottom of Kekekabic Lake.

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Monazite, together with a small amount of gold, is also known in the stream gravels of the Boise Basin, Idaho, where a large granitic batholith evidently carries the mineral sparsely distributed throughout.

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