batholith

American  

[bath-uh-lith] / ˈbæθ ə lɪθ /

noun

Geology.

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

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batholith British  

/ 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

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batholith Scientific  

/ băth′ə-lĭth′ /

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).

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Other Word Forms

• batholithic adjective

Etymology

Origin of batholith

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.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

Or the felsic magma may continue to rise, and cool into a granitic batholith or erupt as a felsic volcano.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Since batholith B cuts both the gneiss and fault A, batholith B is younger than the other two rock formations.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

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.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2016

An excellent discussion of a case of vertical and areal zoning of minerals is contained in Ore deposits of the Boulder batholith of Montana, by Paul Billingsley and J. A. Grimes, Bull.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)