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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
“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

batholith

/ băthə-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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Derived Forms

  • ˌbathoˈlithic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • batho·lithic adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of batholith1

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

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.

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

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.

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.

To capture that heat, water is pumped down from the surface through fissures in the batholith.

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batho-bathometer