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.

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

Some may occur as aftershocks caused by seismic waves traveling outward from crustal earthquakes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

They focused on crustal delamination, a process in which sections of Earth's crust become compressed, chemically altered, and dense enough to detach and sink into the mantle below.

From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2026

"The timing and rate of early crustal growth on Earth remains contentious due to the scarcity of very ancient rocks," Ms Boyce said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2026

At first people called them "crustal blocks" or sometimes "paving stones."

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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